Oris for years has been giving some of their classic icons the bronze touch, by making the watches cases in full bronze. Some of these iconic models include the Big Crown Pointer Date, just recently released Divers Sixty-Five, and the Carl Brashear Calibre 401 limited edition.
The latest model to be made from bronze is also incidentally this particular collection first time to be given this treatment. The highly competent Big Crown ProPilot Big Date is the latest to enter the collection of bronze watches from the Swiss watch company.
The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Big Date is the result of working alongside professional pilots to design an ideal simplistic timepiece that can be worn on the cockpits. What came out was a simple 3-hander watch with large indices and as the name suggests a big date window. Designed in a way to make the time as easy as possible to read.
Design:
The Big Crown ProPilot Big Date Bronze comes in a 41mm multi-piece bronze case which features a fluted bezel. The smooth finishing of the case is a contrast to the fluted bezel which gives it a slightly rugged type appearance. The watch also features the standard oversized screw-in crown, also made from bronze. The crown is made to be extra-large so that pilots can still turn the crown easily even while wearing gloves.
Oris has complimented the bronze case nicely by giving the watch a black dial with white indices and golden printed minute track and inscriptions. Having a black dial certainly helps the bronze case take most of the attention, and rightly so as it is quite stunning! As this is a pilot watch, the hands and hour indices have all been coated in white SuperLumi-Nova so that not only is it easily readable at night, but also contrasts extremely well against the black dial during normal light conditions.
Oris has given the Big Crown ProPilot Big Date Bronze a hard-wearing green Ventile strap with the brand’s “Lift” clasp, which has also been made from bronze. The “Lift” clasp fits this watch well as it has been inspired by passenger aircraft seat-belt buckles. The green colour for the strap is also a good choice, as it offers a colour variation on the watch while also being subtle enough not to take attention away from the bronze casing.
Movement:
The movement used inside the Big Crown ProPilot Big Date Bronze is the Oris 751 calibre movement. The movement operates at 4Hz (28, 800 VpH) and gives out a power rating of approximately 38 hours. While the functions of the movement include the normal operation of time, it also features the instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device, and also stop-second.
Closing Thoughts:
The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Big Date Bronze is a stunning addition to Oris’s bronze collection of timepieces. The watch is kept minimal with easy readability, all the while showcasing the beauty of the bronze. Can’t get much better for a simple pilot watch, or a timepiece that one wants to wear as a daily.
Specification:
- Case: 41mm
- Case Material: Multi-piece Bronze
- Dial: Black dial with applied white numerals and printed golden indices
- Crystal: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Water resistance: 100 meters
- Movement: Oris 754
- Power reserve: 38 hours
