Review: Oris Big Crown Pointer Date

Very few companies today have a 115 year heritage that has remained steadfast in its principles and values.

It’s this heritage that keeps Oris at the forefront of watchmaking having “survived two world wars, crisis in the Swiss watch industry and the birth of the connected age.” An incredible story indeed.

Scores of watches now make up the Oris collection – all manufactured at the company’s headquarters in Hölstein, Switzerland.

We’ve been wearing a couple of timepieces from the Big Crown Pointer Date collection.

Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition

Launched to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Big Crown collection in 1938, the Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition is the top of the tree in the Big Crown Pointer Date family.

The Big Crown dates back to 1938 when Oris started to develop watches aimed at the flourishing pilot market. The big crown made adjusting the watch much easier in thick gloves.

The other feature that has stood the test of time is the complication where the date is indicated by a pointer-hand rather than a numerical dial.

The red tip of the date pointer on the green face is the key to distinguishing this special model from a regular Big Crown Date Pointer. Interestingly, this was originally an arrow-head pointer that became a half-moon in later years and is now a perfect combination of the two shapes.

The striking bronze casing and with the green face and distinctive numeral font are the immediately recognisable features of this masculine timepiece.

The deeper green face colour is unique to this version and sports the very distinctive Arabic numerals which are very easy to read with a casual glance. The hour and minute hands are cathedral styled and are coated with Super-LumiNova to ensure easy reading in low-light environments.

The 40mm case is very well proportioned which encases the Oris 754 movement providing up to 38 hours of power. The Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition will sit very nicely on any wrist rising only 12mm from back to face.

From the rear, the distinctive red colouring of the counter-weight in the 754 movement illustrates the meticulous attention to detail built into every Oris timepiece.

The dark brown strap is the perfect thickness to match the proportions of the watch and is made from sustainably sourced leather with a bronze buckle.

This is a perfect everyday watch or for special occasions. Water-resistant to 5 metres, it will easily take an impromptu dip in its stride.

A very smart and timeless watch with a rich heritage and immaculate build quality. With an RRP of AU$3,000.00, this will be a very wise investment.

Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze

We were also provided with a standard Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze with a brown face and the really nice rough calf-skin wrist-strap.

Like the 80th Anniversary Edition this this is a 40mm diameter timepiece with the beautifully crafted bezel and the big crown.

The combination of the brown face and the Arabic numerals and the calf-skin band give this version of the Big Crown Pointer Date a rustic and rural feel.

The Big Crown Pointer Date also features the quick-release strap meaning that swapping bands between timepieces is quick and easy and does not require tools.

As with the 80th Anniversary edition, the Big Crown Pointer Date has an RRP of $3,000 and will be an astute investment.