LEVELING UP

Oris has teamed up with WatchTime's sister publication Chronos to create a highly limited version of its no-date Divers Sixty-Five model, powered by the brand's latest in-house movement.

- Roger Ruegger

Back in 2015, Oris introduced its first vintage-inspired skin diver, the 40-mm Divers Sixty-Five (Ref. 01 733 7707 4064-07 4 20 18). Its design as well as its name was based on a comparatively generic 36-mm dive watch from 1965 with a manual movement and a water resistance of 100 meters. The recipe immediately proved successful: In the past seven years since its introduction, the Divers Sixty-Five has evolved into a stand-alone collection within the dive watch range of Oris, with almost 40 options currently available, including four different diameters (38, 40, 42 and 43 mm), cases and bracelets in bronze or steel, a chronograph version and consequently up to four different movement choices in total (Sellita SW200-1/510, Oris Calibre 400/401). While the Divers Sixty-Five was an immediate commercial success, the model's breakthrough among collectors came a year later with the launch of the Carl Brashear Edition in bronze (Ref. 733 7720 3185 LS), limited to 2,000 pieces. This quickly sold-out model not only earned recognition from collectors, it also introduced a bezel with a diving scale in relief for the first time, while standard models usually came with a printed aluminum insert (one version, the 01 400 7774 4087 from 2021, comes with a ceramic bezel).

The partnership with the Brashear Foundation was later also used to make way for the first chronograph version of the Sixty-Five (Ref.01 771 7744 3185-Set LS) in 2017/2018, and even served as a base for the introduction of the brand's Calibre 401 in 2021, with the launch of the third Carl Brashear Limited Edition (Ref. 01 401 7764 3185-Set) with a 40-mm bronze case and small-second indication at 6 o'clock. Oris even became the first watch brand to offer a massive bronze bracelet with the Oris Hölstein Edition in 2020 (Ref. 771 7744 3182-Set).