The Black Bay Chrono and Bellytanker Got Some Serious Competition

This year is superb for enthusiasts of chronographs! After the introduction of the bronze Bell & Ross Bellytanker (4900 Euro) and Tudor Black Bay chrono in two-tone (5240 Euro), Oris comes with a steel and bronze chronograph under 4000 Swiss Francs.

Already shown to the guests of our ORIS x Fratello event on April 26th, but under strict publication embargo for today. The latest addition to the Sixty-Five collection is this 43mm diameter chronograph. By no means a small watch, despite the fact that 43mm sounds reasonable today the lug-to-lug size measures 52mm and gives it serious presence on my 18cm wrist.

Sixty-Five Chronograph in Steel & Bronze

It is no secret that I am a fan of two-tone, I’ve been writing about its comeback for a few years now. At first, I thought it would be just wishful thinking, but more brands seem to be picking up on the return of bi-color watches. It might be just another wave or things that have been done in the past, but I definitely think there’s a place for two-tone watches as long as it is being done right. And in case of the Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph, it definitely is done right. Although I wouldn’t have minded a bit more gold (or in this case: bronze) tones, I do have to admit that this is probably more sensible. Especially for the long term, when the demand for two-tone might be fading away again, you can still rock this Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph. The bronze uni-direction diving bezel and the rose gold PVD hands and indices match perfectly and are still subtle enough for daily wear.

The sympathetic brand from Hölstein sure knows how to win the crowd

Full Bronze First

This watch isn’t entirely new, as you might remember the limited edition Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph from last year (we covered it here). This new version in steel and bronze is not a limited edition and has a friendlier price tag (in case that was holding you back last year) with CHF3950.- instead of CHF4700,-. Oris seems to be hitting a lot of right spots with their recent releases: the Big Crown Pilot with a red dial, the Aquis GMT Date and now this Sixty-Five Chronograph in bronze and steel. Oh, and then there’s the Sixty-Five in bronze and steel with ditto two-tone bracelet and LE Sixty-Five with an orange dial for our friends of Revolution Magazine. The sympathetic brand from Hölstein sure knows how to win the crowd, based on the positive feedback and comments they seem to generate. It seems Oris is pretty good in ‘reading’ their audience and come up with awesome variations of existing models and collections.

Divers Sixty-Five Variations

Just a few years ago, Oris re-introduced one of their divers watches from the past: the Divers Sixty-Five was the result. An instant success, and to be honest, it was the Oris watch that regained my interest in them. Although no complaints regarding quality or finish, there was little attraction in the Oris Williams F1 watch for me for example. Because of the Divers Sixty-Five, I also started to rediscover their other classics, such as the Big Crown Pilot watches. Or what to think of the more modern Aquis series.

We are now a few years down the road with the Divers Sixty-Five, and Oris is still coming up with all sorts of variations (see below for example). Creating so many different variations – we are talking no less than 55 different models of the Divers Sixty-Five! – can result in walking a very thin line, but so far Oris is doing fine with them. That said, the new Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph in steel and bronze is a very welcome addition to this family of Oris watches. Besides this reference 01 771 7744 4354 in steel and bronze with a black dial, they also released a special Bucherer Blue Edition in stainless steel with a blue dial. More about that one later this month, as we received one for review recently.

Long Lugs

Coming back to the watch we have here today, the Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph in steel and bronze, I have to say that it is a perfect fit on my wrist. The lug-to-lug size fits my wrists very well, but it should not have been any longer. So I wonder how the watch will ‘sit’ on the smaller wrists out there. Therefore, it is wise to give this watch a try in one of the Oris boutiques before you blindly order one.

The pump pushers breathe vintage, just like the (popular) two register dial layout. With those pushers, you control the Oris caliber 771 movement, which is based on the Sellita SW510. This movement is on its turn based on the Sellita SW500, that used the ETA/Valjoux 7750 for inspiration. This also means the movement has only one winding direction, making the watch wobble a bit when the rotor starts spinning into its free direction. It is one of those things that I never really liked about the 7750 and its variations, but I also know that a lot of people never even really paid attention to this.

As you can see, the movement isn’t visible as the (screw-in) case back is solid stainless steel. Engraved with all necessary information in the center of the case back, including the famous Oris shield logo. The crown for winding and setting the watch is screw-down, to ensure water resistance (100 meters).

As you can see, Oris uses the quick release system for its straps. Without using a tool you can remove the straps and swap them for another one, or a bracelet. That said, the strap that comes with the Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph is very comfortable, although they typically need some time to break in. At first, they can feel a bit stiff but this will soon be over when you start wearing the watch. The straps are of good (thick) quality and come with an Oris engraved buckle. The lug size is 21mm, which doesn’t make it too hard to choose from a variety of available straps out there that you might prefer.

Black Dial

Where the Carl Brashear Chronograph came with a blue dial, this regular collection model has a curved black dial with rose gold PVD elements and beautiful yellow-ish printing and use of lume (Super-LumiNova). Now, some people complain about the faux-patina or vintage-patina colour and the fact that it insinuates the watch is something it is not, I actually love it. I don’t want other people to believe this is a vintage watch, or fool myself about it, I just like the color scheme of the dial (and bronze) this way. People tend to complain about everything these days and I really believe that for these people it is just part of the hobby, to be critical towards anything they don’t like, but in the end, there are probably just as many people out there who just love it (and don’t complain). If you don’t like it, don’t buy it, as simple as that. There’s enough out there that comes with white printing and white Super-LumiNova if that’s what you prefer. I like this though, it suits the watch, especially with the PVD rose gold elements and bronze bezel.

It is very easy to read the time on this watch, big markers and broad hands. I also applaud Oris for not putting a date aperture on this watch. On the dial itself, we only find ‘Oris’ and ‘Water resistant, 10bar / 100m’ on there. Below the 6 o’clock marker, there’s ‘Swiss Made’. Perfect.

Conclusion

Although I still love the Oris Sixty-Five Divers three hands version(s), this chronograph became my instant favourite of the Sixty-Five Divers collection. I also prefer it over the Carl Brashear Chronograph LE in bronze of last year, the very reasonable retail price of CHF3950.- being one of the most important reasons as well as the colour scheme of this watch (two-tone). Aside from the pricing aspect, this chronograph would be my pick from all Divers Sixty-Five models.

The shape of the case, pump-pushers and the clean dial with rose gold elements and just two registers make it all a winner for me. The price of this watch is still friendly and makes it a very attractive competitor for a number of chronographs out there (like the Bell & Ross Bellytanker and Tudor Black Bay Chrono for example), and a very welcome variation (or choice) for Oris’ own Sixty-Five Divers watches they’ve introduced till now. I could have lived with a more ‘thick’ brush finish on top of the lugs and perhaps a diving scale bezel with fewer indexes, but hey, Oris created a beautiful watch with this Sixty-Five Chronograph and these are just minor details. If I would buy a chronograph under 4000 Euro/CHF today, this one would be definitely on my short list.

Technical specifications of this Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph can be found below.

More information can be found on the official Oris website.