Although I've never owned an Oris watch I've featured a few over the years here on the blog. They are well-designed, not unreasonably priced and rather individual watches. The new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, the latest in a series which has been going since 1938, is a particularly handsome watch.
 |
| The new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date |
It ticks several boxes for me. At 38mm it's the perfect size - comfortable to wear and avoiding that slight clumsiness that some watches acquire if more than about 42mm in diameter. I also love a large crown (that's the winder on the side of the watch) and a plain, military-style, legible dial is a further bonus. The red-tipped pointer displays the date around the edge of the dial - not as convenient as a date window, but a nice touch with a slight vintage appeal. The dial initially appears black, but is actually an attractive midnight blue. The display case back shows the minimally decorated automatic movement. The well-proportioned, undecorated and polished case is rated to 50m water resistance, safe for shallow swimming and in the bath.
Overall this is an understatedly handsome watch with no unnecessary decoration or features - a true tool watch. The recently introduced calibre 403 movement is designed in-house. It has a five day power reserve, so if you chop and change your watches daily this won't run out of puff after a day or two off the wrist. It's claimed to run within chronograph tolerances (-3/+5 seconds a day) although not officially COSC rated. A ten year warranty and anti-magnetic properties all add to the attraction and at £2600 the price is fair.
The Oris Big Crown Pinter Date is is a watch I'd happily add to my modest collection. It is adaptable and handsome enough to wear formally with a suit or jacket and tie (if you ever choose to do that nowadays) or with jeans, cords and knitwear. See Oris for more information.
The watch was lent for review.
