Introducing the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer

The Worldtimer made its debut in Oris’ catalog in 1997, and in the twenty years since Oris has kept on hand some version of the watch in its lineup. Now, despite its name, the Worldtimer isn’t exactly a world timer, but rather a really cool, and rather unique, GMT/dual time watch with a specific set of functions. The original watch utilized plus and minus pushers on the case to adjust the local time forwards or backwards in increments of one hour. There was also a small seconds feature, home time, a day/night indicator, and an Oris-patented mechanism that allowed the date to advance forwards or backwards as the hour hand moved over midnight. Pretty darn cool.

For 2017, Oris is giving the Worldtimer a contemporary facelift in the form of the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer, adopting the aforementioned functionality and implementing a clever new system to make it all work. In this latest iteration, Oris has done away with the pushers, and in their place we now have a bi-directional bezel that adjusts the central hour hand. Rotating it clockwise moves the hour hand forward one hour, and rotating it counter-clockwise moves it back one hour. A cool watch just became cooler.

The Big Crown ProPilot line is no stranger to Worn & Wound. We’ve featured on the site several watches from the series, and that coverage is well deserved. The design language of the line does well with numerous complications, and that’s no exception with the Worldtimer. It will be made available in two versions: the first with an anthracite dial and polished bezel, and the second with a black dial and brushed bezel for a decidedly more subdued look.

You have the signature coin-edge bezel here sitting atop a 44.7mm x 13.10mm case, which is relatively large, even within the line, though it’s by no means the largest watch in the Big Crown ProPilot series. The case is rated to 100 meters, and it features a domed sapphire crystal with a double-sided antireflective coating.

All in all, Oris looks to have another hit on its hands with the Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer. The watch will retail for $3,600 on a textile or leather strap; and $3,850 on a metal bracelet. Oris