A Hands-On Introduction To The New Oris AquisPro 4000M
Yes! Finally, I can write about my favorite watch that I saw at this year’s Watches and Wonders event! Today, it was publicly introduced at Geneva Watch Days. Let the cat out of the bag; it’s the new Oris AquisPro 4000M. Now Oris has a pointless, hors catégorie dive watch of its own. And compared to other well-known pointless dive watches, this might be my favorite.
In our “Fratello Favorites — The Watches And Wonders 2023 Edition” article, I mentioned an “unmentionable diver.” I wrote that all I could say was that it was a very cool dive watch with a blue dial from a brand with an R in its name. As you can learn now, I didn’t lie; here it is.
Oris AquisPro 4000M
Handling the Oris AquisPro 4000M, it’s immediately apparent that it’s not a regular dive watch. The main giveaway is its thickness, while the nearly 50mm diameter will also have its say. So yes, it’s a large watch, but the thickness of 23.4mm is exorbitant. Having that said, one way or the other, the watch’s proportions are very right. Although the watch we had for review was a pre-production model with a nonfunctional movement, I couldn’t help wearing the watch for a few days. And don’t get me wrong; it’s not a watch you forget that you’re wearing, but it never felt out of place either. Remarkable? Probably. However, I had the same experience with one of the AquisPro’s colleagues.
Despite the watch’s multipiece titanium case, Oris only narrowly managed to keep the AquisPro’s weight below 200 grams. And that’s a lot for a wristwatch. However, not even the weight could make the watch uncomfortable to wear. The main reason for this is the comfortable and well-fitting blue rubber strap. Because of its 26mm width at the case and taper to 20mm at the folding clasp, it evenly distributes the force on your wrist, which is caused by the weight of the watch. Second, the titanium security folding clasp’s fine adjustment enables it to obtain a snug fit in any circumstance.
4,000 meters deep
That’s very deep, yes, but not Ultradeep or Deepsea Challenge deep. Oris intentionally didn’t participate in that rat race, convinced that a 4,000m depth rating is enough to impress. Considering how the AquisPro presents itself, I can’t disagree. The measurements, the weight, and the watch’s appearance all show that it can stand up to the world’s most brutal conditions. Specifically, the protrusive sapphire crystal, which is slightly domed on both sides and antireflective on the inside, draws attention and does not hide its serious intentions. Under this heavy-duty crystal, you’ll find an attractive blue gradient dial decorated with a wave pattern. The hands and applied indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova. And due to the helium escape valve, it’s suitable for saturation diving.
Rotation Safety System
Another exuberantly present element is the diving bezel. It sports a dark blue ceramic insert — the norm nowadays — with a minute scale for timing dives. As often seen, the first 15 minutes are different in color. Notably, the 10-minute figure is smaller than the other numbers. I think it’s to be able to display every minute index dash for up to 15 minutes, a requirement probably drawn from the ISO 6425 diving standard.
The bezel’s locking feature and the rubber ring around the bezel are even more remarkable. Like other dive bezels, the AquisPro’s bezel is unidirectional. However, the AquisPro’s bezel can be locked in place due to the Oris-patented Rotation Safety System. It can only be rotated when the entire bezel is pulled up. When pushed down, the bezel locks in place. A thick black outer rubber ring helps the wearer to pull it up. An intelligent detail of this ring is its 1/6th part cutout. The rubber part can be rotated separately from the main bezel. Rotating the rubber ring, helped by a sensible notch, ensures that the ring’s 1/6th opening is aligned with the crown. Otherwise, the rubber ring would obstruct it. Now, though, the crown is easily accessible.
Oris Calibre 400
To power the AquisPro 4000M, Oris opted for its proprietary Calibre 400. Presented three years ago, this automatic movement has since proved very reliable. To refresh your memory, the key advantages of the Oris Calibre 400 are 10-year maintenance intervals, a 10-year warranty, five days (120 hours) of power reserve, elevated antimagnetism, and better-than-chronometer accuracy.
Folding clasp
Some patented technology is also found in the AquisPro’s security folding clasp’s extension system. This means the strap’s length can easily be adjusted, even while the watch is being worn. Folding clasps are always a hot topic at Fratello HQ. As you might have noticed in several reviews, getting them right is challenging. The Oris folding clasp featuring fine adjustment is undoubtedly one of the finest in the industry. It is solid, made of titanium, beautifully finished, and so on.
But is it perfect? No, I’m sorry, not for me. Although I love the possibility of quickly adjusting the length of the strap, I don’t like it to be that quick. To open the clasp, two oval-shaped pushers are on the sides on one end. To change the strap length, two smaller, round pushers are in that same area. One way or the other, every time I want to open the clasp to take the watch off my wrist, I push those round pushers and unintentionally change the length of the strap. Mind you, this might just be me. And if I were to use it for a more extended period, I would probably get better at it.
Conclusion
Oris got the AquisPro 4000M right. The Hölstein brand managed to present a watch that is very much in the same league and even less than half the price of its nearest competitor and not even a quarter of the next. It’s a pointless dive watch, hors catégorie, completely unnecessary for daily wear. But man, do I love it! Let’s assume that pretty much all watches we describe here on Fratello are, in a practical sense, pointless. Isn’t that partly the point of why we love and want them? In Germany, the saying, “Wenn shon, denn shon!” loosely translates to, “If so, then yes!” That’s how I feel about the AquisPro 4000M. If you’re attracted to enormous, out-of-the-ordinary, extremely capable diver’s watches, this offering from Oris is a serious contender.
The Oris AquisPro 4000M (reference 01 400 7777 7155-Set) is available from August 2023 onwards for a price of €5,700. You can find more info on the Oris website.
