SpotlightSporty Iridescence: The Oris Aquis Date 36.5mm Collection—Now With Mother-Of-Pearl Dials

While there are several brands that have interesting offerings when it comes to the ‘dive watch’ segment, only a few have been able to consolidate their positions within this realm. Among these are Oris—the Hölstein-based brand founded in 1904, which have been crafting true-blue ‘tool watches’ for professionals, focused on aviation or diving. In fact, it’s also interesting to note that the brand has only been crafting mechanical watches ever since its establishment and continues to do so. One of their most revered lines today is the Aquis Date, which is part of the Aquis collection—launched in 2011. Aimed at being a high-performance and reliable diver’s watch, the first Aquis model passed the acid test with its unidirectional rotating bezel, screw-down crown, lollipop seconds hand, and an impressive water resistance of 300m. This set the ball rolling for Oris, which continued expanding this collection, ultimately leading to the introduction of the Aquis Date model, which is one of their most sought-after timepieces, thanks to its contemporary design, power-packed performance, and high functionality—all at a fairly-affordable price. While it’s built for professionals, its extreme versatility makes it apt for any occasion, thereby allowing the wearer to seamlessly pair it with a casual or formal ensemble with utmost ease.

Of course, the history of the Aquis collection dates back to the 1960s, when the brand launched its first diver’s watch at a time when the popularity of sports watches was soaring. While for the longest time, dive watches were viewed as purpose-driven ‘tool’ watches, this was an era that saw a shift in focus towards the design aspect as well. That’s when Oris launched their stylish Divers Sixty-Five model with a 100m water-resistance—quite a feat, back then; and the rest as they say, is history. However, we’ll reserve that topic for another day and talk about the new Aquis Date models, which have been introduced with gorgeous mother-of-pearl dials.

In Focus: Reduced Case Size, Colourful Mother-Of-Pearl Dials

As mentioned earlier, the Aquis timepieces are of special interest to horophiles, thanks to their attractive design coupled with high-performance and use of innovative materials. The Date version particularly stands out for its sleek and refined aesthetics that are suited to the tastes of the modern watch aficionados. While initially, the Aquis Date timepieces were available in generous case sizes ranging between 45.5mm to 43.5mm, of late there’s been a shift towards reduced case sizes, and this started when the Aquis Date was equipped with Oris’ in-house Calibre 400, fitted within a 41.5mm framework in 2020. Since then, there’s been a scaling down of measurements, with a 39.5mm variant and also a 36.5mm version, introduced in August 2021 with the Aquis Date Upcycle—featuring a colourful dial made of recycled PET plastic.

Oris have introduced a trio of Aquis Date 36.5mm models with gorgeous mother-of-pearl dials. While they retain their sporty aesthetic, what makes them supremely attractive is the mother-of-pearl in three alluring shades of Blush Pink, Aegean Blue, and Seafoam Green

Garnering a positive response, the brand have continued on this trajectory and introduced a trio of Aquis Date 36.5mm models with mother-of-pearl dials at the Geneva Watch Days 2022. While they retain their sporty aesthetic, what makes them supremely attractive is the mother-of-pearl in three alluring shades of Blush Pink, Aegean Blue, and Seafoam Green—which enhances their overall elegance. Crafted in solid stainless steel, these dive timers offer a water-resistance of at least 300m and are presented on matching stainless-steel bracelets.

The Aquis Date 36.5mm—Now With Colourful Rubber Straps

While the overall design codes, features, and technical aspects of these watches remain the same, the new references of the Oris Aquis Date 36.5mm are now available with blue, green or pink rubber straps that match the respective dial hues. These dive timers include a number of features such as: a unidirectional rotating bezel with a minutes scale for timing dives, a screw-down crown with protection, luminescent hands and hour markers, and a ‘lollypop’ seconds hand with a lume-filled dot that glows in low-light areas. The dial is protected by a sapphire crystal and features a date window, positioned at six o’clock.

The dial is protected by a sapphire crystal and features a date window, positioned at six o’clock

The Aquis Date 36.5mm is powered by the Calibre 733—an automatic movement with an energy reserve of at least 41 hours, customised with the brand’s signature red rotor, visible through the caseback

And just like the first generation Aquis timekeepers, the Oris Aquis Date 36.5mm models are also powered by the Calibre 733—an automatic movement with an energy reserve of approximately 41 hours, and is based on the Selllita SW 200, customised with the brand’s signature red rotor—visible through the open caseback.