Oris Divers Sixty-Five Steel and Bronze (40mm and 36mm)

Oris expands its highly successful retro Divers Sixty-Five family with the incorporation of two models with a bronze ring hugging the rotating bezel. Exuding strong vintage appeal with the two-tone black and warm golden and bronze touches, it is patently clear that Oris has been listening to its customers and has tapped directly into the trend for smaller unisex case sizes (36mm) and the ongoing fascination with bronze. Presented in 40mm and 36mm diameters, the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five models won’t sink you financially and retail for under CHF 2,000 for the models on a leather or NATO strap.

Evolution, not revolution

Launched in 2015, the Divers Sixty-Five was Oris’ interpretation of a retro dive watch. Inspired by an Oris diver of 1965, the faithful vintage aesthetics of the model won immediate favour and were also an eye-opener for many watch enthusiasts who couldn’t get over the excellent price/quality ratio. Although some quibbled with its water-resistance threshold of just 100 metres, claiming it was not a professional dive watch, the Sixty-Five collection is built around a nostalgia for yesterday watches with enough robust functionality for everyday wear and tear. If you’re after a real monster of the abyss, try the mighty 500m Aquis Depth Gauge on for size.

Below, on the left, the 40mm version – on the right, the 36mm version.

Bronze Age touches

The fascination with bronze that has swept across the watchmaking world is easy to understand. Transporting the wearer back to timekeeping instruments of yesteryear, bronze reacts with carbon dioxide and moisture and over the course of time develops a unique greenish patina. No two bronze watches will age in the same way creating a very personal bond with its owner. Bronze makes its transition from a material used exclusively on Oris’ limited edition models – recall the Carl Brashear three-hander and chronograph versions– and in 2018 has been incorporated across watches in the main collections.

Personality traits

Both the 40mm and 36mm Divers Sixty-Five models feature a notched bronze outer ring creating a warm contrast with the 60-minute black aluminium unidirectional rotating bezel and the brushed stainless steel case. This winning two-tone effect is replicated on the dial with its black curved background and applied rose gold PVD-plated indices and hands.  In keeping with its retro personality, the indices and hands have been treated with beige Super-LumiNova® (to be specific: Light Old Radium) and the minutes track on the dial and framing the date window are painted in a gilded tone.

Below, on the left, the 40mm version – on the right, the 36mm version. Both look similar but have a different feel on the wrist.

You’ll have noticed that the date window is in a different location on the models: the 40mm version features a date window at 6 o’clock while the smaller 36mm features it at 3 o’clock. Another differentiating touch, referring to the 40mm model, is the incorporation of dots and baton indices on the dial replacing its first iteration with four bright yellow Arabic numerals.

Oris Calibre 733

Both models are fitted with the Oris Calibre 733, an automatic movement based on a Sellita SW200-1. Powering the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions, the movement has a bi-directionally rotating rotor. Beating at a frequency of 28,800vph, the power reserve is of 38 hours. With water-resistance to 100 metres, the case back is screwed down so you won’t be able to see Oris’ trademark red rotor.

Customising the strap of this watch is a cinch and the leather, rubber and NATO straps that are available with the watch can be changed at home. However, this quick-change system cannot be used in the case of the stainless steel metal bracelet. Both the 40mm and 36mm carry the same price tag retailing for CHF 1,950 on a strap (NATO, leather or rubber) and CHF 2,150 on a stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp – and it’s a very nice, vintage-inspired riveted bracelet that you’ll get. More details on oris.ch.