The classic divers’ watch is now as synonymous with the 1960s as Austin Powers, with Oris releasing a particularly charming throwback in the form of the latest Divers Sixty Five Chronograph. The irony is that the retro vibe makes it appear distinctly modern, with a 40mm case and monochrome dial – all the rage at the moment. Yet there’s a lot that makes it unique and distinctly Oris at the same time: helped by the fact that over the years there have been 60 or more variants from the brand along this very same theme.
Oris, Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph - Credit Oris
The origins of this watch lie in the very first diver that Oris made back in 1965 (hence the name), now updated with a two-counter chronograph. On the left hand side there’s a running seconds dial, on the right a 30-minutes counter. Maintaining the vintage look is the choice of two straps: a classic steel bracelet, or Oris’s trademark Cervo Volante leather (which uses deer leather that comes from the local deer cull close to Oris’s home base of Holstein, not far from Zurich).
Oris, Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph - Credit Oris
There are all the traditional dive watch cues present, such as a uni-directional rotating bezel and distinctive vintage chronograph pushers, while keeping everything ticking over is a proprietary Oris 771 movement with a 48-hour power reserve. The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal is particularly of its time, providing an instant visual clue that this is a watch with some proper heritage.
Oris, Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph - Credit Oris
What makes this particular Oris so appealing is the way that it captures a zeitgeist in a way that’s instantly appealing and nostalgic at the same time. Back in the 1960s, recreational diving was just taking off as an exotic hobby, helped by all-action heroes such as James Bond. He never wore an Oris, but this divers’ watch would undoubtedly look good on the wrist of Sean Connery, emerging from an evil overlord’s underwater lair.
Oris, Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph - Credit Oris
So it transports you back to an age when travel and adventure was genuinely adventurous, with much of the world still to be explored, and people who were somehow cooler. The aesthetic is simple, but there’s everything you need. And it’s yours for £3350 on the leather strap, or £3450 on the metal bracelet.
Oris, Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph - Credit Oris
- Material Multi-piece stainless steel case, unidirectional rotating bezel
- Size 40 mm, 1.575 inches
- Top Glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Case back Stainless steel, screwed
- Operating Devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown and pushers
- Interhorn Width 20 mm
- Movement Number Oris 771
- Dimensions Ø 30.00 mm, 13 1/4’’’
- Functions Centre hands for hours, minutes and chronograph 1/4 seconds, 2 subsidiary dials for continuous seconds and 30 minutes counter, fine timing device and stop-second
- Winding Automatic
- Power-Reserve 48 hours
- Vibrations 4 Hz (28’800 A/h)
- Jewels 27
- Dial Design Black, curved dial with applied indices
- Luminous Material Indices and hands filled with Super-LumiNova®
- Indices Applied
- Strap/Bracelet Black Cervo Volante deer leather strap with stainless steel buckle or stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp
