INTRODUCING: The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm
Zach BlassDivers are among the most popular watches on the market, if not the most popular, due to their highly robust builds and familiar aesthetic. As a result, the segment is highly competitive and brands now have to find fresh ways to draw interest to their references. Fully aware of this trend, Oris has really begun to shift things into fifth gear – creating new in-house calibers with longer power reserves and warranty coverage. Many were excited to see the new calibre 400 inside of the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 43.5mm, but today the brand is scaling it back a bit by introducing the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm in three colours: blue, anthracite, and green.
The stainless-steel Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm is 2mm smaller in diameter than its 43.5mm predecessor, effectively becoming that much more comparable in size to a Black Bay Heritage or Rolex Submariner – both of which are 41mm. The 40-42mm size seems to have become the sweet spot for consumers when it comes to sports watches, so many will be pleased to have a more manageable configuration for the wrist. Unfortunately, Oris has not disclosed the thickness in the press release, but the previous generation Aquis Date 41.5mm with a Sellita movement is 13mm thick so it is safe to assume the new Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm should be around the same.
In terms of its case finish, we have the usual satin-brushed case with polished lugs that extend the mirror finishing throughout the shouldering links of the bracelet – its centre links satin-brushed throughout. As a dive watch, the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm has a depth rating of 300 metres – it’s water resistance further secured with a screw-down crown protected by crown guards..
Framing each dial is a colour-matching ceramic timing bezel, well-knurled to make it grippable for the wearer’s wet hand. All three, blue, anthracite, and green, have a rich sunburst finish with a subtle psuedo-fume effect towards the darker outer edge of the minutes track. The hour indexes and hours, minutes, and central seconds hands are all filled with SuperLuminova®. The only missing hour index is at 6’ to make space for a white on black date disc that blends well into the darkened edges of each color dial. It should be noted that since the discontinuation of the Rolex “Hulk” Submariner the green variant of the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm is a fantastic alternative to consider.
The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm can be purchased on either a stainless-steel bracelet or black rubber strap, both outfitted with “Quick Strap Change” technology that allows you to quickly swap between the pair by simply depressing the underside trigger to detach it.. My advice: go for the bracelet. It is CHF 100 or $200 USD more than the rubber configuration, but it is safe to assume it would cost more than that to purchase the bracelet separately – or at the very least the rubber strap will be less expensive to purchase separately then the bracelet.
The main event with this introduction is the Calibre 400 making its way into a 41.5mm Aquis Date. To recap, the Oris Calibre 400 is an in-house movement with 120 hours (five days) of power reserve and its performance is backed by an extended 10-year warranty and 10-year service intervals. It is highly accurate as well, running within COSC tolerances at +5/-3 seconds per day. An interesting note about the Calibre 400 is that the twin barrels that provide the 120 hours of power reserve are positioned to look like ears, and when the rotor aligns just right it serves as a nose and mouth – the result being an Oris bear motif. Don’t believe me? Well fortunately you can see for yourself thanks to the screwed-down exhibition caseback.
Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm pricing and availability:
Price: $3,500 USD on bracelet; $3,300 USD on strap
Available June 2021