El Oris Aquis Hammerhead Limited EditionIt is not just any waterproof watch. For years, Oris has contributed to various environmental causes – almost always related to the sea – and this time it has focused on something as familiar and at the same time as mysterious as sharks. As in so many other cases, and always due to human action, the world's shark population is in danger (it is estimated that around one hundred million are hunted every year).Oris, in partnership with the Pelagios Kakunjá organization, has created a limited edition version of the new Aquis. The Hammerhead edition will raise funds for a pioneering project, consisting of monitoring hammerhead sharks using satellite transmitters to study their behavior and thus try to prevent their extinction.
Y el Oris Aquis Hammerhead Limited EditionIt is the watch that we bring today for a review. It is, like most of Divers'Oris, of a large watch: 45.5mm in diameter, 15mm high and 24mm between lugs. Being made of steel, and knowing the forcefulness of the brand's armies or bracelets, this version with a rubber strap and folding clasp makes it much more “wearable” outside the strictly professional field. I confirm that it is a comfortable watch... as long as it does not have to go under a shirt sleeve, so summer or warm environments are favorable for it.
Steel case that combines polished areas – the entire case, the crown guard and the side of the lugs – and polished areas – the upper part of those lugs and the crown itself. This crown is screwed, which contributes to providing those 50 bars or 500 meters of submersibility. The caseback is blind, as befits a professional diving watch, and shows off a beautiful relief of a hammerhead shark on a background of waves, the legend of the model and the reference to the limited edition in question. The polished/matted ones, although machined or laser, have an excellent finish. The screws that secure the strap pins have special cuts in the heads, so they require an equally special tool to manipulate them.
Unlike the old Tauchmeister, which had a slightly domed shoulder, these Aquis show a more stylized and modern figure, with a truncated-conical shape that makes it more attractive. The threaded bottom has six circular indentations to open and close it, and they are of such a size – three millimeters in diameter – that it also suggests a tool specifically for them. That, or risk scratching it if one uses standard tools. The 120-click unidirectional bezel (technical word would be “ferrule”) with well-machined edges for good grip with wet hands or gloves. It is made of steel with a ceramic surface that will protect it from scratches and discoloration due to ultraviolet rays.
The color of the dial, a silver gray with a “soleil” effect (I imagine associated with the most widespread color in sharks) is a success. Combined with the SuperLuminova indices and hands it gives the watch the legibility you would expect from a diving watch. The numerical subscripts of the minutes, housed in an outer ring whose treatment makes it appear slightly sunken compared to the dial, are blue, which does not benefit legibility. The same could be said of the seconds hand, although the fact of having a circle of luminous material at half length compensates for this apparent disadvantage. And I say apparent because it must be recognized that blue suits the outfit well. Brief information: the brand under twelve and the model and “pressure resistance” (we no longer talk about “water resistance”) over six.
The minute and hour hands present the typical “dimorphism” (to use a zoological term to explain difference in size or shape), but on this occasion, and contrary to what has been common in diving watches, the hour hand is wider than the minute hand. This hour hand (with two lumen segments) runs from the center to the innermost point of the indices, while the very stylized minute hand covers them completely, exceeding, although just barely, the circle of the Soleil. The indications are completed with the date, day of the month and day of the week, which are quick scroll in the second position of the crown. A suggestion: without being vital, offering a calendar wheel in Spanish would be a plus point.
The luminescence, without being something extraordinary, is very correct. It is correct because all the points with treatment (needles and indices) are perfectly visible and it is not extraordinary because it lasts about four to five hours after exposing it to an intense light source, when we know from experience that other compounds are capable of doubling those figures.
The sapphire crystal has anti-reflective treatment only on the internal side, and under certain lighting circumstances it is missed that it does not have it on the external side. Most of the time the reason for not putting it on is that this layer is very exposed to friction and ends up getting damaged, but I think thatOrisYou should investigate a little more in this regard or directly demand that your supplier solve that, because in a diving watch visibility is even more important if possible. That said, this visibility is not compromised in “dry” use, but it would be a point to improve.
In the caliber or movement sectionOrisHe doesn't complicate his life and assembles a Sellita SW220-1 with that double date already mentioned, bidirectional automatic charging of the oscillating mass (it would be necessary to see if it is also red under the blind bottom) vibrating at 28,800 alternations (4 Hz), and with a power reserve of 38 hours, a little more than a day and a half. It has a stop seconds hand for more accurate time setting and the date jumps instantly to a few minutes before 12, although I imagine that could be fine-tuned to the minute by readjusting the hands. Like some Japanese movements, it can also be manually wound. What we do not know is the finish: Standard (+/-12s day), Elaboré (+/-7s day), Top (+/-4s day) or Chronometer (COSC parameters). We can discard the latter because in that case it would appear on the sphere.
This model can be purchased with a steel bracelet or with a rubber strap and folding clasp, which is the version tested here. Without knowing the durability and behavior in salt water, I will say that the appearance is very good, with well-defined details (inscriptions, logos and die-cuts). Unlike other rubber straps, it is not necessary to cut either side because both are adjustable and easily adjustable, which is very useful when adjusting a wetsuit. The tip of the side with holes has a shape that resembles that of a harpoon, which gives it an extra point of security in the hypothetical case that it falls out of its anchorage in the deployable. This foldout has two sets of double buttons: one to adjust the length of the strap and another to open the foldout itself. Despite the good idea of making them different to recognize them by touch, the truth is that at least for me it is easy to confuse the position, so that the length regulation is activated when what you want is to open it. The workmanship of this foldout is very good, and I wouldn't be surprised if the manufacturer supplied higher segment brands. A delicate point is its central part: mirror polished, it is a real scratch magnet. Minor drawbacks, in any case.
The case is minimalist, without Peli-type cases or superfluous paraphernalia, which gives an idea of the brand's confidence in itself.
The price in Spain (€2,450 for the version with bracelet and €2,250 for the version with rubber and folding) is in line – subjective opinion – with what is offered. Maybe 10-15% less would make it even more attractive, but if we want to share the commitment ofOriswith the ecological initiatives in which it participates is a differential that is assumed without major problem. By the way, one hundred units will arrive in Spain.
Orisis one of the Swiss manufacturers that survived the famous (and now ancient) quartz crisis of the 1970s and has been able to weather the latest events of the global economic crisis while retaining its business independence. Independence of which its president, Ulrich W. Herzog, was proud in the interview he recently gave us.
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