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ReviewOris’ Game-Changing Calibre 400—Now Powering The Latest Aquis Dates In 41.5mm

Oris' in-house movement from 2020 continues to be relevant, accessible, and as honest as ever. With a five-day power reserve, anti-magnetism, and a 10-year warranty, Oris’ ‘new standard’ is now available in several new editions of the Aquis Date, in various hues as well

Ajinkya Nair July 1, 2021

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It is uncustomary of us to start talking about a watch’s movement right from the get-go. But we’re making an exception this time because what we have here is something special. Through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback of this watch, what you’re laying your eyes on is Oris’ in-house calibre 400. Not too long ago, watches with in-house movements were not as common as they are today, and for good reason. After all, conceiving and designing a movement from the ground up requires an immense amount of research and development, taking years on end and requiring heavy investment. Even so, we rarely talk about the movement first in our reviews, no matter how insanely complicated or accurate it is. That should give you an idea of how important this calibre is for not just this brand, but for the horological audience and industry in general.

Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5mm — While the Aquis Date Calibre 400 was first launched in a case size of 43.5mm last year, this year, the brand added three new versions to the series, in a more agreeable case size of 41.5mm

Before we move further, just know that this isn’t an ostentatious movement or one with record-breaking numbers or novel complications. It does, however, challenge the norm of the Swiss watch industry with some mind-boggling figures in its category, and has the potential to disrupt the market, considering its high value-for-money proposition. Welcome to the new standard: the calibre 400.

The Past Beckons

Before we jump to the party piece, it’s imperative that we talk about Oris and the legacy of its in-house movement. Here’s a bit of trivia: from the time Oris was founded till the brand resorted to using Sellita and ETA movements in 1981, it had already created over 200 in-house calibres. So Oris is no stranger to in-house movements. But then the quartz crisis hit, and it hit hard. The company, however, braved its way through the plummeting graphs of the Swiss watch market and changing ownership. In 2004, as an independent company again, Oris decided that it was high time they resumed creating their own movements. This ambitious project, in collaboration with the technical specialists at L’École Téchnique Le Locle, took 10 years to come to fruition, and finally, in 2014, on the brand’s 110th anniversary, they revealed the aptly numbered calibre 110. Since then, the brand has unveiled a new in-house calibre every year. We’ve seen the arrival of calibres 111, 112, 113, 114, and, most recently, the calibre 115, which made its debut in the stunning Big Crown ProPilot X in 2019. The jump from 115 to the number 400 isn’t a mistake, nor is it a marketing gimmick. The numerical leap is symbolic, signifying the leap in terms of engineering and innovation. Moreover, the idea is also to create a new ‘400 series’ of in-house calibres going forward, to distinguish them as those that meet ‘the new standard’ that this one sets.

A five-day power reserve, high resistance to magnetism, 10-year recommended service intervals and a 10-year warranty—these are the headlining figures of the new Calibre 400
The movement was created for longevity, given its 10-year service intervals and warranty
The Calibre 400 has a date display, which is probably the most handy feature for daily use
The calibre features simple brushed finishing on its metallic components
The minimal decoration on the calibre actually mirrors its approachability as a reliable and robust everyday movement that can also be kept aside for up to five days without stopping
The rotor goes for a sleek, skeletonised finish, foregoing Oris' signature red look, to stand apart from the movements they've released before this

The New Standard

A five-day or 120-hour power reserve, high resistance to magnetism, recommended service intervals of 10 years, and a 10-year warranty—these are the headlining features of the new calibre 400, making it one of the most accessible and usable movement in Oris’ line-up. Conceived entirely in-house, five years ago, the approachable calibre 400 was created with a modern horology consumer in mind, unlike a lot of other brands who cater strictly to a fraction of the ‘one percent’. More importantly, the calibre 400 isn’t anti-consumer. The movement was created for longevity, with its ridiculous 10-year service intervals and warranty.

Oris Aquis

This is a crucial offering especially in this age of planned obsolescence, where a product’s life span is deliberately shortened to guarantee consumer demand. In such times, it’s the need of the hour for the watch industry to guarantee longevity of a mechanical watch as an instruments that can last a lifetime and more. Some of the biggest names in the industry have increased the warranty they offer up to five or even eight years, and Oris is staying ahead as well. Their stance, however, isn’t news to us. They have always been one for the people. They make watches “for people in love with watches, and not just for a privileged few,” as Rolf Studer, co-CEO of Oris, says. And I believe calibre 400 perfectly encapsulates this sentiment.

Under The Microscope

The five-day power reserve:

The modern watch enthusiast enjoys switching between watches throughout the week. However, if you put a standard mechanical watch down for a day or two, it will stop as the power reserve is generally limited to about 42 hours. Oris’ engineers recognised the need of the customer and took care of it with the calibre 400. This movement has a five-day power reserve, so it’ll still be running if you put down your watch on Tuesday and strapped it back on a Sunday. It delivers this longer period of use via twin barrels, both of which house an extended mainspring, each long enough to store two-and-a-half days of power. Beat Fischli, Oris’s chief operating officer, adds, “We focused on reducing torque in the mainspring—where power is stored—to help conserve power and put less pressure on moving parts. We also introduced a new wheel design into the gear train that delivers far greater efficiency.” All this improves the movement’s efficiency, delivering 85 percent of the mainspring barrel torque, as opposed to an average of 70 percent in a conventional movement.

