By Jovan Krstevski
At Baselworld 2018, Oris has something up its sleeve. Are we seeing another variation of the famed Oris Divers Sixty-Five? Well, yes, it is now in Bronze so if you love the classics, this is probably what you are looking for. This model is obviously made more vintage by the bronze bezel and of course, the use of a classic dial enhanced with rose gold PVD plated indices.
The indices are also lovely in combination of rectangular and rounded shapes. The size is also now available in 2 case dimensions, in 40 mm or 36 mm. Note that both sizes are the same except the location of the date display which is at 6 o’clock for the 40 mm version and at 3 o’clock for the 36 mm.
One gripe about the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is that it seems to be undergoing lots of changes, I fear it will be so far out from its original design. While the bronze addition is a cool one, I kind of like the classic nature of the Sixty Five so I hope it would not make the same case as the Black Bay for Tudor. I do love the comeback of the round indices though which was last seen on the larger edition of the Sixty Five.
On materials used, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze features a tough stainless steel case with domed sapphire crystal. This is a diver’s watch and it looks good on either steel bracelet or nylon strap. There is also a brown leather strap that adds even more vintage feel to the watch. The domed face is brilliant, making for impressive legibility.
Powering the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze watch is the highly reliable Sellita SW 200–1 automatic movement. It also features a date display with varying location in both models. Personally, the 36 mm puts it correctly at 3 o’clock but at this size, it feels too small for my wrists. The date display at 6 is kind of a bummer but for sure, it will grow on me. Having the watch in steel is really cool and the bronze bezel is a unique aesthetic feature that respects the watch’s impressive history.
On pricing, both models will retail for 1,950 CHF on a strap or 2,150 CHF on the steel bracelet. With this new watch, Oris really wants to keep the Divers Sixty-Five line fresh which is good but also could be bad. For more info, visit Oris online.
