Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Chinese Independent Watchmaker Neo Kung and his Delectable Orienta Chronograph
A lovely vintage-inspired high-end chronograph from the Land of the Red Dragon.
A new name on the independent watchmaking firmament arises, as Chinese watchmaker Neo Kung presents his Orienta. With experience working for the Seagull and Shanghai movement manufacturers, Neo Kung has a deep understanding of what it takes to build a movement. And by the looks of it, he knows what he’s doing! His Orienta has a movement based on the enigmatic Venus 175 calibre, a rather pleasing vintage appeal and a subtle touch of Chinese design and styling that will surely cross borders and excite enthusiasts the world over.
Chinese watchmaking is still often stigmatised. And yes, while there are plenty of (very) questionable watches coming from China, several brands and watchmakers are definitely worth the time and effort. To the point even that they’re certainly worth spending money on! Names like Celadon HH, Qin Gang, Logan Kuan Rao and Atelier Wen are at the forefront of high-end or luxury watchmaking that can rival the Swiss. Maybe not by volume, but certainly by craftsmanship and creativity! Another name to add to that list is Neo Kung, who openly admits making a proper Haute Horlogery watch in China is a huge undertaking to the point that he has looked abroad for knowledge, help and experience.
Neo Kung previously worked as the Chief Product Officer for both Seagull and Shanghai, two of China’s premiere movement manufacturers. Seagull is especially known for making alternatives to various movements from Switzerland, such as the ST1901 found in the Depancel Allure Manual Chronograph or the Baltic Bicompax 003. Through his work in the industry, Neo Kung has found a passion and motivation to now set out on his own, with the Orienta chronograph marking his debut.
From the outside in, we start with the case. Machined from platinum, the fully polished case has a diameter of 39.8mm and a height of 10.6mm. That makes it nice and compact to fit the vast majority of wrists but also not too petite to be pure vintage in terms of dimensions. The relatively thin and knurled crown is flanked by two classical pump-style pushers. According to Neo Kung, it took 21 design iterations to nail the shape, size and profile of the Orienta’s exterior. Furthermore, it comes with sapphire crystals on both sides, plus it has a 60m water-resistance rating.
The dial for the Orienta is equal parts simple and charming. The silver finish, obtained by hand, gives it a very sleek look, especially combined with the hand-applied gold numerals and square markers. The bi-register layout for the small seconds and chronograph minutes is finished with a concentric grooved pattern. A gold ‘Shadow’ flange surrounds the entire dial, giving it a subtle dose of warmth. The gold hands for the hours, minutes and small seconds are offset with bright red lacquered hands for the chronograph. The dial is signed by its maker, and the line “Heritage Forward” is a nod to Neo Kung’s inspiration and background in watchmaking.
The thing that perhaps most of you have been questioning up to this point is the movement. Clearly based on the architecture of the Venus 175, it looks the part! It’s quite surprising Neo Kung’s debut piece is a chronograph, as they are notoriously complex to build and run perfectly. But, given his past experience, it’s safe to assume he knows it by heart. The NK-01 that ticks away inside the Orienta runs at a rate of 21,600vph and is wound by hand up to 42 hours of power reserve.
And if there’s a touch of scepticism concerning the movement, that’s understandable. After all, the Venus movement manufacture was acquired by the Tianjin Seagull Watch Group in the 1960s, and the Venus 175 serves as the origin for the Seagull ST1901. From what we understand from Neo Kung, he modified parts of the movement to an extent and worked with external partners for its construction. The finishing is all done by Neo Kung himself, using traditional methods and tools. For now, that’s all we can share, but we’ll try and get our hands on the Orienta to learn more in the near future. On paper, at least, it looks quite impressive!
The Neo Kung Orienta comes on a handmade alligator leather strap with a plant-based dying method and hand stitching, finished with a pin buckle. It’s limited to 12 pieces and is available via subscription only for a price of CHF 35,800, including VAT. Whether that is justified or not is too early to tell, but the Orienta shows all the signs of being a very handsome watch with ample amounts of high-end finishing and craftsmanship. Perhaps we can pass better judgment after we’ve gone hands-on with it, which we’ll certainly do if given the chance, of course.
For more information, please visit Neo-Kung.com (currently being redone) or contact Neo Kung directly via email.
10 responses
35k for a seagull based movement seems a bit steep…
Hence our remark on the expected scepticism. From what we know and can see, Neo Kung modified a number of parts and finishes it by hand entirely. We are in talks with him to learn more, and it’s not said this comes from Seagull. Neo has confirmed he’s working with both Swiss and Chinese partners for the construction of the base movement. More will be disclosed later, and potentially in a follow-up interview or possible hands-on article.
Did they use slave labor on this one? If so, the margins are spectacular. Skepticism indeed.
Always been wondering what a high end finish on an ST1901 would look like. It is and remains a very attractive classic movement.
I have nothing bad to say about mine (except maybe the associated politics). I won’t win a popularity contest with this, but it’s been more accurate and reliable than the average of my swiss watches…
But for around $41K, doesn’t a 21,600vph movement leaves much to be desired? Just a personal opinion but whether a Seagull or a Swiss movement Chrono, I’d want a smoother 4hz if I’d drop over 40K on a watch. I mean I get it. this watch has platinum case, the movement is probably decorated and stuff but what’s the point if the heart on a watch is on the weaker side despite having fancier specs!
Lol, as soon as I saw it was platinum I knew the price would be nuts. (Or more politely, out of my league)
What components were changed/ improved to warrant a name change to NK-01. It’s still a venus 175 or ST 19. While the movement should be reliable and robust, as they are all produced at KongQue, how does one justify the price of 35800 CHF. There is zero information on the watch making process, movement assembly process or the polishing process (versus that of Qin Gan and Logan Rao, at least at the time of writing) . From what I’ve gathered so far, only the straps are done by him. This feels like a money grab to me.
Echoing Hubertje from above, my seagull 1963 with ST19 is very reliable. You can get this at their official site at 300 USD. If you’re looking for an exclusive piece, then I’d suggest checking out the limited edition done by KongQue, priced at 2500 USD.
There’s more to it than that according to Neo Kung, and he has promised to give us more details. He’s working both with Swiss and Chinese partners for the construction of the raw movement, so it seems it’s not entirely made in China or simply bought from Seagull. We have to wait and see what he will tell or show us, and we’ll update accordingly. We’re already in talks with him for a potential hands-on and/or interview during Geneva Watch Days.
I don’t see anything remotely original about this piece. It’s another copy of the Tianjin-made chronograph for the Chinese air force in the 1960s, colloquially referred to as the “1963.” In terms of how many manufacturers make it, that cow has been milked dry. It’s a bit as if someone yet again cloned the Rolex Submariner, but this time in platinum and gave it an ETA 2824 with some black-polished chamfers, perhaps a skeletonized rotor. Nope, nothing new, still a clone.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the “1963.” I even have one of its numerous modern clones. I just don’t think it’s something that warrants cloning it in platinum and asking almost 36K CHF for it.
“I won’t win a popularity contest with this, but it’s been more accurate and reliable than the average of my swiss watches…”
LOL it IS a Swiss movement, just purchased/acquired by the Chinese long ago and cloned for mass production. Nice try though.