The new Oris Aquis Date Orange follows the pioneering Aquis Depth Gauge, the watch with a ‘hole’ launched in 2013, which solved the problem of how to introduce a practical, legible depth gauge into a mechanical watch without compromising the brand’s sensibly priced watches mantra.
This latest innovation is based on findings made by authors John A. Adolfson and Thomas E. Berghage in their seminal 1974 work Perception and Performance under Water.
In it, they examined the visibility of colour underwater, discovering that in the majority of conditions, yellow, green and orange are the most visible colours through water. In clear water, where most recreational diving takes place, fluorescent green and yellow are the most visible at long distances, while at short distances ‘fluorescent orange is excellent’, to use their words.
This logic inspired the Oris Aquis Date Orange. Diving watches are critical underwater tools, used to indicate dive time and for calculating oxygen levels and decompression stops. Seen at close quarters, diving watches need to have clear displays, and to be accurate and highly legible.
By making the 15-minute scale on the bezel insert orange, and filling the applied indices and nickel hands with dark orange Super-LumiNova®, Oris has created a watch with first-rate underwater legibility.
The orange elements are shown in maximum contrast against a unidirectional rotating bezel with a black ceramic inlay, a black dial and a gun-metal grey stainless steel PVD-coated case.
The 43mm case is water-resistant to 30bar/300m and features a screw-in crown that’s protected from knocks by a crown protecting device. Inside the case is an automatic movement that provides the watch with three hands and a date function, shown through a window at 6 o’clock.
The watch’s orange details are complemented by a hydrophobic orange rubber strap, made more practical still by Oris’s adjustable sliding-sledge clasp, which can be adjusted while the watch is being worn.
Technical details
Model: Oris Aquis Date Orange, Reference 01 733 7653 4259 RB
Movement
Automatic movement Oris Cal. 733, based on Sellita SW 200-1, with date window at 6 o’clock
Dimensions: Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’
Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
Vibrations: 28’800 A/h, 4 Hz
Jewels: 26
Power-reserve: 38 hrs
Case
Multi-piece stainless steel case, screw-in case back and crown protection, with gun-metal grey PVD-coating
Diameter: 43.00mm
Lug width: 26mm
Water resistant to 30 bar/300m
Diver’s unidirectional revolving top ring with orange and white minute scale on black ceramic inlay
Protected screw-in stainless steel crown with gun-metal grey PVD-coating
Sapphire crystal domed on both sides with inner anti-reflective coating
Dial
Black dial with applied indices and Nickel hands, both with dark orange Super-LumiNova® inlay
Strap
Orange rubber strap with safety anchor and a stainless steel clasp, gunmetal grey PVD coating and with a sliding sledge
Price
Swiss Retail Price: CHF 1,750.00
