New Colours For The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 And Aquis Small Second Date

Oris has consolidated a solid reputation for its resilient, purpose-built dive, pilot and sports watches that do the job in style without breaking the bank. The Aquis family of sporty, high-performance dive watches is one of the most popular, and its 43.5mm Aquis Date was the first to be powered by the brand’s powerful manufacture automatic movement in 2020. For 2023, Oris welcomes attractive new gradient dial colours for its Aquis Small Second Date and Aquis Date Calibre 400.

The Oris Aquis collection surfaced in 2011 as an evolution of the brand’s underwater timepieces that first surfaced in 1965. Unlike Oris’s vintage-inspired Sixty Five collection, the Aquis has a far more contemporary vibe making it an attractive option for those in search of a resilient, all-terrain yet stylish watch. Available in a host of case sizes, shared features of all Aquis Date models include a 300m water-resistant case, a screw-down crown, a unidirectional dive bezel (save the diamond-set versions) and, as the name indicates, a date window on the dial at 6 o’clock. Revamped in 2017, the family also has more hardcore divers, like the 1,000m water-resistant AquisPro Date Calibre 400 and the Aquis Depth Gauge.

Aquis Date Calibre 400

The Aquis Date 43.5mm was the first model to be equipped with the brand’s proprietary calibre 400 in 2020. Like the powerful 10-day, hand-wound calibre 110, conceived in-house by Oris in 2014 and used in its high-end models, the Oris Calibre 400 is a proprietary manufacture movement. Developed entirely in-house by COO Beat Fischli and his team, the mandates were for a high-performance and anti-magnetic movement to keep pace with consumers’ lifestyles for longer periods of time. Produced by a network of suppliers with state-of-the-art industrial techniques, calibre 400 is a robust automatic anti-magnetic movement with a five-day power reserve and a 10-year warranty.

Following the 43.5mm Aquis date with a blue dial comes this new green dial version – a colour that has already appeared on the dial of the smaller 41.5mm Aquis Dates. Sharing identical specifications with its blue sibling, the notched unidirectional rotating bezel is now fitted with a matching green scratchproof ceramic inlay. The 300m water-resistant stainless steel case is finished with brushed and polished surfaces, and the block-shaped crown guards flank the sizeable screw-down crown.

The attractive green gradient dial, which is lighter in the centre and darker on the periphery, hosts applied luminous indices to match the Super-LumiNova on the hour and minute hands and the central lollipop seconds hand. The date window at 6 o’clock has a black background, and the dial is protected by a domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating.

The Oris Aquis Date is also fitted with the brand’s patented DIY Quick Strap Change mechanism and can be purchased with a steel bracelet or a rubber strap, both with extendable folding clasps.

The automatic calibre 400 is visible through the large sapphire crystal on the caseback. You can see the large semi-openworked rotor, parts of the gear teeth of the twin barrels offering the 5-day power reserve and glimpses of the anti-magnetic silicon escape wheel and anchor.

Quick facts: 43.5mm diameter – stainless steel – green ceramic insert in bezel – screw-down crown with guards – 300m water-resistant – gradient green dial – indices and hands with SLN – date at 6 o’clock – proprietary Oris calibre 400 automatic – 5-day power reserve – anti-magnetic components – h,m,s, date and stop-seconds – stainless steel bracelet (ref. 01 400 7763 4157-07 8 24 09PEB) CHF 3,500 – black rubber strap (ref. 01 400 7763 4157-07 4 24 74EB) CHF 3,400

Aquis Small Second Date

The small seconds version of the Oris Aquis Date debuted in 2017 and, as its name indicates, combined a date window and a small seconds counter on the dial. Although there has been a blue gradient dial version of the Small Second Date, this 2023 model also flaunts a blue gradient dial but closer in tone to teal blue.

As our readers know, the indication of the seconds is a mandatory feature on a professional ISO 6425 dive watch. Here the running seconds are displayed on a snailed sub-dial at 9 o’clock and highlighted with a luminous hand. Balancing the display, the date window is at 3 o’clock.

A chunky diver with a 45.5mm diameter and a thickness of 15.9mm, the 500m water-resistant case of the Aquis Small Second Date surpasses that of standard Aquis Date models. Like all Aquis divers, the unidirectional and notched rotating bezel has a (teal blue) ceramic insert, and robust crown guards flank the screw-down crown. The applied indices, the dot in the inverted triangle on the bezel and the hour and minute hands are treated with Super-LumiNova.

An automatic Sellita SW220-1-base movement – Oris calibre743 – powers the watch. Beating at 28,800vhp, the power reserve is just 38 hours. Available on a metal bracelet or blue rubber strap, both options come with Oris’s patented and extendable security folding clasp and Quick Strap Change system.

Quick facts: 45mm diameter – stainless steel – blue ceramic insert in bezel – screw-down crown with guards – 500m water-resistant – gradient blue dial – indices and hands with SLN – running seconds at 9 o’clock with luminous hand, date at 3 o’clock – Oris calibre 743 (Sellita SW220-1 base), automatic – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – h,m, small seconds, date – stainless steel bracelet (ref. 01 743 7733 4155 – 07 4 24 69EB)  CHF 2,500 – blue rubber strap (ref. 01 743 7733 4155 – 07 8 24 05PEB) EUR 2,700

For more information, please consult oris.ch.