Oris Launch Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph 40mm Edition

The Divers Sixty-Five is low-key one of my watches. A retro-style skin diver with slim proportions to fit under a cuff and available in a wide variety of colours such as the pastel ‘Cotton Candy’ collection. Now though, the collection is evolving with the reintroduction of a chronograph edition to the range, fittingly called the Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph, now in a smaller 40mm case.

Compared with the previous chrono that existed, the new edition is much smaller at a 40mm diameter instead of 43mm. It makes for a much more wearable design and leans into that vintage style aesthetic. Which is further heightened by the classic pump pushers that flank the crown. The fact that we’re talking about an Oris chronograph is yet further proof of my predictive capabilities because just last week in the office we were discussing the possibility of an Oris chrono because it might be a good fit for our new accessible chronographs guide. (Turns out it’s a little too pricy to be included in that article after all.)

The dial is a relatively understated bicompax display with a 30-minute timer at 3 o’clock and small seconds at 9. The rest of the dial is pretty standard Divers Sixty-Five fare with large lumed indexes in circle, rectangle and shield shapes. I’m glad that they’ve opted for a dateless display as I think that would make it a little too busy whereas as it is, it’s nicely balanced. Although I might be about to contradict myself because I would have liked a tachymeter for more of a racing vibe, I think that would really suit the retro aesthetic.

Powering the Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph Edition is the Oris Calibre 771, the same movement used in the old 43mm model. It’s based on the Sellita SW500-1 and has a 48-hour power reserve. A solid enough chronograph movement. I do wonder if, since we’ve seen that Oris are slowly expanding their flagship Calibre 400 with more complications like the Big Crown Pointer Date, we’ll eventually see something like a 400 GMT or chronograph. As this is now the only chronograph Oris produce, that’s probably unlikely.

As for pricing, the watch is £3,300 on a Cervo Volante sustainable deer leather strap or £3,450 on steel bracelet. I think I prefer it on the strap, the black colour echoing the black dial and bezel. Ultimately, we wanted a new Oris chronograph and here it is – more or less exactly as I would expect and want it to be. I love it.

​Oracle Time 

Read More