Oris’s Big Crown Pointer Date first entered the Oris collection in 1938, more than eight decades ago. Its creators made a watch for glove-wearing aviators – hence the oversized crown and clear Arabic-numeral dial – but they also made a beautiful object.
The Big Crown Pointer Date’s continued relevance owes much to the original design. But it’s also a reflection of its role in Oris’s revival after the 1970s Quartz Crisis, and in the revival of the Swiss watch industry. Oris celebrates the uniquely historic role of its signature Big Crown Pointer Date by casing it in solid bronze and using a bespoke finish that makes each bronze dial a one-off.
‘The role of the Big Crown Pointer Date in Oris’s decision in the mid- to late 1980s to rebuild the company with only mechanical watches was critical,’ says Rolf Studer, Oris Joint Executive Officer. ‘It had a story, a purpose and an emotional value that the quartz-powered novelties of the day simply couldn’t compete with. It became an Oris signature and a symbol of the Swiss watch industry’s dramatic revival.’
Today, more than 30 years later, Oris is introducing the Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date. The bronze case and dial symbolise Oris’s industrial philosophy and the eternal value of a Swiss Made mechanical watch. The solid bronze dial is chemically treated and coated with a transparent matt lacquer to create a unique finish for every piece, another symbol, this time of the unique status of the watch’s design.
One of the men behind that decision in the 1980s, Dr Rolf Portmann, (Oris’s Honorary Chairman) has just marked his 90th birthday.
Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date
Case: multi-piece bronze, case size 40.00 mm
Dial: bronze dial Luminous material Indices, numbers and hands printed with Super-LumiNova® Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
Case back: stainless steel, screwed, see-through mineral glass operating devices, bronze screw-in security crown
Strap: brown chamois deer leather, bronze buckle
Water resistance: 5 bar
Movement: Number Oris 754
Functions: centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date centre hand, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
Winding: automatic winding, bi-directionally rotating Red Rotor™
Power reserve: 38 hours
Swiss retail price: 1.900 CHF
Available December 2019