ORIS BIG CROWN PROPILOT X CALIBRE 115 Titanium Skeleton 10 Days Power Reserve

$5,495.00

Out of stock

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A REVIEW FROM HODINKEE:

A new halo watch from Oris has emerged in the form of the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. It’s a watch that’s very different from any other Oris, and that even includes the other models in the Big Crown line up. The ProPilot X uses the Caliber 115, a brand new in-house superlative movement, and all the galvanized surfaces of the mainplate and bridges are entirely visible thanks to the skeleton architecture. This watch puts every single component on full display, and when you learn of the technological innovations it’s packed with, like a 10 day power reserve, you’re going to want to have a look around inside the watch. 

That’s when the skeleton aspect of the watch becomes less of a novelty and more of a window into a watch that’s meant to chart a new course for Oris. The ProPilot X Calibre 115 is Oris’s next-generation platform, and for the debut of the watch, Oris flexed their in-house production capabilities in a significant way. The caliber 115 is jam-packed with tech-forward innovation, like a new alloy for the single mainspring, allowing for a ten day power reserve. And it will even run for 12 days, but during the last two days the accuracy drops dangerously close to Oris’s in-house accuracy parameters of +6/-4 seconds per day. 

The Caliber 115 wasn’t simply “skeletonized,” (a process where superfluous material is removed from the mainplate and bridges). Instead it was initially conceptualized as a skeleton movement, meaning no material has actually been subtracted – it was manufactured with open space in mind. The Caliber 115 is the focal point of the watch indeed, but Oris didn’t stuff this movement into an existing case. A titanium case comprised of grade 2 and grade 5 titanium components was designed to seamlessly wrap around the new movement. It doesn’t use a traditional movement retaining ring set up – instead, the case is constructed in multiple pieces, and tolerances are exacting enough to allow the 44mm case to be assembled tightly around the movement. There are no chamfers, bevels, or polishing on the movement, either. It’s mostly galvanized, lending a raw industrial feel to the watch.

 
The “X” trailing the ProPilot nomenclature is new, and what it denotes isn’t quite what you’d expect. The popular ProPilot is a watch designed for pilots, but the X is simply inspired by aviation, and more specifically, the engineering process of next-generation aircraft. What this actually means is that the normal things a pilot watch might be designed around, like maximum legibility, simply aren’t a paramount concern. Instead, the watch was developed as an exercise in technological innovation and developing a new design language for Oris. Designers were given the brief to push the design to the absolute limit, and from there it could be scaled back to something that’s commercially viable. The final product ended up looking very much as if unrestrained designers followed the brief to its logical conclusion. The case has a futuristic aesthetic to it, and the bezel wears a design motif inspired by the composite fan blades on modern jet engines.
 
The bracelet is completely unique to the watch, and it’s an engineering marvel in its own right. The links articulate smoothly, and the way the clasp operates calls to mind a design you might find on an F-35 fighter. The bracelet seamlessly mates with the case through a series of facets, creating visual continuity, and is as close as you can get to an “integrated bracelet” while still allowing wearers to swap out the bracelet for any 22mm NATO or strap. 
 
The hands and the crown are carried over from other ProPilot models, along with the non-linear power reserve indicator that started with the ProPilot Calibre 111. A non-linear indicator means that distance the hand travels between the first few points in the reserve grows as the power declines. The idea is that it’s not really a crucial data point when you have 8 or 9 days worth of power left, but when you’re down to 3 it becomes critical. This layout helps the wearer visualize power consumption in a way that emphasizes the most critical part of the curve. Another design update is the positioning of the sub-seconds dial. It’s placed in the exact position where it doesn’t need any additional gearing, in order to draw the least amount of power. 
 
Initial Thoughts

Nothing on the market exists that’s quite like the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. It occupies a space that simply hasn’t been entered yet. We devalue the term avant-garde by over using it, but if there ever was a watch that could earn the title, this is it. Visually, the watch is wild. It’s totally unexpected from a manufacturer that’s traditionally focused on visually appealing accessible watches made by industrializing the production process. But at the same time, it’s entirely in their wheelhouse. Here’s why. 

Oris is unique in the Swiss watch world in that they’re not only still an independent manufacturer, but also because they come from a small, predominantly Protestant corner of the Jura mountains in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The culture in general isn’t nearly as romantic as its French-speaking counterpart. It’s more pragmatic, more calculated, and that philosophy comes through in Oris’s approach to watchmaking as well. They create functional watches at price points that are widely accessible, so why would they develop a watch that sits so far outside the rest of their product range? 

The answer goes back to that calculated Swiss-German philosophy. The Diver 65 has roots in the past, and it’s been widely successful, but the vintage trend can’t last forever, and it’s can’t be a base for an entire brand. At some point a manufacturer with in-house capabilities must innovate and come up with fresh new ideas. So why not do that to the extreme? That’s what the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is. It’s a design for the future. It’s putting technology on the market now that might become standard in ten years. This is the watch that’s taking them there; it’s the antithesis of reaching into the past for inspiration. The Diver 65 already does that so well that there just wasn’t anywhere for the brand to go besides forward, and they just did it in a very big way.

 

This is an Exceptional Swiss Watch! 10 Days Power Reserve, Beautiful view of the Mechanical movement & full Titanium Bracelet! Just a gorgeous timepiece that will definitely turn heads…especially yours!!

BRAND: Oris

MODEL: Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115

MOVEMENT: Swiss Manual Wind – 10 Days Power Reserve Calibre 115

CASE: Titanium

CROWN: Screw Down

SIZE: 44mm

LUGS: 22mm

DIAL: Skeletonized Titanium Dial With Power Reserve Indicator

BEZEL: non-rotating

CONDITION: Pre owned – As-New!

BOXES/PAPERS: Both – Oris Box Set, hang tag, books etc… – Everything you see in the pictures

WATER RESISTANCE: – 50m

STRAP/BRACELET: – Original Oris Titanium Bracelet with all links – will fit a 9 inch wrist comfortably!!

 

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