The Colourful, Sleeker Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403

The Big Crown Pointer Date, an important piece in the history of Oris since 1938, has lived through various iterations over the years, evolving with the times to introduce changes and improvements but always faithful to the spirit of the original. In 2021, Oris introduced a 38mm Big Crown Pointer Date model powered by calibre 403, an in-house developed automatic movement with solid resistance to magnetism, five-day power reserve and a ten-year warranty. The diameter was a departure from the 40mm standard. Also gone was the classic coin-edged bezel, which was replaced with a flat polished bezel. This year, Oris brings characteristics and elements of the 2021 design to the primary collection, with two watches featuring earthy dial colours.

The new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403 references come in a 40mm diameter, 47.5mm lug-to-lug, multi-piece stainless steel case with a flat polished bezel – some will like the fresher, more modern look, while some will miss the retro charm of the original models with fluted bezels. The 50m water-resistant case is 12.3mm thick and has a large screw-in crown and double-domed sapphire crystal with AR coating to protect the dial and the screwed display caseback showing the movement.

The dial options are earthy green or terracotta. The date track runs the periphery and is indicated by the central hand featuring the green or brighter shade of terracotta tip. Next and closer to the centre is the minutes track, with triangles printed in Super-LumiNova at 5-minute intervals pointing to the raised, nearly three-dimensional Arabic indices, also in Super-LumiNova. The small seconds subdial takes the position of the 6 o’clock mark, and the central hour and minutes hands feature luminous treatment like the indices.

The high-performance Oris automatic Calibre 403 is a proprietary manufacture movement developed in-house. It has twin barrels to ensure a 120-hour power reserve, 30 non-ferrous components, and a silicon anchor and escape wheel to ensure resistance to magnetic fields. This movement is regulated for -3/+5 seconds per day accuracy (within chronometric standards) and comes with a 10-year warranty.

With the new Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403, Oris introduces a multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet with brushed and polished links, closed with a folding clasp. Another option is a Cervo Volante leather strap with a folding clasp. The new model will become available in April 2025. The price is CHF 3,600 with a strap and CHF 3,800 with a bracelet. For more, visit oris.ch.