Baselworld 2018: Introducing the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze Bezel in 36 and 40mm

Oris has been on a roll lately with vintage-inspired offerings that update classic designs with 21st century technology and materials. In 2015, the brand released the Divers Sixty-Five, a modernized version of their popular dive watch from the 1960s, and it has since become one of Oris’ most popular collections (there have been numerous iterations of the watch with different dial colors and limited editions). New for 2018 are two editions, one in 40mm and the other in a new, smaller 36mm case—both with bronze bezels and several aesthetic updates.Though the cases themselves are fashioned from stainless steel and feature screw-down case backs and crowns for 100m of water resistance, it’s the watches’ uni-directional bezels with bronze outer turning top rings that give the new Divers Sixty-Five their unique visual signature, adding a glistening goldish hue to otherwise steel and black watches. The bronze bezels feature aluminum inlays with 60-minute demarcations and Super-LumiNova. The bubble-curved sapphire crystals with AR coating add to the overall vintage-inspired looks of the watches.

The dials on both watches are nearly identical with the exception of the placement of the date wheel. The 36mm edition moves the date to three from six, which is a nice callback to the historical model. The dial surface itself is domed, and it’s black with applied rose gold PVD-plated indices and hands, both filled with Super-LumiNova Light Old Radium paint. The rose gold matches well to the bronze color of the bezels and, if I may quote The Dude, “really ties the room together.” Now, the use of Old Radium lume is a somewhat divisive topic, but in the case of this particular watch, it goes well with the warmness of the bronze featured on the dial and bezel.

The movement used in both watches is the time-and-date Oris Cal. 733, based on the Sellita SW 200-1. The date wheel on the 40mm version is black with white lettering (much like the Divers Sixty-Five released in 2015), while the wheel on the 36mm is white with black lettering.

Strap options for the 40mm version are either a light or dark brown leather strap, a brown mil-strap strap, a black rubber strap with a stainless steel pin buckle (CHF 1,950), or a stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp (2,150). The 36mm version comes with the option of a dark brown mil-strap, a light brown leather strap, a black rubber strap, or a stainless steel bracelet (the same aforementioned prices apply for the strap vs. bracelet pricing). Both versions feature Oris’ quick-change system on all straps with the exception of the steel bracelets.

It would seem the Swiss watchmaking gods have heard the cry of the common watch collector and continue to produce new offerings in smaller case sizes with vintage-inspired aesthetics, and if this trend continues, you certainly won’t be hearing any complaints from yours truly. Good on ya, Oris! Oris