Hands-On: The New Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition
In 1965, 61 years after Paul Cattin and Georges Christian founded the company, Oris revealed one of its most iconic models, the Oris Divers. Then, five decades later, it took the form of a heritage reissue called the Divers Sixty-Five. Today, it’s time to celebrate the original’s diamond jubilee with the presentation of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition
Last year, Oris celebrated its 120th birthday with a 40mm black DLC-coated Divers Sixty-Five housing its in-house-developed caliber 400. It was a tour de force in many ways and perfect to celebrate the company’s 120th birthday. Although most people love that Oris developed a more sophisticated caliber than the ETA and Sellita movements that were mainly used before then, the unavoidably higher prices of watches fitted with this caliber were not always greeted with applause.
So, in a way, we’re glad that for the Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition, Oris reached for its 40mm model with Sellita-based caliber 733. Upon its birth in 1965, the Divers was an accessible watch for a large audience. Then, when its first re-edition debuted in 2015, it again became very popular, especially among watch aficionados. Unfortunately, the new 60th Anniversary Edition will not be available to a large audience, probably not because of its price but because Oris will only make 250 examples.
A brief history
The Oris Divers Sixty-Five — the reinterpretation of the Oris Divers revealed in 1965 — is a watch that seems to have been around forever. In reality, it was only presented 10 years ago. That’s quite an achievement; something must be right about it. Initially introduced in 1965 with (color-)inverted numerals, the original remained in production in a few variations until at least 1979. The introduction coincided with the time that Oris started using movements with a lever escapement. Due to Swiss regulations, Oris could only use pin escapements until then. But a massive breakthrough also came in 1968 with the introduction of the in-house Oris caliber 652, a no-date, chronometer-certified, self-winding movement outfitted with a lever escapement and used in, for instance, the Oris Star Divers, the inspiration for Fratello’s second collaboration with Oris.
Revival of the 1965 Oris Divers
After the production of Oris Divers ceased by the end of 1979, it wasn’t until 2015 that a Dutch Oris employee came up with the idea to revive the popular 1965 model with inverted numerals. A 40mm Oris Divers Sixty-Five re-edition was born, and the design again became a great success. In the years that followed, Oris presented many variations. Along the way, they lost the iconic inverted numerals, and more mainstream dial layouts became the standard. Cases were available in 38–42mm sizes, and the date position changed from 3 to 6 o’clock and then not present at all. The Divers Sixty-Five proved a popular platform for limited editions and collaborations, causing a flood of different materials and dial colors. Indeed, there was something for everyone.
The first Sixty-Five re-edition
Except for different sizes, materials, and colors, the Divers Sixty-Five also saw two significant events in its relatively short life. After five years, in 2020, it became available with Oris’s in-house-developed and sophisticated caliber 400. This was a considerable step in technological development but, as mentioned above, also a massive step in price. Fortunately, Oris still has Sixty-Five models with both caliber options in its catalog. The second significant and somewhat confusing event in the life of Sixty-Five was more recent — the introduction of the Oris Divers Date in 2024. It brought an often-requested update in specifications, including beveled and applied indexes, a 39mm diameter, a 200m depth rating, a ceramic bezel insert, and a display case back. It’s confusing because the new Divers Date lost its “Sixty-Five” name. I’m glad, though, that it still comes with its 1965-inspired design.
Back to the Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition
Updates, changes, and variations aside, now is the time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the original Oris Divers. The brand predominantly harked back to the 2015 heritage re-edition to commemorate the original 1965 watch. So we’re looking again at a dial with inverted numerals, a 40mm case diameter, and a Sellita SW200-based automatic caliber. Much remained the same, but there are also differences for the better.
Details and differences
Re-editions — and anniversary editions, in this case — must visually refer to their predecessors. One look should be enough to realize which watch they relate to. This does not mean that there can be no deviation from the original at a detailed level in the interests of modernization and technical progress. Oris did a very good job in this regard. The new Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition is immediately reminiscent of its predecessor from 1965, but the watch has been adapted in several areas. Let’s see what the similarities and changes are.
Dial, logo, and hands
The most striking similar detail is, of course, the inverted numeral style, with block-shaped luminous cardinal indexes featuring hollowed-out numbers. This alone would be enough to make you think about the Divers that Oris presented in the mid-1960s. Even the indication “Waterproof” is back just below the Oris brand name, as is “Anti-Shock” and the number of jewels (now 26 instead of 17). This time, the font used for the Oris logo is the historical sans-serif one, just like we at Fratello chose for our Oris Star Divers-inspired collaboration. What Oris didn’t adapt from us is the use of the original style of the hands. The Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition has divided lume in its hour hand, while the lume was straight and plain in the original watches.
Size, no-date dial, and bezel
The most striking dissimilarity must be the size of the watch’s case. Just like the first re-edition in 2015, the Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition has a 40mm diameter instead of the 1965 original’s 36mm size. Another key deviation from the original, which I appreciate, is that Oris omitted the date. The dial’s beautiful design comes into its own so much more without a date window. A bold move is the bezel being bidirectional, just like it was in the ’60s. I’m glad the bezel got just a dot at the 60-minute marker instead of the triangle that’s so familiar nowadays.
What else is good?
Many more details differ from the original design, but I think I’ve already mentioned the most interesting ones. Of course, the movement in the 60th Anniversary Edition is different and more sophisticated. Although relatively basic by modern standards, it keeps the price of the new watch attractive. Compared to its ancestor, the glass has been updated from acrylic to a beautiful double-domed and antireflective sapphire. The case back and the crown are more solid now than on the original 1965 watch, but that’s all for the better because of technical progress.
Conclusion and pricing
If you’re a fan of the characteristic inverted numerals, this Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition is an unmissable opportunity. After the 2015 re-edition, these numerals were quickly ditched and exchanged for more regular dots. Only a few models with these indexes were released after that, and no other models in Oris’s current lineup sport this feature. If you also like no-date watches, as I do, this 60th Anniversary Edition could even be your perfect timepiece. I understand that the brand’s caliber 400 is more sophisticated than the Sellita SW200-1-based caliber 733 in this watch. But for a commemorative edition, it doesn’t annoy me at all. The fact that Oris can now offer the watch with a stainless steel bracelet and a leather strap for €2,250 makes a lot of sense to me.
How do you like the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition? Is there anything you’d like to see differently, or is this the perfect watch? Please let us know in the comments below!
