Orvis Zambezi — Japanese-Quartz-Watch Movement
Orvis has a special place in many a fly fisherman’s heart. They make high-quality rods and reels, and brand loyalty among fans is strong. Orvis doesn’t make their own watches, they contract with companies, including Citizen, to make watches with the Orvis brand name on them. Yesterday I was lucky to find one of their field watches in excellent condition at a thrift store for $12.99.
My watch is the Orvis Zambeiz and retails for just under $70. It has a Japanese (Citizen) quartz watch movement. Several things about this model — and my particular watch — impress me.
The watch rides close to the wrist, its 34 mm wide case feels heavy and solid. It has a sapphire crystal, hands outlined in black for easy daytime viewing, and a nice crown. The movement feels good and tight when setting time or date.
On the down side, the watch is only rated at 5 ATM (165 feet water resistant), and the luminous paint on the hands doesn’t glow. Those are two pretty important things for a fisherman; a watch that is highly water proof, and that is easy to read in low light. But Orvis advertises this watch as a “casual” model, and for that purpose it shines.
It has a screwback case back, with the word “Orvis” in large print. Basically, you could consider this watch on par with a better Swatch, or a sub-$100 Citizen or Pulsar — with the important caveat that a Pulsar would have excellent luminous and water resistance.
While on the subject of those two Japanese makers, let me point out Orvis offers a hand winding chronograph for around $150 in their catalog. I don’t know who makes the movement (Swiss?) — but it just goes to show Seiko or Citizen *could* make a low-priced automatic or manual wind chronograph if they wanted.
Back to my watch, the strap tells me this watch was worn a bit by someone. But the case is in excellent shape, without a mark on it. The previous owner probably wore it for a few years, until the battery wore out, and decided replacing the band and battery cost more than the watch was worth. So it was “caught and released.”
I’m happy to snag this watch and it’s gonna be fun to wear. It’s a keeper — I won’t throw it back. If you’re interested in getting an Orvis catalog, click here.
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