Oris Releases Two New Dive Watches, Including an Aquis with a Gradient Dial and Unique Complication

Last week Oris announced their new “Cotton Candy” line of Divers Sixty-Five watches, and many in the watch community (including Worn & Wound) highlighted the pure fun of these colorful designs. While these summer ready divers proved to be Oris’s Watches & Wonders highlight for many, looking at the other watches they introduced at the virtual fair underline the wide appeal that the brand has to a broad array of customers and watch enthusiasts. The AquisPro Date and Dat Watt limited edition divers are decidedly more serious affairs than the Cotton Candy Sixty-Fives, and I imagine speak to completely different segments of the watch buying public. Taken together, they represent the multi-pronged approach Oris is currently taking with their dive watch catalog, with highly technical models designed for working professional divers, modern pieces that highlight ecological concerns, and of course the vintage inspired retro styles in Divers Sixty-Five line. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the new AquisPro Date, housing the Oris Calibre 400 movement, and the Dat Watt, a new limited edition built on the Aquis platform. 

The AquisPro Date can be thought of as Oris’s most professionally minded and robust dive watch. Measuring 49.5mm in diameter, this is the type of watch that prioritizes function over wearability and makes no apologies for it, although it has to be said that the lug profile is short enough on the AquisPro that it might not prove to be as unwieldy as the spec sheet would indicate. The case is also made of titanium, so it’ll be significantly lighter in weight than a similarly sized hunk of stainless steel. 

The AquisPro Date features a number of enhancements not found on their more standard dive watches that will hold appeal to those making a living at depth. Chief among them is something Oris calls the Rotation Safety System (RSS) which is a bezel locking mechanism designed to keep it in place in the event of an impact or jostle. The bezel itself has been lined with rubber on the outside to make it easier to grip with a gloved hand. Additionally, the rubber strap has been fitted with Oris’s Sliding Sledge Clasp, which allows for very small adjustments to be made to the circumference of the strap without removing the watch. 

These are features that the dive community has come to expect from the AquisPro line, but what’s new here is also what’s new to other Oris timepieces introduced over the last several months, and that’s the Calibre 400 movement. This is Oris’s new, custom made, in-house automatic movement with a ten year service interval and warranty, chronometer certification, enhanced magnetic resistance, and an impressive five day power reserve. It’s nice to continue to see the Calibre 400 make its way into new watches, and we all look forward to seeing where it will pop up next. 

Also making its debut at Watches & Wonders last week was a new Aquis diver with a twist. The Dat Watt Limited Edition is named for the Wadden Sea, and watch was created in partnership with the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, whose mission is to conserve the sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Wadden Sea, located in the southeastern part of the North Sea, is an intertidal zone that represents the largest unbroken system of intertidal sands and mudflats in the world. These tidal flats have remained largely undisturbed, and the Common Wadden initiative seeks to keep it that way, as the area is ecologically unlike any other in the tidal flat system in the world. 

While we’ve seen plenty of Aquis models over the years that shine a light on environmental causes, the Dat Watt features a unique complication that is new to the lineup. Rather than a pointer date, the Dat Watt features what Oris calls “Pointer Moon” functionality. The central white pointer hand indicates the correct tidal range once it’s calibrated to the correct day in the lunar cycle. The white outline on the dial indicates the tide, and it also shows an approximation of the phase of the moon. This isn’t a complication that will be particularly useful to a large segment of the watch buying public, but it has great meaning for anyone with an interest in the protection of the Wadden Sea, and has a whimsical charm to it that’s hard to deny. The dial itself is quite attractive, and rendered in a gradient blue-gray, with a complementary gray bezel insert. The stainless steel case measures 43.5mm, and is mounted to the standard Aquis integrated bracelet. 

Both of these new divers from Oris are available now through Oris authorized channels. The AquisPro Date carries a retail price of $4,600, while the Dat Watt Limited Edition sells for $2,750, with only 2009 being produced. Oris