In this review, I get a hold of the fourth Aquis rendition commemorating one of Australia’s greatest natural wonders! But is it truly a standout? Let’s find out!
What We Love:
- Dial is unique yet elegant and possibly timeless
- Wears extremely well
- Supremely capable movement for the price point
What We Don’t:
- Uniquely coloured dials are always a point of caution
- Can it come in any smaller sizes?
- The price point is contentious
Overall Rating: 8.6/10
- Value for Money: 7.5/10
- Wearability: 9/10
- Design: 9/10
- Build Quality: 9/10
Everyone loves a bit of independence in their lives. Having your own slice of agency signals freedom to do whatever you please – like buying watches, for example – without having to worry too much about the consequences.
But, of course, it’s not that simple. Agency, and by association freedom, can be an elusive thing, which is why we oftentimes find ourselves getting attached to characters, products and brands associated with the idea of finding freedom. Not everyone can break the Matrix like Neo, ‘Just Do It’ like Nike or beat up their boss like Stone Cold Steve Austin, so we live vicariously through those that operate, or are perceived to be operating, on an independent level.
In the watch industry, Oris is one of the finest examples of freedom and independence in watchmaking. Having followed their slogan to “Go Their Own Way” since 1904, their perception of freedom is conveyed through their dedication to independent design, technological innovation and sustainability. All three of these elements would come to a head right here in Australia on the 15th of July, as Oris held an event for VIPs to debut their new Aquis; A limited edition dedicated to the Great Barrier Reef.
Related Reading: PHOTO REPORT- Oris Celebrates The Great Barrier Reef
This isn’t the first time that Oris has done this. The release of this new Aquis heralded the fourth rendition of a model dedicated to the natural wonder of the world. Working in conjunction with the Reef Restoration Foundation, this release not only had the expected unorthodox design chops of a limited edition run, but also had the benefit of the new-generation Aquis architecture.
First Impressions
Oris as a brand is one that I hold a personal interest in, as their business moves have been quiet yet impactful in the industry. Pundits have been touting Oris as a force to be reckoned with for years, and inevitably news of the Hӧlstein brand’s reputation reached my ears. Soon enough, I was brimming with anticipation to see their next new release at 2024’s Watches and Wonders.
The time came around and they released… nothing? I was a little confused, at first, as the announcement from Oris was that they were going to release a whole new Aquis model. But release it they did – and the watch community asked one thing: “What’s the difference?”
Turns out, this was Oris’ plan all along. For 2024, they opted to not show up with a bang, instead keeping their head down to focus on refining their Aquis collection, both aesthetically and technologically. “But wait a minute,” you may be saying, “This is Watches and Wonders we’re talking about. That doesn’t seem like a big deal!” You’d be half right. But imagine for one second that your favourite watch brand, instead of distracting you with smoke and mirrors every year, finally stepped back and tweaked that one thing that has always irritated their fan base. Imagine how much better that watch would be! In this spirit, Oris have made several small yet massively practical changes to the Aquis, all of which can be detailed here but I’ll also point them out to you as we go.
If you read my aforementioned piece on the event, you’d know that I was lucky enough to go to the Oris Great Barrier Reef IV (GBRIV) debut. As stated before, both my personal interest in Oris and the limited edition’s unorthodox design drew my attention to the piece – as did an unfortunate helping of cocktails that I severely underestimated the strength of. However, once I had sobered up, it still resonated with me that getting my hands on a new-generation Oris Aquis model was a surreal experience. I was incredibly excited and curious to see exactly how much bearing the adjustments had on the overall experience of the watch – the fact that Chamath and I were able to secure a GBRIV limited edition Aquis to review was simply the cherry on top of the proverbial cake.
The Design
I’ve always felt that the Oris Aquis was singular in its design aesthetic. It’s a dive watch that, somehow, doesn’t look like any of the other divers out there. Where other brands may simply derive from their more successful counterparts – goodness knows how many Submariner-alikes there are in the world – Oris is adamant about keeping things fresh and unique from a design standpoint.
The Oris Aquis GBRIV is no exception to the Hӧlstein brand’s MO. Uniquely coloured and finished dials are always a point of caution, yet their execution of a vertically brushed dégradé dial isn’t too in-your-face. It starts as cyan at the top, darkening down to an inky navy blue at the bottom, representing the degradation of light as you dive deeper into the ocean’s euphotic, dysphotic, and aphotic zones. Paying attention in high school science does pay off, I guess!
