I inherited this last year (because I'm my family's resident watch enthusiast) from my mother, who got it from her late father, who was a provincial education minister in the ROK (South Korea).

This was awarded to my maternal grandfather (the box in which it was gifted is long since gone) by President Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1988). Korean presidents gifting watches to individuals, including visitors to the presidential Blue House and individuals awarded for recognition, is a tradition at least since the presidency of Park Chung-hee (Chun's predecessor, assassinated in 1979).

My mother is uncertain as to the year this was given/awarded to my maternal grandfather, but she believes it was not long after President Chun took office in 1980 (quite literally, though to his credit he peacefully transferred power when he left office in 1988). A few dozen of these were awarded/gifted annually to individuals in several government departments (both at the central and provincial levels), but because President Chun in particular was unpopular my understanding is that many of these gifted/awarded watches from that era were sold off and/or discarded, and as a result are very scarce today. My maternal grandfather also received watches from President Park Chung-hee as well, but the whereabouts of these watches is unknown (likely still in Korea, if they're still intact).

In the second picture the mark "Orient Watch" can clearly be seen below the 6 o'clock index marker. As Korea did not have its own indigenous watch industry (in the present day, the Korean watch industry, such as it is, is basically a handful of small-volume microbrands and third-party/white-label manufacturers, and none of these produces its own movements; the DPRK has an indigenous watchmaker in Moranbong), watches such as these were commissioned from Japanese watchmakers such as Seiko, Citizen, and Orient. Given that "President" (small hanja) and "Chun Doo-hwan" (large hanja) are stamped rather than engraved on the caseback (see the third picture), I suspect that this was also done by the watchmakers as part of the commission.

This is a handwinding mechanical, so it is not using Orient's F46 series of calibers that was launched in 1971. This watch likely has never been serviced (and therefore is way overdue), evidenced by the fact that it loses about a minute or more per day when it runs at all - it only runs when close to a biological heat source (i.e. in my pocket or on a chain around my neck). Crystal is acrylic, and the case is polished brass. The lume (on the hands and the pips) is almost certainly tritium (it has that sandy brown color of aged lume, and given that it's at least 40 years old nearly 4 tritium half-lives have passed since it was made) - it still glows (but fades within seconds) when exposed to a black light as well as after exposure to high-intensity LED light. The seal of the office of the ROK president is clear on the top half of the dial. The chains in the pictures are my own - I don't know whether the watch was originally given with a chain - when I received it there was no chain.

Pictures 4-6 show the movement after I figured out how to take the caseback off (it's a pop-off/pop-on; I just didn't know where the divot for leverage was). I can't find any references to a 17-jewel handwinding Orient movement from around the time period this watch was produced (1980-1988); for starters, all references to Orient's handwinding mechanical movements show images of movements whose balance wheel arm is in the opposite orientation as the one in this watch (e.g. both the N-Type and its successor the L-Type). Looking up "24121," "Orient cal. 24121," and other iterations thereof also turned up nothing. Reverse image searching also was not helpful.

Saw a nice Orient 75th anniversary at the mall, for about 1kRM. It looked high quality, and I think is also limited, had a very nice grainy dial and purple sheeny handset. Supposed to be solar powered, this was at Paradigm, Solar Time. I didn’t have the cash for it there and then. So, I’m still wearing my $80 Tristar.

Was thinking of where I left my spare scissors springs for my old SAK. And also, my stereo minijack female cable so I can hook up my Pebble speakers to the turntable. Need a better USB charger as well.

We are barely able to flush the w/c as our TP seems not to disintegrate very well. Suspect they are using some kind of polymer which is a far-out idea but you never know.

Last night I wrote more parts to 2 of my simpler songs. I'm struggling with my final song: Open Up, which can be beautiful if I get the harmonies and when the chords change, right.