Oris ProPilot X Caliber 400: The Sky Has An Elegant Soul

German Romantic poet Friedrich Schiller wrote that “everyone judges according to appearance, none according to substance.” Did Oris have this in mind when designing the new ProPilot X Caliber 400? This watch from the Hölstein brand is made to be judged according to its substance. Because its appearance is its substance. Let’s try to understand why.

ORIS AND INNOVATION

Oris’ substance is that of a brand with a strong vocation for innovation since its foundation, by Paul and Georges Christian, in 1904. In almost 120 years of life, the manufacture has created collections that firmly became part of the most famous and exclusive ones in fine watchmaking, as evidenced by the ProPilot collection.

With this collection Oris loves to experiment, without however deviating from its historical essence. This drive for experimentation led to the creation of the ProPilot X line, which after the launch of the Big Crown ProPilot X Caliber 115, in September 2019, is now enriched with the new ProPilot X Caliber 400. A watch that breaks the molds that the brand got us used to.

THE UNEXPECTED AVIATOR

Raise your hand, or rather, your wrist, if you think you are facing an aviator’s watch when looking at the ProPilot X Caliber 400. Were it not for the design of the bezel, the aesthetic signature of the ProPilot collection, and for the bracelet that recalls that of the Big Crown ProPilot X Caliber 115, this Oris could almost look like a dress watch.

Where are the highly legible Arabic numerals on the dial? Where are the generous dimensions of the case, typical of aviator’s watches, which aim to widen the dial as much as possible to ensure maximum clarity of information? None of that is found in this surprising Oris timepiece.

The numerals are replaced by baton indexes, generously covered with Super-LumiNova just like the hour and minute hands (also a reference, in the design, to the ProPilot collection). And then, the color. If an aviator’s watch is synonymous with a black, or at most midnight blue, dial, here we are far beyond. There is blue, but flanked by a nice smoky gray shade and a breathtaking salmon hue. The date at 6 o’clock breaks with the tradition of the ProPilot collection, in which it is located at 3 o’clock.

The case goes from the classic 44 mm to 39 mm, a size that makes the watch a little less tool watch than the other ProPilots, but which makes it more comfortable even on slender wrists. The oversized crown, flanked by sturdy protectors, however, is there to remind us that the ProPilot X Caliber 400 looks good in the sky.

TITANIUM POWER

And since we talked about the case and the middle case, well defined by the shapes of the solid crown protectors, here’s another significant feature that makes this watch an aviator, the material: the case and integrated bracelet are in titanium, widely used in the aerospace industry.

We are used to considering aviator’s watches as the triumph of steel (and of soft iron for the inner case, to shield the harmful effects of magnetic fields), but in the Big Crown ProPilot X Caliber 115 Oris had already used the titanium to create a light, performing watch with muscular lines and a seductive skeletonization.

ORIS CALIBER 400: THE FOUR PILLARS

Speaking of performance, let’s get to the movement. The Caliber 400, which gives the watch its name, is one of Oris’ workhorses and is characterized by four pillars: twin barrel, rotor system stability, elevated resistance to magnetic fields, class-leading reliability.

When the Oris engineers designed the Caliber 400, they thought of an automatic movement that could work even if the watch remains unworn for some time. That’s why it has a five-day power reserve, ensured by the use of a twin barrel. Both contain an extended mainspring, each long enough to store two-and-a-half days of power.

One of the core ambitions of the Oris Caliber 400 is to eliminate problems before they even occur. One of the most frequent issues with automatic mechanical movements concerns the ball-bearing system that allows the free-spinning oscillating weight (or rotor) to rotate. In the Caliber 400, the ball bearings have been removed altogether and replaced with a low-friction slide bearing system, in which a metal stud runs through a lubricated sleeve. This is much less complex, but highly efficient.

Resistance to magnetic fields is ensured thanks to the use of more than 30 non-ferrous and anti-magnetic components within the caliber. Thus, the accuracy of this 28,800 vibrations/hour movement remains between -3 and +5 seconds per day.

Oris is so confident in the performance of the advanced technologies integrated into the Calibre 400 Series that it offers a 10-year warranty on all its watches powered by the new movements when registered at MyOris. In addition, Oris is also proposing 10-year recommended service intervals on the Calibre 400 Series watches.

PROPILOT X CALIBER 400: THE DETAILS

Of course, Oris couldn’t hide one of his best “engines.” The movement is in fact clearly visible through the sapphire crystal case back, because the encasing ring, also made of titanium, is very thin and leaves the mechanism in sight of the beholder.

The sapphire crystal that closes the dial has a double anti-reflective coating, an important detail. It means that in the ProPilot X Caliber 400, Oris has paid extreme attention not only to the aesthetic finishes and mechanics, but also to the functional aspects. Considering the finishes, details and high-end mechanics, the ProPilot X Caliber 400 is available to the public for 3,800 euros, an absolutely competitive price.

After opening with the words of Schiller, we close with those of Ken Laurent, creative director of the brand, according to whom the ProPilot X Caliber 400 “reflects Oris’s identity – independent, always striving to carve its own path, but also able to bring beautiful mechanical watchmaking closer to the customer.”

Indeed, Oris is a 100% mechanical brand. It has no quartz movements in its collections, and the ProPilot X Caliber 400 itself is considered by the brand to be a “joyful mechanical machine.” The perfect definition for an unexpected watch.

By Davide Passoni