Orient · Orient F6724

Orient Bambino 38 and Bambino Classic Date power reserve: inside the Orient F6724

The Orient Bambino 38, the 40.5 mm Bambino Classic Date and the 75th-anniversary Bambino all run on Orient's in-house F6724. From a full wind it lasts about 40 hours, a little under two days.

Updated September 2026 · Based on manufacturer specs, published reviews and watchmaker/owner reports

Watches that use the Orient F6724

The F6724 is Orient's date-only, hacking, hand-winding automatic, and it's the movement behind the current Bambino with a date. Not every Bambino has it, though. Older Bambinos used a caliber that couldn't hack, the 2019 36 mm Bambino used the F6222, and the 2026 Bambino 38 No Date uses the new F6524. Check the reference before you assume.

Specs at a glance

History and where it came from

The Bambino has been one of the best-value dress watches around for more than a decade: a domed crystal, a curved dial and an in-house Japanese automatic for the price of a nice dinner. But the older versions had the same weakness as the original Orient Mako. Worn & Wound's review of the FER2400 Bambino lists the caliber 48743, a 21-jewel automatic that neither hacks nor hand-winds, so you couldn't stop the seconds to set the time or top the spring up from the crown.

Orient's F6 family fixed that across the range. The F6724 is the date-only member that went into the Bambino. Worn & Wound's January 2018 launch report for the Bambino Small Seconds described a "new F6724" that hacks and hand-winds, so the movement was in Bambinos by then. When Orient launched the smaller Bambino 38 in 2022, with standard 20 mm lugs, it used the F6724, and so do the 40.5 mm Classic Date and the 2025 anniversary edition.

Monochrome's 2022 review called it a workhorse: undecorated apart from a partly open-worked rotor, but honest for a watch at this price.

Accuracy in the real world

Orient rates the F6724 at +25 to -15 seconds a day, measured after 24 hours from a full wind, dial up. That's the same window as Orient's other F6 movements and tighter than the Miyota 8215's -20/+40.

Owners often do better. Monochrome's Bambino 38 coverage notes that the watches usually run within that range in practice, and owners in its comments report 40.5 mm Bambinos running within a couple of seconds a day. That's luck of the draw rather than something to expect: these movements aren't finely regulated at the factory, so some will sit nearer the edges. A watchmaker can usually regulate one cheaply.

Reliability and servicing

Orient's F6 movements share the brand's reputation for toughness, and movement failures in Bambinos are rarely reported. Because it's a dress watch that tends to be worn gently, the F6724 usually has an easy life.

• Water resistance. The bigger risk to a Bambino is its 30 m rating and push/pull crown, not the movement. Keep it away from swimming and showers.
• Servicing. Any watchmaker who works on Japanese automatics can service it. It's a conventional layout.
• Replace versus service. On a watch at the Bambino's price, a replacement movement is often cheaper than a full service. Parts are less universal than Seiko's NH35, but available.

Quirks worth knowing

• Setting the date. The date quick-sets from the first crown position. Orient's instructions for its F6-family movements warn against setting it between about 8pm and 2am while the calendar is changing. Here's why.
• Push/pull crown. There's no screw-down crown to unscrew, which makes daily winding easy but is why water resistance is only 30 m.
• Winding from stopped. Around 30 turns of the crown fills the spring. Orient's F6-family instructions say to turn it clockwise; the other way does nothing.
• 3 Hz sweep. Six ticks a second. Behind a domed crystal, the steppier sweep suits the vintage look.
• Hacking depends on the Bambino. An older Bambino that doesn't stop its seconds hand isn't broken. It has the 48743.

How it compares

• Orient F6922: the same movement family with a day display, used in the Kamasu and Mako. Same 40-hour reserve and tolerance.
• Seiko 4R35: the rival in Seiko's Presage Cocktail Time and 5 Sports. Also hacking and hand-winding at 3 Hz, with 41 hours and a similar tolerance.
• Miyota 8215: the movement in many rival budget dress watches. Similar reserve, but a wider tolerance and no hacking on older units.
• Powermatic 80: in Tissot's Le Locle and Visodate. Twice the reserve and a Swiss name, at a noticeably higher price.
• Orient Star F6N43: the step up within Orient: 50 hours and a power reserve indicator in the Orient Star Contemporary.

Living with the 40-hour reserve

A Bambino is usually a second watch, worn for dinners and weddings, and 40 hours doesn't survive that pattern. Wear it to a Saturday evening event, take it off at midnight, and it will stop around 4pm on Monday. Take it off Friday evening after a light day and it may not see Sunday morning. Every time it stops you have to reset the time and date, and the date shouldn't be set in the evening.

That's where a reminder helps. Watch Winder counts down the reserve for each watch you own and reminds you before your Bambino stops, so you can give it thirty turns of the crown or wear it the next day instead of resetting the date. For a one-off check, the "Will my watch stop?" calculator tells you whether it'll still be running.

Verdict

The F6724 turned the Bambino from a lovely watch with an annoying movement into a lovely watch with a perfectly decent one. It hacks, hand-winds, usually runs well inside its rating and is cheap to look after. Forty hours is the catch, and it bites hardest on a dress watch that spends most of its time in a drawer. For a first dress watch, a Bambino 38 or Classic Date with the F6724 is still one of the easiest recommendations there is.

FAQ

How long does an Orient Bambino run off the wrist?

About 40 hours from a full wind with the F6724. A Bambino worn only for an evening won't be fully wound and will stop sooner.

Does the Orient Bambino hack?

Current Bambinos with the F6724, like the Bambino 38 and Classic Date, do. Older Bambinos with the 48743 caliber don't hack or hand-wind.

Can you hand-wind the Orient Bambino 38?

Yes. Its F6724 winds when you turn the crown clockwise in the pushed-in position. About 30 turns fills it from stopped.

How accurate is the Orient Bambino?

Orient rates the F6724 at +25 to -15 seconds a day. Many owners report their Bambinos run comfortably inside that.

Why did my Orient Bambino stop overnight?

It was probably only partly wound. A few hours of wear adds little charge, so give it a full wind by the crown after wearing it for an evening.

Which movement is in the Bambino 38 No Date?

The Bambino 38 No Date launched in 2026 uses the F6524, not the F6724. It also has hacking, hand-winding and a 40-hour reserve.

What's the difference between the F6724 and the F6922?

The F6724 shows the date only and is used in the Bambino. The F6922 adds a day display and powers the Kamasu and Mako.

Sources

• Orient UK: Bambino 40.5 mm RA-AC0029E specifications
• Monochrome: The Orient Bambino 38 collection
• Monochrome: Bambino 38 No Date and 2026 Classic Date
• Worn & Wound: Orient Bambino FER2400 review
• Monochrome: Orient Bambino 75th Anniversary

Watches we've reviewed with the Orient F6724

• Seiko Presage Cocktail Time review

Keeping it running

• On an average day an automatic gains roughly 4 hours of reserve per hour on the wrist, so about 10 hours of wear fills the Orient F6724. Desk days charge more slowly.
• Most automatics can also be wound by the crown. If yours has stopped, a few dozen turns gets it going before you put it on.
• Off the wrist it stops about 40 hours after it was last full. Stopped sooner?
• On a watch winder, start at about 650 turns per day, both directions. Winder settings for every movement.
• If it does stop, don't set the date between 9pm and 3am. Check if it's safe.

All Orient movements

Never let it stop

Watch Winder counts down the reserve of every watch you own and reminds you before one stops. It already knows the Orient F6724: type your watch's name and the reserve fills itself in.

Manufacturer's published figure. Real reserve varies with the watch's age and service; check your manual.