Oris and Hodinkee Collaborate on a Limited Edition Caliber 400 Equipped Divers Sixty-FIve

When Oris introduced their Caliber 400 movement nearly a year ago, watch enthusiasts immediately began to speculate how the new in-house caliber would be slotted into existing Oris watches. Over the past several months, Oris has been aggressive in getting the Caliber 400 and its variants into as many watches as possible. We’ve seen it in the Aquis, the Big Crown Pointer Date, the Aquis again, and a limited edition Carl Brashear diver. Notably absent, though, was the watch that brought many new enthusiasts to Oris in the first place over the past few years: the Divers Sixty-Five. This watch, in many ways, sits at the center of the Oris catalog, with well over 50 variants in a slew of sizes, dial configurations, and case metals. And it’s the quintessential vintage inspired dive watch, with good looks that come right out of the first great decade in dive watch history, and proportions to match. Today, many fans are getting what they want (well, sort of) in the form of a new Caliber 400 equipped Divers Sixty-Five released in collaboration with Hodinkee. While this collaboration isn’t likely to last more than a few hours after the drop (at least if previous releases are any indication), it can at least be taken as a sign that Oris has geared up to make the Divers Sixty-Five with the new caliber in larger quantities. Right? Well, hope springs eternal.

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Caliber 400 Limited Edition for Hodinkee would seem to check off a lot of boxes for collectors. While vintage inspired on the surface, this watch feels very much of its time, which is smack dab in the middle of the green dial mania that is 2021. According to Hodinkee, the green shade used here is inspired both by the landscape of Hölstein, Oris’ hometown, and rural upstate New York. It’s also sized at 38mm, a new but to this point still rare case size for the Divers Sixty-Five (it debuted in the Cotton Candy, reviewed here). The smaller size and drab green dial bend this version of the Divers Sixty-Five every so slightly into field watch territory, which is reinforced in a subtle way by the countdown bezel, used here for the first time in a Divers Sixty-Five. At the very least, it makes this limited edition feel more like a general purpose vintage sports watch than a tool diver.

Another area of slight departure from contemporary Divers Sixty-Five variants is in the execution of the dial layout. The shield-shaped markers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 are an homage to an earlier version of the Oris logo, and the typeface of the brand’s wordmark is similarly based on what it would have looked like in the 1960s. It has a spare, blocky look to it that leaves a very different impression than the more modern font used throughout the rest of the current Oris lineup. Oris and Hodinkee have elected to go with a no date setup here as well, which is likely to make hardcore enthusiasts very happy. 

We’ve covered the Caliber 400 at length previously, but the highlight here from a technical perspective is the movement’s impressive combination of power reserve (five days, proudly displayed on the dial) and precision (it’s rated to +5/-3 seconds per day, beating COSC standards). It’s also highly resistant to magnetism, and watches built with this movement carry a 10 year warranty and matching service interval, which is an enormous vote of confidence, particularly for a brand new caliber. 

Like other Divers Sixty-Five watches, this one has 100 meters of water resistance, a figure that’s caused some consternation from the spec obsessed in the past. Compared to super divers of the current era that are rated to 500 meters or more, 100 meters might seem substandard somehow, but this is actually plenty of water resistance for recreational diving, not to mention everyday activities that might only require “splash proof” levels of resistance. It’s also right in line with consumer grade dive watches from the era this watch was inspired by, and allows for the slender 12.6mm case height. That’s a trade-off that we think most would be happy to make. 

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Caliber 400 Limited Edition will be sold exclusively in the Hodinkee Shop beginning today at 11:00 AM EST. This edition is limited to 400 pieces, and priced at $3,800.