Oris Diver Sixty-Five Hands-On
Last Monday we already gave you a little sneak-preview on the new Oris Diver Sixty-Five watch. In the meanwhile, we have visited Oris at BaselWorld and had the opportunity to have a closer look at the watch. In the near future, we will do a thorough review on the new Oris Diver Sixty-Five but for now we can at least answer the question: is it as good as we hoped it would be?
Our pre-BaselWorld 2015 announcement received quite some comments both here on Fratello Watches as well as some forums that linked to it. Lovers of modern watches were a bit set back by the fact it doesn’t have a ceramic insert and that the watch ‘only’ measured 40mm while the real diving watch fans had some comments on the water resistance level of the watch (100 meters).
Personally, I don’t believe 42mm or 43mm would have been a good choice for a retro divers watch that is based on a 1965 model. This watch – and many others – were only 36mm and making it 42mm or even bigger would basically be a no-go for me personally. A diameter of 40mm is just perfect, it will fit everyone (hence Rolex’ choice to create most of their watches in 40mm) and the vintage die-hards can probably also live with this size. The use of a ceramic insert and giving this Oris Diver Sixty-Five a water resistance of 200 meters or over, could probably have been done by the privately owned Hölstein factory but the result would be a price tag that would be way over the € 1600 Euro (including VAT) it has now.
So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at the Oris Diver Sixty-Five watch that we got to handle. The watch either comes on a NATO strap or on a beautiful tropical looking rubber strap. We took pictures of both configurations. While I am personally not really fan of NATO straps (I seem to be the only one though), I would go for the beautiful rubber strap version anyway. It looks amazing and is very comfortable on the wrist. It comes very close to those original nice tropical straps that are so popular among vintage watch collectors.
The size is just perfect. I am by no means a small guy, but this 40mm looks just terrific. I am glad Oris decided to give the Oris Diver Sixty-Five a more modern size without exaggerating. With a diameter of 42mm or larger, the vintage appearance would have vanished right away for me. The straight-lugs, lack of crown-guards, domed crystal (sapphire) and big screw-down crown make this watch already to a watch with high potential to become a big seller for Oris. The dial though, is something you either love or hate. It is very outspoken and is based on one of the original configurations of Oris vintage divers watches. Commercially, it would perhaps have been easier to create a more toned-down dial and sell more of them. However, Oris shows guts and decided to put this typical 1960s dial inside, with a bit of faux-patina and large numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.
Also the hands are nicely filled with faux-patina lume and match the hour markers on the dial. Although I personally can live without a date function, it isn’t really disturbing on this Oris as they used a date disc wheel in the same color as the dial. If Oris would have used a white date disc wheel it might have annoyed me.
Oris used their caliber 733 movement, which is based on the Sellita SW200 movement. A solid performer and good value for money. As is the rest of the watch actually. I really do believe that Oris has a winner in their hands with the Diver Sixty-Five watch and I am curious how many orders they already took.
For those who are not into vintage watches or want a watch with real diver’s specifications, the Oris Aquis is still there of course for a similar price tag. However, vintage is hot. If you don’t want to take the risk of buying an actual vintage Oris divers watch or simply don’t want to wear a 36mm watch, this timepiece is something for you. One thing is sure, the price can’t be an argument not to buy it if you really like the Oris Diver Sixty-Five.
And for those who are into vintage watches and rarely buy a modern watch, this might be one of the few modern watches you actually would love to own. Just to have at least one modern watch and still being in the comfort zone of vintage.
It is fair to say that this Oris Diver Sixty-Five is one of my favorite watches of BaselWorld 2015. I haven’t seen everything yet as there are still a few days to go, but I believe there is little that can beat this Oris Diver Sixty-Five in the price range up to € 2000 Euro (~ Swiss Francs and USD).
Oris managed to get a lot of details just right on this watch, some with a modern twist, but very true to the original timepiece. Luckily, without a see-through case back. Although there is little wrong with enjoying the view on a mechanical movement, the original model surely did not have one. Instead, this Oris Diver Sixty-Five has a solid stainless steel case back with all the necessary information on there. On the second photo below, you can see the signed ‘Oris’ crown and the shape of the case (sorry for the smudge).
As soon as this watch will be delivered we will request one for a thorough review by our vintage expert Michael Stockton and let him wear and compare it for a while.
More information on Oris online.
