On The Wrist
BY KEN NICHOLS
THE ORIS DIVER
SIXTY-FIVE
CHRONOGRAPH
T
HE LATEST ORIS DIVER SIXTY-FIVE CHRONOGRAPH
is a bold two-register black and gold monster with a
standout sapphire domed crystal.
THIS VINTAGE-INSPIRED CHRONOGRAPH, which debuted in mid-2019, grabs
you with its striking black, glossy dial that’s framed with a bronze-edged bezel
and gilt applied markers. It loudly says, “Read me. I don’t care if you’re under
water or not.”
The brown leather strap (also available in a steel bracelet) is comfortable on
my loaner with exceptional legibility and super-functional features. Despite the
100-meter water resistance, this bad boy probably will not get wrapped around
dive suit. More than likely, it will time the heck out of a hamburger on a grill.
The watch’s bronze bezel trim is a nod to the highly successful limited edition
Carl Brashear Chronograph in bronze which came out a couple of years ago.
(Good luck finding one, along with the other limited edition versions Oris has
launched recently.)
So what’s not to like?
DESIGN AND FINISH
I think the downside of this watch includes the size and height and then the
very thing that makes this so easy to see. I’m not a fan of gilt. I said it. It’s
76 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2020
me, not you. I don’t doubt their popularity, and I always take a second look
at these. I’m just less formal. My day-to-day watches are low key, usually
vintage and don’t attract much attention.
Don’t get me wrong, Oris isn’t flaunting the gold on this and uses a subtle
edge of bronze around the bezel to contrast with the white 60-minutes ring
on the black aluminum insert. Even now, in the low light of my laptop, I can
see the time, the applied markers and the bezel’s 60 markers. There’s some
play in the bezel on the model I have, but it’s not a deal breaker for me. Still,
someone looking at this watch may want to consider how tight they like the
action in their bezel.
Likewise the chronograph function on a diver seems out of sorts. The
signed crown is a screw-down crown and that always makes sense, so I
think the absence of the screw-down pushers is more about its design
than function.
From what I know around my dives at the public pool with my kids, this
isn’t really a function I need unless I’m timing the life guard’s rest period.
These are functional and aesthetical compromises, and I think it makes
sense if you’re not a die-hard diver.