Introducing: Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of their Big Crown Pointer Date watch, Oris introduces this (stunning) bronze 40mm version of that watch, with a green dial.

The story of the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date watch goes back to 1938 when Oris developed a watch with an oversized winding crown for pilots. Very useful when wearing those leather gloves being high in the sky, and you need to set your watch. The date indicated by an extra hand, also known as a ‘pointer date’.

Oris Big Crown Pointer Date In Bronze

Interestingly, the Big Crown Pointer Date has been in the collection forever it seems (or at least since 1938, and Oris was founded in 1904). I write this, as it was exactly this model that also was kept in the collection in the 1980s during the quartz crisis. You could say it is one of the backbone collections of Oris.

Above, you see an early Oris Big Crown Pointer Date next to a modern variation of that watch, in this case, the Movember edition. Although the watch was much smaller, you can definitely see that the crown was easy to grasp and you see the red tip pointer date hand on the dial.

When we had the opportunity to see the new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Movember edition (hands-on review soon on Fratello), Oris also brought the Pointer Date 80th Anniversary edition. A total surprise, at least to us, and a very pleasant one! Although you might feel that bronze has become a bit too common in recent years, as many brands have at least one watch made of this material, it doesn’t really bore or upset me. Oris used bronze before with their successful Sixty-Five Diver model, and also started using this material for the bezel only of the Sixty-Five, creating some sort of bi-colour version of steel and bronze (we also wrote an article how it will look after a few months (and how to get rid of the patina).

I have to say, the new bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date looks great! Especially due to the combination with the green bezel, it is really something special.

80th Anniversary Edition

This watch is a special edition to commemorate 8 decades of the Big Crown Pointer Date. From what I understood, it is not a limited edition, but it might be the case that the production time will be limited. Oris’ Big Crown Pointer Date in bronze comes with a brown leather strap (with a bronze buckle).

The backside of the watch shows the Oris caliber 754 movement. A movement based on Sellita’s SW200-1 with a power reserve of 38 hours and ticking at 28800bph. The crystal used of the case back is mineral glass. On the front, you will find a double domed sapphire crystal.

Other than the vintage Oris Big Crown Pointer Date shown above, the new anniversary edition has a large central second hand. The hands are matching with the bronze case. The dial uses Super-LumiNova for good readability in low-light conditions and the hands have been filled with this material.

The case back is made of stainless steel, as bronze reacts stronger on the skin. As you can see, Oris firmly holds on to the red rotor. The winding-crown is screw-in and also made of bronze. Water resistance of this watch is 5 bar, but we don’t recommend use of leather straps in the water of course.

This watch has reference 01 754 7741 3167-07 5 20 58BR and will be available in November. Retail price is CHF1900 Swiss Francs. More information can be found via the Oris website.

Oris Movember

We would also like to have your attention for the Oris Movember action. Oris has set itself the ambitious target of raising CHF 100’000 for The Movember Foundation. But they can’t do it without you! Oris created exclusive packages for auction such as a two days watchmaking Experience in Hölstein or a free diving training with our ambassador Anna von Bötticher in the Mediterranean Sea. The auctions are now live and can be seen here.