Tag: Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date
Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date
For the first time since 1938, Oris is updating their “Oris Big Crown Pointer Date” in bronze. The announcement was made at the Oris Preview event, which took place in Vail, Colorado. These watches come with four distinct color dial options in a full bronze production that extends to the bracelet. Around here bronze doesn’t equate to third place, it’s a solid winner. The 40mm case is made of bronze with an overall brushed finish, while mounted to the case is a bronze coin-edge bezel, reminiscent of certain vintage pilot watches. The sharp facets appear here mainly with a satin brushed finish. On the flip-side is a sapphire exhibition caseback that allows a view into the inner workings of the mechanical movement. The outer rim of the cover portion is made of a contrasting stainless-steel. It comes equipped with its signature “big crown” in bronze, adorned by the Oris logo. All topped by a domed sapphire crystal on both sides with an anti-reflective coating inside. Water-resistance can reach up to 50 meters (164 feet). Time is exhibited on either a green, red, blue, or brown hue dial with Arabic numerals to tell time, followed by a white railroad motif minute index grid. Afterwards closer to the bezel is a series of Arabic numerals circling the dial as a calendar, which is pointed out by a thin hand with a red tip, adequately highlighting it apart from all the other elements. Its central hands were crafted in a vintage aviator watch style. Plus the central hands and Arabic numerals have all undergone a luminescent coating, for an enhanced legibility.
As part of the 2022 Oris Preview set in Vail, Colorado the brand announced a new set of Big Crown Pointer Date watches with a fun twist. Now I’m not usually one for bronze watches and I’m certainly not in my element out here in Vail (Florida man ’til death), but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t giddy for these pieces as they were passed around the room. A very familiar platform for Oris—and in production since 1938—the Big Crown Pointer Date models often leave me overwhelmed with choice. But what seals the deal with these versions, at least in my mind, is just how well Oris managed to execute these articulating bracelets, in full bronze. Let’s talk about it.
All sized at 40mm and with full bronze cases and bracelets, the new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze watches offer quite a bit of variety. Dials come in blue, green, brown, and bordeaux colorways, and to me they all fit in beautifully with the all-bronze look. Now, Oris has been pushing bronze for a while and this certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen a bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. The key here is the addition of that bronze jubilee-style bracelet, and it’s where things get interesting.
As someone skeptical about bronze watches in general, I get really skeptical when I see a bronze watch with a bronze bracelet. By Oris’s own admission, working with malleable bronze on a bracelet such as this was no easy job. And I can believe it—many of the bronze watch bracelets I’ve handled just feel trashy. But the bracelet here somehow delivers a nice bit of heft and security with the comfort of fully articulating links. It turned out to be the kind of bracelet that made me wonder if an all-steel/NATO-strap-wearing buffoon like myself could ever seriously convert to bronze.Inside the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze is the Oris Caliber 754, built from a Sellita base. It powers that fun pointer date setup that the models are known for, with a red crescent pointer hand that hugs the dates indicated along the dial. It’s got a 38-hour power reserve and with the screw-down crown, water resistance on these models is 50m. Other features include a quick-set date, Super-LumiNova on those cool cathedral hands, and a fluted bezel that hits hard with vintage vibes.So it seems like a strong opening to the new year for Oris and I think the combination of pricing, color options, and sizing will pull in the bronze watch lovers, hard. And speaking of pricing, I think this is the deal to go for if you want a bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. The previous models with the leather straps were lovely, and so was the leather itself. But I think anyone that experiences this entire package in person will find it hard to pass up.