Top 5 Oris Models

Founded in 1904, Oris has arguably seen quite a boost to their reputation in recent years with innovative and interesting designs combined with some excellent quality. Along with this, some of their pieces also hit a sweet spot in terms of price, offering a serious value proposition.

For you here, I’ve laid out some of my favourite Oris models from across the brand’s vast array of pieces, ranging from a diver with innovative dial work to a fun collaboration, a retro-inspired piece and more besides.

First up is the Oris Divers Date, the brand’s latest addition to their long running collection of dive watches. These are designed to mark the 60th anniversary of one of their most iconic designs, offering noteworthy aesthetic upgrades such as hour markers with bevelled edges and more condensed writing on the dial itself.

The Divers Date also comes with 200m of water resistance and a grippier dive bezel, complete with ceramic inserts along with dial colours in black, blue and beige. The watch’s bracelet is also now quick-release and can be swapped out with the textured black rubber strap included in the box, while the in-house Oris Calibre 733 movement features an upgraded 41-hours of power reserve.

With these small but important upgrades in mind, the spirit of the classic Oris dive watch has been preserved with a sleek and smart stainless steel case, domed sapphire crystal and wearable 39mm case diameter. The black, blue and beige dial colours reflect the retro style too, and look excellent.

The next inclusion in my ranking, the Oris ProPilot X Kermit, perhaps needs no introduction. It’s been one of the most talked-about pieces of the last couple of years, and has definitely been a piece that’s caught my eye not only for the presence of Kermit the Frog on the date wheel, but also its lime green dial.

This is, in essence, an Oris ProPilot X Calibre 400 with the addition of Kermit on the dial, which means you’re getting a 39mm case diameter piece made of titanium for an especially lightweight and wearable watch. In addition, it features 100 metres of water resistance, a domed sapphire crystal and sleek titanium bracelet that should be rather comfortable.

Apart from Kermit, the real star of the show with the ProPilot X Kermit is the Calibre 400 movement that powers this piece. This is a monster movement with a 10 year warranty that comes with seriously high accuracy and a zany 120 hours of power reserve, meaning the ProPilot X Kermit can last for 5 days without needing to be wound.

The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date is one of the brand’s oldest models in their catalogue, having been in production since 1938 - that means this watch has been a part of Oris’ range for the best part of 86 years. It had to be included in my ranking on the basis of its longevity and timelessness.

It’s a simple but effective dial, with legible numbers on the dial, as well as its signature pointer date on a wheel on the outside track. It’s a clever feature that reminds of of Christopher Ward’s C1 Moonglow, although Oris certainly got there first. The Big Crown Pointer Date is available in a variety of dial colours and finishes, although my particular pick is the burgundy dial variant, which looks especially classy.

Elsewhere, it has wearable proportions, retro sensibilities with a domed sapphire crystal and indented bezel, while the brown leather strap most models come on also helps the Big Crown Pointer Date’s old-time looks. This is a timeless option that can be dressed up or down with ease, and looks fantastic overall. The movement inside is usually an in-house calibre with a 38 hour power reserve and decent tolerances, too.

We’ve actually featured the Oris Aquis Date Upcycle in our best watches under £2000 roundup, and it makes sense to include it here, too. The reason for including it here majorly is because of its gorgeous patterned dial that’s made of recycled plastic. This not only looks excellent with shades of blue, purple and more besides, but is environmentally-conscious, too. It’s the most interesting dial Oris offers in this range of watches, so justifies its inclusion there.

In addition, the Aquis Date Upcycle offers a choice of case sizes, with either 41.5mm or 36.5mm available to suit a range of wrist sizes. It’s also a proper dive watch with 300m of water resistance, a unidirectional bezel with ceramic bezel insert and an extendable bracelet suitable for putting over a chunky wetsuit. Its stainless steel case and bracelet are also solid too, while the Calibre 733-1 movement inside offers a decent 41 hours of power reserve to keep the Aquis Date Upcycle ticking along nicely.

The Oris Artelier S is the simplest watch on this list, with no complications, funky dial furniture or even any real pattern. It’s an elegant and functional dress watch available with either a solid black or fume black and green gradiented dial upon which the only lettering is the Oris logo at 12 o’clock. There’s no distractions or anything here, making it especially minimalistic.

The Artelier S also comes with a 38mm stainless steel case, which is durable and suitable for a variety of wrist sizes, while also coming with a sensible leather strap that complements the overall classy looks that the Swiss brand is going for with its dress watch.

The movement inside is a sensible Calibre 733 movement with no date window, and comes with a useful 38 hours of power reserve and a decent beat rate. It’s a reliable movement featured elsewhere across Oris’ range and is a generally good movement.