ReviewOris’s Pointer Date Calibre 403: Marking The Next Generation Of The Big Crown

Like any serious watch manufacturer out there, Oris have had a strong aviation pillar of products—their Big Crown collection—which presents key elements of archetypal pilot’s timepieces. The primary element is in the collection’s name—the big crown that is essentially meant for easy use by a person wearing flying gloves. Secondary elements include large Arabic numerals to easily read the time at a glance—a handy feature for pilots who couldn’t take their hands off their controls for more than a split second. All this really goes back to a time when these elements truly mattered in tool watches that were essential in tool kits for pilots. Today, they may have transcended their purpose of being meant for flying, but the key traits are what still define the genre, even as one that’s driven by the lifestyle of any urban individual more than anything else. With the Pointer Date, in particular, there have been specific elements that hark back to the era of aviation when the staples for the watch genre were defined. These aspects included retro-styled numerals, cathedral-style hands, and fluting on the bezel, which gave the Pointer Date series a very distinguished, vintage-style aesthetic. Even in the 2018 edition that marked 80 years of the Pointer Date, the vintage aspect was very evident. In fact, it was heightened further, with a bronze case.

Since then, there have been a number of editions, in steel even, and with different coloured dials, and all of them have presented a similar look. However, that changed in 2021, when the Pointer Date was redesigned to represent a modern era for the Oris brand, as they introduced the same analogue date display that this series has been known for, but powered by an in-house movement—the latest in their 400 series. This is the Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403.

The Adapted Update

Incidentally, this Calibre 403 was not the first Pointer Date watch to run on this calibre, nor was it the first to showcase the updated design. In 2021 itself though, Oris unveiled their ‘Holstein Edition’ of the year—a series that celebrates the brand’s hometown. It was a Pointer Date with this modern design and advanced calibre, and dressed in a sublime shade of grey—the brand colour. The Big Crown Pointer Date 403 is essentially the same watch, but in blue and black instead of grey, and an exhibition caseback, instead of the Holstein Edition’s closed caseback featuring a motif of the Oris teddy bear mascot.

In 2021 Oris unveiled their ‘Holstein Edition’ of the year—a series that celebrates the brand’s hometown. It was a Pointer Date with this modern design and advanced calibre, in grey

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The Pointer Date 403 is essentially the same watch in a different colourway, and an exhibition caseback, instead of the Holstein’s closed caseback featuring a motif of the Oris teddy bear mascot

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And the Calibre 403 becomes a part of the main collection for the brand, as it not a limited edition like the grey Holstein watch was. Even while key aviation elements have been maintained, the most apparent updates are on the face of the watch. The hour markers are still large Arabic numerals, but the retro-style font has made way for a cleaner sans-serif font, while the cathedral style hands are replaced with modern, pencil-style hour and minute hands. The titular date pointer, which had an inverted arrowhead in earlier editions, is a sleeker, upright arrow in this edition, albeit still in red. And finally, on the dial, instead of a central seconds hand, there’s a sub-dial at six o’clock for the running seconds.

The most apparent updates are on the face of the watch. The hour markers are still large Arabic numerals, but the retro-style font has made way for a cleaner sans-serif font

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The cathedral style hands are replaced with modern, pencil-style hour and minute hands. The titular date pointer is a sleeker, upright arrow in this edition, albeit still in red

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The Calibre 403 features a sapphire crystal caseback for a view of the advanced Oris in-house automatic movement

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On the dial, instead of a central seconds hand, there’s a sub-dial at six o’clock for the running seconds

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It turns out, the straight lines of all the sleeker hands in this edition were designed in order to mirror the smoothness of the new Pointer Date bezel, as Lukas Bühlmann informs. Oris’s senior product design engineer, Bühlmann states, “The most striking change is in the bezel and caseback, where we’ve removed the fluting. To match the bezel, the hands are now also straight.” He also comments on the reduced case size of the 2021 Pointer Dates. “We’ve reduced the size of the model to 38mm. It looks more timeless now.” This is actually quite interesting in a paradoxical way, since smaller sizes were more common back in the day. Yet, the case reduction enhances the understated appeal of this modern piece. Ultimately, the design’s key purpose was to ensure it remains recognisable, which Bühlmann and team have clearly accomplished. “We’re very fortunate to have this design. People know it and love it. But of course, updating it is a big challenge,” he explains. “You have to protect the codes that define it, while expressing them in a modern context. Here, that meant starting with the oversized crown and the basic case shape, and then adapting the other elements as you go along.” This definitely resulted in cleaner lines, a smooth finish, and a very modern silhouette—a perfect case to house the advanced self-winding mechanical calibre within.

The Modern Mechanics

The 403 automatic running this watch is the latest in a series of advanced calibres, developed in-house at Oris. This 400 series is their second range of contemporary in-house calibres created by the Holstein-based manufacturers. Oris have an illustrious history of developing calibres, going back to their early years after the brand was founded in 1904. After changes in management and the reinstating of their status as independent watch manufacturers, in the ’80s, the brand really came into its own. Adopting a philosophy of only ever making mechanical watches that make practical sense, they soon resumed creating calibres releasing their first contemporary in-house movement in 2014—marking 110 years, and hence aptly following the 110 series. After creating six calibres in that series, in 2020, they launched the calibre 400, which took years of research and development.

Dubbed ‘the new standard’ in mechanical watchmaking, the 403 assures advanced anti-magnetism, a huge, five-day power reserve, and comes with a 10-year warranty, like its predecessors

Additionally, the brand claim that the calibre is accurate up to a maximum timekeeping deviation of -3/+5 seconds per day—‘which would comfortably pass chronometer testing’

Dubbed ‘the new standard’ in mechanical watchmaking, the 400 assured advanced anti-magnetism, a huge, five-day power reserve, and came with a 10-year warranty, along with a recommendation of 10-year service intervals. Additionally, the brand claimed that the calibre was accurate up to a maximum timekeeping deviation of -3/+5 seconds per day—‘which would comfortably pass chronometer testing’. Yet, it’s not known why they didn’t submit it to the COSC (the Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) to obtain an official chronometer certification. Be that as it may, calibre 400, which offered three-hand central timekeeping and a date, proved to be a success. And the 403 is the latest in that series. The brand assures the same accuracy, anti-magnetism, power reserve, and so on, with this one as well. The only difference is that it offers two-hand central timekeeping, small seconds and an analogue date.

A Bigger, Brighter Future For The Big Crown

It turns out that this Pointer Date as well as the Holstein Edition 2021 are the first watches from the Big Crown pillar of aviation watches to run on a calibre from the 400 series. (Previous 400s were launched in the brand’s pillar of diving watches.) “People who love Oris have been asking for this,” states the brand’s co-CEO Rolf Studer. “It’s a privilege as Oris guardians to begin this new chapter in the Big Crown story.” Hence, it makes complete sense that they decided to give the Pointer Date series a significant makeover, marking the series’ next generation. “This is a milestone product for Oris, because it demonstrates how our design heritage and innovative movement creation programme can come together in a contemporary watch design,” affirms Bühlmann. “There’s huge potential in it.” And we can see what he’s talking about. With this modern design outlook to complement the advanced watchmaking, the entire Big Crown collection stands to gain a new lease on life.