Introducing: The Redesigned Oris ProPilot Date

The Oris ProPilot Date receives an overhaul, future-proofing the brand’s modern tool watch. The new generation features a redesigned 41mm case and textured dials with a choice of three colors. The Oris ProPilot Date keeps the collection’s aviation DNA but leans into improved ergonomics and restrained detailing aimed at everyday wear. These are lofty ambitions for sure, but do these new models live up to them?

Let me answer that first burning question straight away: the new ProPilot still features caliber 733. That means these sit on the affordable end of the Oris catalog, which I am sure many enthusiasts will enjoy. Let’s have a closer look!

The new Oris ProPilot Date

The ProPilot line has been Oris’s modern aviation family since 2014. The line serves as a platform for the brand’s more technical experiments, such as the ProPilot Altimeter and carbon fiber variants. The Oris ProPilot Date builds on that lineage. Its design still nods to the 1938 Big Crown Pointer Date’s utility, but the aesthetic is sharper and more contemporary.

Oris positions this model as an everyday adventure watch, so you don’t have to feel discouraged from wearing one if aviation isn’t your jam. I’d say the styling and feature set reflect this philosophy, although the aviation DNA shows.

While the lug-to-lug (49mm) and diameter (41mm) suggest a large-wearing sports watch, the thickness has been reduced from 12.3mm to 11.7mm. We’ll have to wait for a hands-on opportunity to see whether that translates into a noticeably different wearing experience.

Oris ProPilot Date specs

The Oris ProPilot Date uses a multipiece stainless steel case. Options are a stainless steel bracelet with a newly chamfered folding “LIFT” clasp or a suede strap that uses a seamless-fit adjustment and the same folding clasp. The sapphire crystal is domed on both sides and has an antireflective coating on its inner surface. The screw-in case back features a transparent mineral crystal. Oris rates the ProPilot Date’s water resistance at an ample 10 bar.

The watch runs on the automatic Oris 733 movement, a version of the Sellita SW200-1. Oris rates its power reserve as 41 hours. I would say this is about as sensible a caliber as you can put in an everyday-wear tool watch like this.

Dials come textured in black, chalk gray, or moss green, with applied brushed Arabic numerals and hands with Super-LumiNova-filled tips. The bezel retains the ProPilot’s angled fluting as a nod to jet turbines, and the crown remains oversized but updated for better grip.

Initial impressions

I think this is a sensible move on Oris’s part. The new Oris ProPilot Date is easy to like, with subtle updates and no controversial or divisive design elements. Oris opted to skip its proprietary caliber 400, instead sticking to the more affordable Sellita alternative. The brand did not even take this opportunity to bump the prices, as most do. The new ProPilot Date sticks to the previous-gen price point.

As you might expect, I rather like the matte, textured dials and the colors on offer. I also think the subtle orange accents work well. My only gripe is that Oris did not take the opportunity to truly upgrade the model. Simple additions like a toolless micro-adjust clasp and a quick-release mechanism would have been welcome. I am sure, though, that Oris does its homework and sees that the brand’s clients don’t necessarily demand such additions. After all, they would have been here if they did, don’t you think?

The new Oris ProPilot neatly updates the design without losing sight of what made the previous model great — evolution over revolution. The bracelet version costs CHF 2,250, while the strap version commands CHF 1,950.

What do you think of the new Oris ProPilot Date? Let us know in the comments section below!