For all of you who are not fans of Oris (and if that’s you, let’s talk, I’m curious as to why), my apologies – we’re diving back into their catalog. And it’s not even a new watch, nor is it one we’ve not reviewed for you before (sort of). You see, we’ve reviewed the Oris Divers Sixty-Five line twice so far (here and here). However, in that last review, I had mentioned that I had hoped to look at the 40mm variant, the one that is decidedly more vintage. A quick conversation with the brand ensued, and here we are today – with another review from the Oris Divers Sixty-Five lineup.
Now, I am not a diver. I know plenty of folks who are (in fact, my dad was certified once upon a time), but I haven’t even been snorkeling for over a decade. So, why do I like dive watches? Well, of course, there’s the implied reliability in adverse conditions. More than that, these days, though, it’s the look of the watches. There are plenty of new examples out there, but heritage – or vintage – designs are certainly popular. And if you’re going that route, something like today’s Oris Divers Sixty-Five is what comes to my mind.
You of course have the domed crystal (sapphire here, rather than plexiglass) surrounded by a simple 120-click uni-directional bezel. The insert there is narrow, though glossy so it looks like an extension of the crystal. For lume, you’ve got the single pip at the 12 o’clock position. And while I may prefer a fully-lumed insert, there is no doubting that the single pip fits the vintage style.
And really, who’s looking at that lume pip? I mean, when the lights go down, it’s those ginormous indices at the compass points on the dial of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five that you (or anyone else) are going to be looking at, any ways. Even with the lights up, the eyes are drawn to that paint. Aside from the size, I like the sort of retro-futuristic font that’s used for the numbers. The rest of the hour markers are simple bars, working with – but not detracting from – the big numbers.
The dial on the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a bit different in this 40mm configuration as well. While the 42mm version had a fully-blue dial, here, the center portion is a flatter black, while the outer ring has a glossy, metallic blue sheen to it. While I dug the blue on the 42mm, here, the blue really stands out. It’s because of that contrast to the center portion, and it really helps to make the dial the star of this particular show.
Given the smaller case, it should be no surprise that this Oris Divers Sixty-Five has a smaller lug width (20mm here, rather than the 21mm of the 42mm version), though we are seeing it with a similar blue-and-black seatbelt style NATO strap, complete with the deployant clasp. I must be more used to how the latch catches the strap, because I did not have any issues with discomfort like I noted on the prior review.
Even though the case of this Oris Divers Sixty-Five is smaller, it houses the same movement as we’ve seen in the rest of the collection – the Oris Caliber 733, which is based on the Sellita SW200-1. That also means that we’ve got the cleverly (almost) hidden date display at the 6 o’clock position (here blending in to that matte center section.
What this means is that, for me, this Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a great everyday companion, even more so than the one I reviewed in December (LINK). The smaller size makes things more compact, and the dial design makes for a look that fits in just about anywhere. Of course, on the strap, you won’t be wearing this watch with a suit – but with 20mm lugs, you can swap things in pretty easily.
I spent my time with the Oris Divers Sixty-Five at the office mostly, as well as over the weekends. If the vintage diver look is your bag, I think you’ll find the watch at home in these situations for you as well. It’s easy to read at a glance (day or night), and with the inclusion of the date display, you’ve got most information you would want or need, right on your wrist.
Of course, with a price tag of $1,850, this version of Oris Divers Sixty-Five is far from an impulse buy (and, again, my eye would stray towards the Big Crown lineup (with it’s great textile straps and GMT options). That said, this price bracket is a reasonable way to dip your toe in the water, so to speak, of a higher-end Swiss brand. And, as with my prior Oris Divers Sixty-Five review, all the better if you’re into the vintage dive watch look. Just remember that 100m WR rating before you jump into the ocean. Us desk divers, though, wear it with wild abandon, and feast your eyes on that oh-so-sweet dial. oris.ch
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Oris Diver Sixty Five
- Price: $1,850
- Who we think it might be for: You’re a desk diver, but you like the looks of old dive watches
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? It’s tempting, but again, that Big Crown lineup would call me more
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Not even sure what I could suggest here – perhaps mix up the handset a touch to differentiate it more from the rest of the lineup?
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The dial – those large, lumed indices over the top of the two-tone dial, that just sings.
- REFERENCE: 01 733 7707 4035-07 4 20 18
- CASE: Oris Divers, 40.00 mm, 1.575 inches, Stainless steel
- MATERIAL: Multi-piece stainless steel case, minutes scale top ring
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- SIZE: 40.00 mm, 1.575 inches
- TOP GLASS: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- CASE BACK: Stainless steel, screwed
- OPERATING DEVICES: Stainless steel screw-in security crown
- WATER RESISTANCE: 10 bar
- INTERHORN WIDTH: 20 mm
- MOVEMENT: Automatic winding date
- NUMBER: Oris 733, base SW 200-1
- DIMENSIONS: Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’
- FUNCTIONS: Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
- WINDING: Automatic winding, bi-directionally rotating red rotor
- POWER-RESERVE: 38 hrs
- VIBRATIONS: 28’800 A/h, 4 Hz
- JEWELS: 26
- DIAL: Blue
- MATERIAL: Blue dial
- LUMINOUS MATERIAL: Indices and hands Superluminova light old radium
- STRAP/BRACELET: Rubber
- MATERIAL: Black rubber strap, stainless steel buckle
