Z
Zach Weiss
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It’s safe to say we’ve been in the midst of a retro-diver renaissance for a couple of years now, and the trend has produced some of the most stunning and attractive designs in recent memory. From the Tudor Black Bay and Longines Legend Diver all the way down to several of Helson and other microbrands’ offerings, we’ve seen a great variety of capable well-made divers with a vintage flair.
What we haven’t seen much of, however, is a manufacturer pulling a design from their archives and reissuing it almost verbatim. That’s where the Oris Divers Sixty-Five comes in, and absolutely nails it. With a few subtle changes, Oris has achieved what perhaps none of the other current crop of vintage-styled divers can claim- they’ve made something genuinely more desirable than the original. With an in-house modified Selitta SW200, a double AR-coated domed sapphire crystal, and a $1650 price tag, it’s more than an attractive design, it’s an attractive proposition. Let’s take a closer look.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five Review
Case: Steel
Movement: Oris Calibre 733 (modified Sellita SW200)
Dial: Black
Lume: SuperLuminova “Light Old Radium”
Lens: Sapphire
Strap: Rubber (optional mil-strap)
Water Res.: 100M
Dimensions: 40 x 47.9mm
Thickness: 12.86mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Crown: 7 x 3.5mm
Price: $1,650
Case
Setting off the Divers Sixty-Five’s recurring theme of “classic design, cleaned up” is the case structure. If you’re used to modern, chunky diver cases this one comes as a surprise. It’s got quite a slim profile at only 12.8mm thick, and the tall dome crystal makes up for a sizable portion of that. The actual case itself then is even thinner, sitting very flat on the wrist. While the overall design is very simple the execution is superb. There’s no beveling, twisted lugs, or other unnecessary adornment here, just polished case sides and even brushing along the tops of the long, tapering lugs. Really, the only changes Oris made here was a materials swap from the original’s chrome-plated brass to stainless steel. The finishing, however, is impressive with crisp defined edges all around. The signed screw-down crown is unguarded, and hits a sweet spot size-wise at 7 x 3.5mm. Moving around back, the caseback is another part that’s been lifted right from the 1965 playbook, and while the etching isn’t the most detailed or ornate it’s handsome and fits the overall design well.
Looking at it front-on, however, you get a very different impression. The bezel is another feature with definite throwback appeal, with a DLC-coated main piece and black aluminum insert giving the case a two-tone look. It’s a very narrow bezel by modern standards, which coupled with the DLC coating, gives the Divers Sixty-Five an “all-dial” appearance, but it’s a look that suits the piece well here. The bezel mechanism itself is top-notch, ditching 1965’s bi-directional friction design for one of the best 120-click unidirectional bezels I’ve ever had a chance to use. It’s light and easy to turn thanks to its narrow teeth, but gives absolutely zero back play and stops accurately.
The bezel insert is marked all the way round with indicators for every minute, larger marks for each 5, and numerals at every 10 minutes, giving what might otherwise be a fragile-looking part a much needed shot of aggression. Just inside that bezel is a beautifully domed sapphire crystal, completing the vintage look and providing excellent visibility in any light condition in or out of the water thanks to a double AR coating. The case size is perhaps the thing most changed from the original, taken from the original 36mm to a much more modern 40mm. While this is still on the smaller side for today’s divers, the narrow blacked-out bezel makes it wear much larger for a watch of its size and particularly its thickness.
Overall, however, the case design leaves a sort of elephant in the room- the water resistance issue. The Oris Divers Sixty-Five, for better or worse, comes with a depth rating from 1965 as well- a meager 100 meters. In today’s world, that’s hardly a qualifier for a diver’s watch, with most true diver designs starting at 200m and up. Honestly, however, this is a point that I have to commend Oris on. 99 percent of dive watches will never see more strenuous action than the bottom of a swimming pool, and for that kind of recreational use 100 meters of resistance is plenty. If anything, the decision to build this as a 100 meter diver is a statement of dedication to keeping the heritage of this design at the forefront, and I can’t help but respect that dedication even if it does come at the cost of ultimate performance.
Dial
The dial of the Divers Sixty-Five definitely steals the show, and with good reason. The layout is funky, unique, and fantastically well-executed without feeling gimmicky. The big, silhouetted numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9, surrounded by bold blocks of “Old Radium” Superluminova, are unmistakably mid-century, but are unusual enough to avoid seeming dated at all. The rest of the dial is muted in comparison, perhaps a wise choice to prevent the dial from becoming over-designed. There are only simple rectangles of lume for the other hour markers, with an inner minute track providing the finer measurements. The dial text is similarly minimal, with “ORIS/AUTOMATIC” at 12 and the 10 bar water resistance rating at 6.
