Horological Meandering

Report of the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter cocktail at Bucherer Paris

 

I attended a few days ago an event organized by the Bucherer boutique in Paris to celebrate the unveiling of the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. This new Oris is not a mere watch, it is claimed to be the first automatic wristwatch with a mechanical altimeter. The word "automatic" is very important in this sentence since I already know  other watches with such add-on which were released previously: the Breva Genie 01 and 02. But of course... we don't speak about the same price tag!

The altimeter is very simple to use. The only requirement is to know the altitude of your starting point. Unscrew the crown, set your current altitude and then... move. The altimeter will then display the different altitudes thanks to the feet and meters scales.

Due to the presence of the peripheral display, the 47mm diameter of the watch becomes almost mandatory.  Despite this bulky size, the watch doesn't give the feeling to be too massive. I explain this feeling by the main colors which reduce the feeling of size and the large inclined flange.

You can see on the picture below the main features of the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter:

- the two large crowns on the right, the bottom one being dedicated to the altimeter.
- the legibility of the dial despite a very busy context: the complications are clearly displayed separately.
- the unusual way to decorate the bezel.
- the presence of the two scales.

I regret a bit the presence of the date window, I think I would have preferred the watch without. The case is made of stainless steel:

The textile strap has an unusual 23mm width. This strap works well with the atmosphere depicted by the watch. This kind of strap tends to quickly fray. Let's hope that this one will be stronger.

You can feel it on this picture. When the altimeter crown is unscrewed, a red ring becomes visible in order to warn that the watch is not waterproof anymore.

The Big Crown ProPilot Altimer is powered with a Sellita base (SW200-1). This kind of movement works fine but I find its power reserve too short according to today standards (38 hours). It is obviously too small for the case but we don't feel it dial side thanks to the presence of the peripheral altimeter.

The watch has a strong presence on the writst but remains comfortable thanks to the flexibility of the strap:

This Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter is not the most impressive novelty of the year. But I think that the altimeter is well integrated on the dial. The watch offers an unusual complication at a quite reasonable price without forgetting a powerful design reinforced by the two large crowns on the right side of the case.

To accompany this unveiling ceremony, Bucherer organized a cocktail in order that the guests could discover the timepiece in a relaxed atmosphere. A quiz was also proposed and a happy winner had the chance to get one Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter... a great prize!

Music:

... and drinks:






The different versions of the watch were displayed close to the stairs, the guests couldn't miss them!

The Oris booth at the Bucherer boutique:

The relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the event:

Nathalie Celia, head of Bucherer France explained why Bucherer is proud to sell Oris watches and the common points between both companies: two of them being their long histories and their independences.

Michel Legendre, head of Oris France, focused his speech on the latest innovations from his brand and the main features of the new watch. I think it was important for the guests to understand that Oris is a company on the move which innovates much more than they could imagine. 

In this context, the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter is a good proof of this dynamic thanks to its very original complication.

I would like to thank a lot the Bucherer and Oris teams for the organization of the event and the flawless welcome.

Fx


This message has been edited by foversta on 2014-10-17 15:24:44

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