Despite its uniqueness, I don’t think that you would find any difficulty styling around the GBRIV. It’s a combination of green and blue hues, which are relatively safe in the watch world, but the execution still remains. Only time will tell, but this dial rendition may become a future classic, and therefore timeless as a result.
The vertical brushing comes from the 12 o’clock index, with the sunray brushing indicative of the rays of a ‘sun’ originating from just beyond the watch. The date wheel, while not exactly colour-matched, is still inverted, featuring white text over a black backdrop. I don’t mind it, but to those that may, just be thankful it wasn’t a white date wheel. The watch world would’ve lost their minds!
The Aquis’ polished alpha hands and indexes have been slimmed down and refined for the 2024 model, and come with a heavy amount of bright blue lume on both. These are further accompanied by the printed white text of the Oris name, three lines of descriptive dialogue, ‘SWISS MADE,’ and the slim white minute track. While three lines of dialogue, along with ‘SWISS MADE’ may be enough to give some a heart attack, I don’t really mind it as the text is small and succinct. For these new models, the font has also become more consistent, so it’s less of an assault on the eyes.
The knurled-edge 120-click bezel comes complete with a brushed grey tungsten insert, a material as scratch resistant and tough as it is heavy – one of the heaviest on Earth, in fact. While I was initially apprehensive about the grey look, I think Oris made a very good call. A ceramic bezel, regardless of colour, would have likely detracted from the beauty of the dial due to its glossy nature. Keeping it grey scale with the tungsten offers variation in the grey colours of the bezel and steel build, whilst inviting the wearer to inspect the dial even further.
Unlike older Aquis models, the middle case juts out ever-so-slightly, meeting the lugs just outside the case and bezel’s periphery. This helps to detract from the tubular, flat appearance of the Aquis, with the silhouette being less awkward in the hand and on the wrist. The case itself is predominantly brushed on the tops and flanks, save for high-polished finishes on the tops of the lugs, the bezel, the laser-ablated signed crown, and the tops of the crown guards.
The bracelet’s links are a distinctive pattern of high polish on top and brushing on the flanks, with vertically brushed centre links that aggressively taper to a large -but not obtrusive – clasp, brushed and polished in the same manner as the bracelet. For all you anti-pin-and-collar snobs out there, you can rejoice as the Aquis’ links are all screw-in.
On the radially brushed case back, you can find all the relevant manufacturer’s info of the GBRIV, as well as an engraving stating “GREAT BARRIER REEF LIMITED EDITION” alongside the individually numbered reference of 2000. This has only been further beautifully decorated with a laser-ablated image of sparking corals in the Great Barrier Reef, accompanied by a starfish resting atop a rock. While it does make me sad that we lost out on the display case back here, it’s far from a detractor in this case – this piece is celebrating the Great Barrier Reef, after all!
How It Wears
I distinctly remember the older Oris Aquis models to wear rather awkwardly on the wrist. This is large in part to the overall case-shape, which is drum-like in nature, accompanied by a significant heft. It made the watch feel a lot larger than it actually was, which turned me off the 41mm models, despite the size being ideal for my wrist on paper.
I’m happy to report that, for the new Oris Aquis models and this GBRIV, the wearing experience is quite the opposite. In fact, this may be one of the most comfortable watches that I’ve ever worn. The on-paper dimensions are certainly imposing – 43.5mm across, with a gargantuan 51mm lug-to-lug – but don’t the size fool you. While it does look a little large from the top, it doesn’t feel as oversized as the dimensions suggest.
I’m not exactly sure how they do it, but the 2024 Aquis wears significantly smaller than it is. There are several factors that might contribute to this: First, the thickness of the new Aquis has been greatly reduced, shaving off over half a millimetre from 13.7 to 13.1. While this doesn’t sound mind-blowing, in the grand scheme of things, you will absolutely feel the difference once you pop it on your wrist. The other factor is the lug shape; The lugs have been thinned out and angle steeply downwards, hugging my wrist. Though the ends of the watch overlap ever-so-slightly, it’s barely noticeable and far more comfortable than the old-gen Aquis.
I will say, though, that I am disheartened that there isn’t a Calibre 400 available in a smaller-size Aquis. I would understand if the movement was gargantuan and required a larger watch, but Oris has proven – through their Big Crown Pointer Date and Divers 65 collections – that it’s simply not the case. I suppose I don’t understand the justification of having a Calibre 400 in a 38mm collection and not in the collection that has a 40.5mm size.