The post Oris Divers Sixty-Five Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
It’s safe to say we’ve been in the midst of a retro-diver renaissance for a couple of years now, and the trend has produced some of the most stunning and attractive designs in recent memory. From the Tudor Black Bay and Longines Legend Diver all the way down to several of Helson and other microbrands’ offerings, we’ve seen a great variety of capable well-made divers with a vintage flair.
What we haven’t seen much of, however, is a manufacturer pulling a design from their archives and reissuing it almost verbatim. That’s where the Oris Divers Sixty-Five comes in, and absolutely nails it. With a few subtle changes, Oris has achieved what perhaps none of the other current crop of vintage-styled divers can claim- they’ve made something genuinely more desirable than the original. With an in-house modified Selitta SW200, a double AR-coated domed sapphire crystal, and a $1650 price tag, it’s more than an attractive design, it’s an attractive proposition. Let’s take a closer look.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five Review
Case: SteelMovement: Oris Calibre 733 (modified Sellita SW200)
Dial: Black
Lume: SuperLuminova “Light Old Radium”
Lens: Sapphire
Strap: Rubber (optional mil-strap)
Water Res.: 100M
Dimensions: 40 x 47.9mm
Thickness: 12.86mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Crown: 7 x 3.5mm
Price: $1,650
Case
Setting off the Divers Sixty-Five’s recurring theme of “classic design, cleaned up” is the case structure. If you’re used to modern, chunky diver cases this one comes as a surprise. It’s got quite a slim profile at only 12.8mm thick, and the tall dome crystal makes up for a sizable portion of that. The actual case itself then is even thinner, sitting very flat on the wrist. While the overall design is very simple the execution is superb. There’s no beveling, twisted lugs, or other unnecessary adornment here, just polished case sides and even brushing along the tops of the long, tapering lugs. Really, the only changes Oris made here was a materials swap from the original’s chrome-plated brass to stainless steel. The finishing, however, is impressive with crisp defined edges all around. The signed screw-down crown is unguarded, and hits a sweet spot size-wise at 7 x 3.5mm. Moving around back, the caseback is another part that’s been lifted right from the 1965 playbook, and while the etching isn’t the most detailed or ornate it’s handsome and fits the overall design well.
Looking at it front-on, however, you get a very different impression. The bezel is another feature with definite throwback appeal, with a DLC-coated main piece and black aluminum insert giving the case a two-tone look. It’s a very narrow bezel by modern standards, which coupled with the DLC coating, gives the Divers Sixty-Five an “all-dial” appearance, but it’s a look that suits the piece well here. The bezel mechanism itself is top-notch, ditching 1965’s bi-directional friction design for one of the best 120-click unidirectional bezels I’ve ever had a chance to use. It’s light and easy to turn thanks to its narrow teeth, but gives absolutely zero back play and stops accurately.
The bezel insert is marked all the way round with indicators for every minute, larger marks for each 5, and numerals at every 10 minutes, giving what might otherwise be a fragile-looking part a much needed shot of aggression. Just inside that bezel is a beautifully domed sapphire crystal, completing the vintage look and providing excellent visibility in any light condition in or out of the water thanks to a double AR coating. The case size is perhaps the thing most changed from the original, taken from the original 36mm to a much more modern 40mm. While this is still on the smaller side for today’s divers, the narrow blacked-out bezel makes it wear much larger for a watch of its size and particularly its thickness.
Overall, however, the case design leaves a sort of elephant in the room- the water resistance issue. The Oris Divers Sixty-Five, for better or worse, comes with a depth rating from 1965 as well- a meager 100 meters. In today’s world, that’s hardly a qualifier for a diver’s watch, with most true diver designs starting at 200m and up. Honestly, however, this is a point that I have to commend Oris on. 99 percent of dive watches will never see more strenuous action than the bottom of a swimming pool, and for that kind of recreational use 100 meters of resistance is plenty. If anything, the decision to build this as a 100 meter diver is a statement of dedication to keeping the heritage of this design at the forefront, and I can’t help but respect that dedication even if it does come at the cost of ultimate performance.
Dial
The dial of the Divers Sixty-Five definitely steals the show, and with good reason. The layout is funky, unique, and fantastically well-executed without feeling gimmicky. The big, silhouetted numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9, surrounded by bold blocks of “Old Radium” Superluminova, are unmistakably mid-century, but are unusual enough to avoid seeming dated at all. The rest of the dial is muted in comparison, perhaps a wise choice to prevent the dial from becoming over-designed. There are only simple rectangles of lume for the other hour markers, with an inner minute track providing the finer measurements. The dial text is similarly minimal, with “ORIS/AUTOMATIC” at 12 and the 10 bar water resistance rating at 6.
The post Oris Divers Sixty-Five Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.