Anti-magnetism:

Magnetism is a mechanical watch’s worst nightmare. But magnetic fields are inescapable in today’s electronic world. So when a watch gets inevitably magnetised, it either becomes less accurate, or can stop altogether. To solve this new-age problem, Oris used more than 30 non-ferrous (not containing iron) and anti-magnetic components, including a silicon escape wheel and a silicon anchor, in the calibre 400. In testing by the renowned Laboratoire Dubois, calibre 400 deviated by less than 10 seconds a day after exposure to 2,250 gauss. For a standard mechanical timepiece to qualify as anti-magnetic, it must be accurate to within 30 seconds a day after exposure to 200 gauss. The calibre 400 comfortably excels here.

A more stable rotor system:

Oris has chosen to drop the usual ball bearings in the automatic-winding system, as this is a typical point of damage in self-winding watch movements. The Oris came up with a much more reliable system using a sliding-friction clip system which rotates around a fixed pivot that only winds in one direction, making it less complex and reducing wear and tear.

Go a decade without servicing:

The new rotor system plays an important role in reducing the need for frequent servicing as well, allowing the brand to recommend service intervals of 10 years, while the standard interval for mechanical watches is generally three to five. Oris backs its technological choices by offering a 10-year warranty on all Oris watches powered by the new movement. With the recommended service intervals of 10 years, it means that if you get one now, you’ll only need to walk into a service centre in 2030. This is, of course, barring accidental damage, but with the Aquis collection’s reputation of delivering robust and resilient dive watches, even that shouldn’t really be a concern. Offering owners this kind of assurance for 10 years sure does reflect confidence on the brand’s part, and definitely sets a new standard.

The Proud Bearer Of The New Movement: The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400

The Aquis Date is Oris’ bestseller, and it’s not difficult to see why. A classic design, with some tasteful colourways and good case sizes, paired with the choice of a classic bracelet or a sportier rubber strap and at a reasonable price tag—all true for this watch as well—is certainly a recipe for success. Setting the brand spanking-new calibre 400 into an Aquis case was the logical choice. At first glance, it might seem like a regular run-of-the-mill Aquis Date. And that’s a good thing if you ask us, because, well, if it ain’t broke, why fix it! The Aquis Date Calibre 400 in steel was first launched in a 43.5mm case size, in 2020. It was the first 43.5mm Aquis Date with a blue bezel. This year, the brand has released the the same watch in a smaller and more agreeable case size of 41.5mm. The water-resistance stays at 300m, the unidirectional rotating bezel is still fitted with a scratchproof ceramic inlay, and the case still looks butch and robust. While the larger size came only in blue, this year’s smaller versions are available in blue, green and anthracite.

There are, however, discreet changes that make these Aquis Dates stand out, compared with older editions. The words ‘5 days’ are inscribed on the gradient blue dial, referring to the five-day power reserve of the new movement. The date window is also larger. Flipping the watch around reveals the largest sapphire crystal caseback ever installed in an Aquis Date, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the calibre 400. The rotor foregoes that signature red usually seen in Oris watches. This was a conscious choice, for a sleeker, skeletonised look and also to visually distinguish what will eventually be the ‘400 series’ of calibres.

The Aquis Date featuring the new Calibre 400 is the first 43.5mm model with a blue bezel
The indices and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova to ensure legibility even in the dark
Flipping the watch around reveals the largest sapphire crystal caseback ever installed in an Aquis Date, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the Calibre 400
The Aquis Date is quite the handsome watch with excellent proportions and a colourway that is pleasing to the eye
Discreet changes in this Aquis Date include ‘5 days’ inscribed on the dial, referring to the five-day power reserve of the new movement, and a slightly larger date window

The back of the watch also reveals Oris’s newest patented development, the ‘quick strap-change’ system, engineered so a bracelet or strap can be released simply by lifting a flap, without requiring any tools.

The ‘Quick Strap Change’ system has been engineered so a bracelet or strap can be released simply by lifting a flap, without requiring any tools

Final Thoughts

Now when Oris had initially sent out teasers about the upcoming calibre 400, many were expecting them to launch a brand-new watch for it, like they did last year with the ProPilot X and Calibre 115. But going through the specifications of the calibre 400 again makes it clear that the brand is playing for the long haul. And so, by putting the movement in one of Oris’ long-standing, bestselling pieces, the brand normalises the movement as one that can be seen in any Oris watch. This also helps keep costs considerably low, while also meeting every single need of a watch enthusiast.

The calibre 400 set out to be the new standard in watchmaking by cutting all the fluff and giving the customers what they’ve probably always wanted in this segment. This anti-magnetic, highly-durable, pro-consumer in-house-developed movement within the comfortable familiarity of the Aquis Date is an unarguable deal, and we certainly hope other watchmakers take note, turning the new standard into the new normal.