The bracelet’s comfort is of no question either. The three-link bracelet tapers down aggressively to the newly refined Oris Aquis clasp. This new clasp includes both in-clasp diver extension and a micro-adjustment system. The operation of the micro adjustment is seamless – press the folding clasp’s twin security buttons and push or pull the bottom half of the bracelet at your own discretion! I love how intuitive this system is, though I would’ve personally preferred a larger variance in micro adjustment as opposed to having an adjoining diver’s extension. However, it is a diver’s watch, so who am I to judge?
Due to Oris’ Tri-Wing screw system, strap changes should be few and far between. As far as I’ve seen, the only people who make rubber straps that fit the Aquis are Oris themselves, but I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing. However, I doubt that any coloured rubber strap would look as good as the steel, as it may detract from the incredible colour gradation of the dial. So, if it were me, I’d stick with the steel one.
The Movement
The beating heart of this limited edition Aquis is the Calibre 400, an in-house creation of Oris that they have been utilising since late 2020. The specs for the price point are remarkable, as the Cal. 400 sports a 4Hz (28,800 VpH) backed by a monstrous 120-hour (5-day) power reserve, with a reported consistent accuracy threshold of -3/+5 seconds per day and heightened resistance to magnetism. If that threshold sounds familiar, it’s probably because it indicates that the watch is running well within COSC Chronometer specifications – typically -4/+6 seconds per day.
Related Reading: Certifications explained – What does Chronometer actually mean?
What’s even more impressive is that Oris is so confident in the efficacy of the Cal. 400, that if you register your Cal. 400 watch on myoris.com you’re able to extend your standard two-year international warranty to a mind-boggling ten! I’ve never seen a ten-year warranty ever applied to any watch in my life – other than the crazy 50 years Panerai offered on one of their very limited edition Lab ID pieces a few years ago – so the fact that Oris is supplying it as such signifies they have an incredible amount of faith in the level of craftsmanship they offer. But, the question still remains: Why don’t they have a COSC Chronometer Certification?
From what I’ve been told, it has something to do with the logistical cost in the process of getting a watch Chronometer Certified, which is understandable – but when you look at the level of competition at the AU$6K – AU$7K price point, it seems that Oris is in an interesting position that is absolutely brimming with contenders in the movement department. The Baume et Mercier Riviera immediately comes to mind, which offers its COSC-Certified Baumatic movement at AU$6,000, whilst the new Tudor Black Bays Monochrome and Burgundy have their five-link renditions at AU$6,720, sacrificing two days’ power reserve to take it a step further with METAS Master Chronometer Certification.
Related Reading: Certifications explained – Enter the Master Chronometer
Even on the microbrand end, you have Christopher Ward with their Twelve X Skeleton, sporting the SH21 movement with COSC-Certified specs identical to the Baumatic’s. This makes the value proposition for an Oris certainly challenging, but not impossible; Some would argue that you have to be the biggest Oris fan in the world to ever justify spending more than AU$6K on one – but that statement is also true for both Baume et Mercier and Christopher Ward, both of which only sport a 100m water resistance.
For Tudor, their price point is often justified not only for their specs but their heritage. Whilst it’s understandable, their brand identity is significantly different from Oris’, where Tudor – for better or worse – significantly benefits from the relationship with its sister brand. Oris, on the other hand, endeavour to carve out their own legacy, retaining a distinctive independent brand identity as their calibre of watchmaking improves – evident in the Cal. 400 and, hopefully, beyond.
Final Thoughts
Without a shadow of a doubt, the 2024 Oris Aquis is one of the most complete watches I’ve ever worn. From the refined case shape and dimensionality, to the dial design and the impressive movement specs – it feels like this is exactly how the Oris Aquis was meant to be from the start.
Sure, there are models from different brands out there that have been able to set a legacy from their first ever reference, but I think the watch world has gotten so desensitised to instant gratifying success that anything short of that is supposed to be considered a colossal failure. However, I believe that it’s better to overcome negativity through great effort than to be born good. Now that Oris has fully refined the Aquis line, I believe they have successfully done so.
They’ve set out to create a dive watch with the impossible task of giving it its own identity and managed to absolutely nail it. So if that’s something you’re looking for, I highly advise you give one of the new Oris Aquis models a go – and if you can find it, get one of these Great Barrier Reef IV limited editions before they run out!
Reference: 01 400 7790 4185-Set
Specifications
- Case: 43.5mm case diameter x 51mm lug-to-lug x 13.1mm thickness
- Case Material: Stainless steel with tungsten bezel
- Dial: Green/blue dégradé
- Water resistance: 200m (20 Bar)
- Movement: In-House Cal. 400 movement
- Movement Frequency: 4Hz (28,800 VpH)
- Power reserve: 120 hours
- Bracelet: Stainless steel with microadjust folding clasp
