Watches & Wonders 2021: Oris Introduces The AquisPro Date Caliber 400 In Stealthy Black

The most important introduction by Oris last year was the introduction of their own in-house produced Calibre 400. By doing so, the brand made a move that watch enthusiasts widely applauded. Over the last couple of months, we have seen Oris equip more and more watches with the in-house caliber. The newest introduction powered by Calibre 400 is the Oris AquisPro Date. With this new introduction, Oris has made their ProDiver part of the successful Aquis series, equipped it with an in-house movement and impressive stealthy appearance. Time to find out more.

It was only last October that Oris introduced their Calibre 400. It seems like it was longer ago. But in this case, it is a good thing as we have seen quite a few good introductions from the Hölstein brand. The Aquis was the first watch to be equipped with the in-house movement. An understandable move as the Aquis is Oris’ successful series of diving watches.

Recently we also saw the Oris Carl Brashear Cal. 401 limited edition. The classy bronze and dark blue timepiece features the Calibre 401. This new movement has a small running second at 6 o’clock instead of a central seconds hand of the base caliber. On top of that, it does not have the date complication the Calibre 400 has. So Oris has been making sure not only to introduce the base caliber to more and more watches. The brand also expands its in-house powered offerings by creating a Calibre 400 series.

Oris AquisPro Date Calibre 400

The latest addition to use the Calibre 400 movement is the Oris AquisPro Date. The AquisPro Date is probably also known to most of you as the Oris ProDiver. With the introduction of the new movement to Oris’s line of professional diving watches, the brand also decided to make the ProDiver part of the successful Aquis series.

The AquisPro can profit from the new Aquis name.

It is a smart move, in my opinion, because it makes the Oris collection clearer to understand. On top of that, it links the professional series to the brand’s most successful collection of watches. It makes sure that the AquisPro can potentially profit from the new Aquis name. Lastly, to integrate the ProDiver well, Oris has also decided to update the design to be in line with the Aquis family. It ensures that the new AquisPro Date Caliber 400 looks like the bigger and bolder brother of the Aquis.

A true professional diver

The new AquisPro Date Calibre 400 is without a doubt big and bold. The watch features a massive 49.5mm titanium case with a black PVD coating. The titanium bezel features a ceramic bezel insert with an engraved minutes scale in yellow and white. The bezel also features Oris’s patented Rotation Safety System (RSS) that enables the wearer to adjust and lock the uni-directional rotating bezel into place. As a result, the diver can read the remaining dive time with absolute certainty. To make sure the bezel is easy to operate, it features a rubber grip, so it is easy to use even with your diving gloves on.

The AquisPro Date Calibre 400 is water-resistant to 1000 meters. It makes the watch a serious diving tool targeted at professional divers that work at great depths. To ensure that the watch will serve its purpose properly, it is equipped with a black rubber strap with a titanium clasp. The clasp comes with two features designed by Oris to make sure the watch is easy to use for divers.

The watch will remain on the wearer’s wrist at all times.

The clasp is easy to adjust, thanks to the patented Oris Sliding Sledge Clasp. This makes sure you can adjust the watch to excellent tolerances without having to take the watch off your wrist—a useful feature when getting in and out of your wetsuit. The second system built into the clasp is the Oris Safety Anchor. It’s a system developed by the brand to ensure that in case the clasp is released unintentionally, two hooks grab the watch. This makes sure the watch will remain on the wearer’s wrist at all times.

New name new looks

With the name change, Oris also updated the looks of the AquisPro Date. To make sure it is in line with the Aquis line of watches, Oris updated the design of the hands, the applied indices. They are in line with the regular Aquis models and, as such, are filled with Super-LumiNova for great visibility underwater. Oris also updated the font used on the bezel insert. On top of that, the dial proudly features the new AquisPro name at the 6 o’clock position.

Looking at the design, two things stand out. The first is that familiar Aquis look and feel. As it turns out, the characteristic design transfers well onto a big watch. A second thing that immediately caught my eye is how clean the dial looks and how good the readability of all the elements is. Something that is absolutely crucial for working on great depths.

The only element that is a bit more modest is the date window. Having said that, it’s a 49.5mm watch, so it probably looks smaller than it really is. Additionally, a date function on a diving watch is often a reason for a good discussion. Do you really need it at great depths? This is a fair point, but since the date does not interfere with the readability at all, it’s certainly not an unwelcome feature. And in this specific case, a date function is part of the Oris Calibre 400.

In-house Oris Calibre 400

The introduction of the in-house Caliber 400 is definitely a step up from the previously used Sellita movements. The Caliber 400 is an automatic movement with an operating frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. One of the movement’s most impressive technical attributes is its anti-magnetic properties. The movement can withstand magnet fields of up to 2,250 gauss and, on top of that, features an impressive power reserve of 120 hours. When it comes to accuracy, Oris guarantees a performance of +5/-3 seconds per day on average, which is within the COSC standards of +6/-4 seconds per day.

First Thoughts

If you see all these specs lined up, the update to the Caliber 400 for the Oris professional diving watches makes sense. It makes the Oris AquisPro Date an impressive diving tool targeted at professional divers. The movement boosts the watch to make it an impressive piece of kit. On top of that, the Aquis design works very well for Oris’s professional diving watches. The watch looks great with its stealthy black looks. The white and yellow markers make sure that the readability is perfect in every situation.

All in all, this is a clever and welcome update to Oris’s collection of professional diving watches. It will be interesting to see whether Oris will update this entire series to create a full line-up of AquisPro offerings. The first release is an impressive one, so I’m sure that Oris can build from here. With the AquisPro Date Calibre, 400 Oris shows the diversity of its collection and the in-house Calibre 400. It definitely keeps the momentum going for the Hölstein brand, and it keeps us at the edge of our seats to see what is next.

For more info, visit the official Oris website.