After the limited edition in bronze , the Oris Divers Sixty – Five is now finally available as a regular production chronograph model. Unmistakably influenced by history , this watch follows the current retro trend ,but offers modern solutions in every detail.-In 1965 Oris launched a divers ‘ watch that was ultramodern for its time.I had a case that remained water resistant to a depth of 100 meters,a unidirectional rotatable bezel and large luminous numerals.Reissued 50 years later as the Divers Sixty-Five, it proves to be one of this manufacturer’s most successful new models – thanks in part to the still – unflagging popularity of the retro trend.
Based on Oris’s First Divers’ Watch .The high fidelity reissue of the three – handed watch from the 1960s was followed by a retro-modern facelift, various special models – also with innovative wristbands made of recycled plastic – and finally a chronograph. This model too was first released in 2018 as a limited special edition and, after three – handed watch, was the second Divers Sixty – Five model to be dedicated to Carl Brashear, who became the U.S. Navy’s first amputee diver in 1948 and the first African-American seaman to earn certification as a master diver. It’s well know that Oris honors noteworthy people with special timepieces and that this brand Is committed to environmental protection, to saving the world’s oceans and to other philanthropic causes. What could be more appropriate to Carl Brashear’s biography than a divers’ watch that reflects the style of his era? The special edition consists almost entirely of bronze, a material that’s currently in vogue in various timepieces, but bronze is used only for the unidirectional rotatable diver’s of this 43-mm serially manufactured chronograph, our test watch. The outfit of the rotatable bezel has changed to. The former massive component with raised numerals has morphed a blackened aluminum inlay with a flush minutes scale. The bezel clicks into place in 120 individual settings, which makes it difficult to adjust the bezel so It corresponds to the nearest minute with scale along the dial’s periphery. The difficulty is further exacerbated because the highly domed curvature along the rim of the sapphire crystal trends to distort the view of the pink gold markings on the black dial. The strongly curved contours of the crystal allude to the past and contribute to the timepiece’s retro charm. The original crystal was made of plastic in the 1960s, but nowadays the glass above the dial Is crafted from scratch-resistant sapphire and given an anti –reflective coating on its underside . The case’s diameter has grown from 36 to 43mm over the years and is now made of stainless steel rather than the original chrome-plated brass. But with a water resistance of 100 meters, it isn’t quite as watertight as the cases of most other contemporary divers’ watches. Pressure resistance to 200 and even 300 meters are more in keeping with the current state of the art. Of course, Oris doesn’t need to prove that this brand can build contemporary divers’ watches. Any doubts are immediately dispelled, for example, by the Oris Aquis or Prodiver model lines, both of which are professional devices with high resistance to pressure and diverse innovations within the collection. The fact that the Divers Sixty-Five can only withstand pressure of 100 meters should be interpreted as an homage to history and is acceptable in this line, even if the name “Divers” would initially suggest a more pressure-resistant case. Bathing, swimming, snorkeling and diving at all for the Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. This model is an equally pleasant companion on terra firma. Its black dial is dominated by the broad hands and prominent applied indexes that characterize this line. All of the displays are generously filled with yellow Super-Lummi-Nova “Old Radium”. This luminous material underscores the watch’s retro style by day and glows bright green in the dark. Also luminous at night are the hand on the subdial for the continuously running seconds, which shows at a glance that the movement is still running; the chronograph’s elapsed-minutes hand; and of course, the orientation dot on the unidirectional rotatable divers’ bezel. Only the chronograph’s elapsed seconds remains dark, but every diver knows that the smallest unit of time isn’t very important in this sport, where minutes count most.
Bronze, Retro and Bicompax Reflect Current Trends When measuring an elapsing interval, the current number of elapsed minutes can be read on the black counter at 3 o’clock . This subdial is slightly recessed and bears anthracite-colored calibrations. The subdial for the continually running seconds is identically styled. It’s positioned diametrically across the dial at 9. Together with its counterpart at 3, this results in the so-called bicompax chronograph arrangement, which is just as trendy as retro design nowadays. Retro and bicompax go together perfectly because a chronograph dial with only two counters similarly recalls the past. A bicompax arrangement also gives a dial the clarity and tidiness that are likewise increasingly in demand these days.This fidelity to the past is further accentuated by the absence of a date display and the presence of both a screw-down crown modeled after its original counterpart and little capped push buttons to operate the chronograph. The chronograph’s functions can be triggered by pressing the corresponding buttons. The crown can be screwed and unscrewed very conveniently and protrudes quite far from the case in its hand-setting position. The buttons and crown operate Oris’s self-winding Caliber 771, which is based on the Sellita SW510 in its reduced version without date display and without a 12- hour chronograph counter. It runs with only average accuracy and, in some positions, showed even larger deviations of more than 10 seconds per day. Although the mostly unadorned caliber remains hidden behind a massive, opaque, fully threaded back, it is, of course, equipped with Oris’s typical red rotor. The Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph can be worn with either a leather strap a or stainless-steel bracelet radiates a sporty, modern charm. The connecting pieces firmly attach the case to metal wristband, which is supple, soft and culminates in a one-sided folding clasp. Only the process of shortening the bracelet proves somewhat cumbersome because the wristband’s links are pinned rather than screwed together.
Two Expressive Outfits The bottom line: anyone who is looking for an expressive retro watch will find it in the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. This model is convincing thanks to authentic details, which it realizes in a modern way. We would suggest that Oris make some improvements in the fine adjustment of the movement and a simple system to switch from one wristband to another would also be welcome – because even if you wear it with the stainless-steel bracelet, this watch always makes a strong impression.
