BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Geneva Watch Days, which is happening right now, shows off lots of new and exciting creations from all manner of brands. Think of it as a mini Watches & Wonders event. Oris, ever the crowdpleaser, is presenting some new models, the one that caught our eye the most is the Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400.
The Divers Sixty-Five range is one of the ranges Oris is most well-known for, it could be the most, but they also make the Aquis, and there are loads of them on forums. Most brands have a range of watches that are dedicated to looking quite historical, looking back at where the brand has come from as a springboard to lead onto where they’re going next. That sounded almost like marketing talk. I’d better tone that down, eh?
Inspired by Oris watches from the 1960s, as the name implies, the Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400 with its long name takes us on a trip back in time. The domed crystal over the dial, thin bezel and lugs with large diameter crown come together to form that historical vibe. Speaking of the bezel, Oris has fallen into the same trap as Omega has with their Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT. For reasons beyond my understanding, they’ve swapped out the unidirectional for a bi-directional watch with 1-hour intervals. I may be being thick here, but what is the point of this? The unidirectional diving bezel keeps you safe as the bezel is designed to move backwards (in the safety direction) if knocked. While it’s still a diver under ISO 6425 standards, and I am aware that the very first diving watches had bi-directional bezels, it is a little baffling. The 40mm stainless steel case is water resistant to 100m.
Behind the super-legible black dial is Oris’ in-house-made Calibre 400. You’ve seen this in a few of the brand’s limited edition watches before, but the new Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400 is the first serially-produced watch the new calibre features within. As for specs, it’s not pulling its punches, it has a 4Hz beat rate for high accuracy and a 120-hour power reserve, but it’s self-winding, so very convenient. Its recommended servicing interval is ten years, much longer than the average 4-5 recommended by most manufacturers. It also has a very subtle date window at 6 O’clock. I hope it’s legible in real life like it is in the press renders. The movement is visible through a sapphire crystal caseback to help make this a more luxurious offering.
The watch is available on leather or a stainless steel Oyster-style bracelet and is priced at $3500.
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