The year 1938 saw Oris release an innovative mechanical timepiece that would serve well for pilots. As the name of the watch suggests, one of the talking points for the original 1938 model was the big crown. Oris creatively designed the crown to be oversized, so that pilots would easily be able to adjust the time while wearing gloves.
When Oris was originally founded in 1904, their mission and philosophy was to create watches that were made to the highest standard with practicality for the real world, while also keeping selling costs to a reasonable price. With the release of the Big Crown Pointer Date in 1938, Oris was able to achieve just that.
The original Oris Big Crown Pointer Date would stand the test of time, with the production of the timepiece surviving through many wars, the quartz era and other fashion fads that came to disrupt the manufacturing of mechanical watches. Little did Oris know though, that almost 80 years later, the Big Crown Pointer Date would still be known for its iconic design and ultimately be reproduced for the 80th anniversary as a more refined product.
The recreation of the Big Crown Pointer Date sees the anniversary edition come with a 40mm Bronze casing and a beautiful fluted bezel. The timepiece includes the signature features of the original watch which is the oversized Bronze crown and the pointer date. Oris chose Bronze for the casing due to the material’s current popularity in the watchmaking world and also for the fact that Bronze patinates naturally as it oxides. What this means is that over time, each individual watch will have its own unique finishing.
As it is becoming more common, a Bronze casing is usually followed by a green dial finish, due to the sheer beauty of the two colours when combined together. The indexes, date ring, minute track, “ORIS” and “Big Crown Automatic” lettering have all been done in white so that it stands out nicely on the dark green dial. The hands have been made from Bronze material, similar to that of the casing. The use of Bronze for the hands makes the appearance of the Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary edition really stand out. The Bronze, green and white colour theme makes for a beautiful piece that’s hard to take your eyes off!
The movement inside the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary edition is the Oris 754 Calibre. This 754 Calibre is based of a Sellita Sw200-1 movement which Oris has modified to suit the Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary. The Calibre 754 is a bi-directionally automatic winding movement with a red rotor, which can be seen through the mineral glass on the case back. The 754 Calibre produces a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.
As mentioned in the name of the piece, the second biggest stand out feature is how the watch shows the date indication. Oris has done away with a traditional date window and instead have opted to use a unique method whereby the date is read by a extra hand on the dial. There is a date ring that runs around the dial, placed just behind the minute track. The “date hand” has a red pointer which moves one step (or to the next date) on the date ring when a new day ticks over. This method of showing the date has been available since the original 1938 Big Crown Pointer Date model.
With the recreation of the Big Crown Pointer Date for the 80th Anniversary, Oris has done a great job of bringing together colours to make a great dial while keeping true to the original design of the timepiece. The Big Crown Pointer Date will remain as one of Oris’s signature pieces as its a great point of reference for the brand in producing practical high quality mechanical watches.
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary specification:
- Case diameter : 40mm
- Case material : Multi-piece bronze case, stainless steel case back
- Dial: Green, Indices, numbers and hands with Superluminova C1/C3
- Crystal : Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Water resistance : 50 meters/ 167 feet
- Movement : Oris 754, base SW 200-1
- Power reserve : Approximately 38 hours
Australian Retail Pricing : $2,700.00
Availability : Available now
Enquire at local Authorised dealers :
- Brisbane – The Hour Glass
- Melbourne – Hardy Brothers
- Sydney – Gregory Jewellers
- Perth – Hardy Brothers
