Did Anyone Order An Oris Aquis Dive Watch With A Cherry Dial?
Okay, I’m going to keep this short, because Oris, for some unknown reason, has decided to release an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous watch with just three images. Normally I would wait until more become available, but I just can’t contain myself. I wanted to be one of the first to share this with you because I think the new Oris Aquis Date cherry dial dive watch is an absolute beaut and deserves a lot more attention than the three images I currently have at my disposal seem likely to get it alone.
You know we love Oris as a team. However, within that team, there are three distinct camps. There are the pilots, the traditionalists, and the divers. I am in the latter camp despite not being qualified to float around beneath the waves unaided. I like sports watches. Tool watches are my jam. Dive watches comprise the majority of my collection (and even have a special section of my watch box).
I have dive watches with red, yellow, blue, green, and white accents. But I have exactly zero dive watches with a blazing cherry sunburst dial that looks like the remnant of a particularly stylish supernova. I’m not sure why. I guess I just never considered it. In case you’re wondering: yes, I do feel pretty silly about that right now.
Why didn’t I thinkof that?
Recently — and I’m somewhat loathed to admit this — I have become quite fond of these all-metal bezels. It isn’t just steel. Titanium, platinum, you name it. Suddenly, after years of hating these things, after years of thinking they were the only awful thing about the 1990s, I have decided that they are actually super cool and that there were loads of worse things going on in the 1990s like rampant sexual discrimination and Zoot suits*.
RJ has been relentlessly flaunting his Rolex Yacht-Master, which I think is “okay” but a bit too all-metal for my tastes. The new Omega Nekton we had the chance to play with during Geneva Watch Days was miles better and I might have sprung for it if only the case back were open (I just love that movement). Here, though, we have something similar but altogether more vibrant (and affordable). This Oris Aquis Date (reference 01 733 7766 4158 8 22 05 PEB) is a winner. And at just CHF 2,000, you can’t find many better deals on the market.
Sign me up
This watch was released yesterday so it is hot news, but don’t worry: it isn’t limited so you have time to think about it. I’d definitely recommend getting this one on the wrist as soon as boutiques allow as I bet it looks stunning in natural light.
The case is 41.5mm wide, has a 22mm lug width, and the 300m water-resistance typical of all Aquis models. The Oris 733 movement uses the Sellita SW200 as a base, has a 38-hour power reserve, a 4Hz operating speed, a quick-set date, a stop-second device, and automatic winding. Not bad for just CHF 2,000 (even cheaper than the new Big Crown ProPilot I reviewed a few minutes ago).
The dial, with its polished applied markers all treated with Super-LumiNova, is protected by a double-domed sapphire with AR coating on the inside. The case back of this model is see-through (mineral glass). I would have preferred a sapphire display window if I’m being honest, but for the price, I won’t grumble too much. What is nice about this case back visage, however, is the way the red rotor harmonizes with the cherry-red dial. That’s a bit of a rarity given the scarcity of red dials in the Oris collection. Thank goodness everyone’s favorite watch blog did their bit to make those red dials a little less scarce this Christmas just gone… Learn more about Oris here.
* Zoot suits are actually cool. I was just trying to appear current.
