« The New Standard from Hölstein »
After five years of development, fall 2020 marks the dawn of a new era in Oris history: with the Calibre 400, the traditional Swiss brand unveils a revolutionary automatic movement whose five-day power reserve and in-house construction set new benchmarks in the affordable price segment. Beyond its performance, the movement impresses with its exceptional reliability. Now the Oris Calibre 400 is making its way into more of the brand's models.
Early Experience with In-House Movements
Looking back over the last 40 years of Oris history, the collections have been dominated above all by the sourced ETA 2824 and Sellita SW 200 movements. Like many other brands, the Hölstein-based company recognized the major advantages of these off-the-shelf calibers early on: not only do they offer enormous cost savings over in-house developments, enabling the brand's philosophy of affordable luxury, they also score with proven technology, excellent reliability, and simple servicing. That's not to say the brand, founded in 1904, lacks experience with in-house movements: especially in the 1950s and '60s, the Swiss engineers managed to bring solid calibers to market despite the restrictive Watch Statute, which prohibited significant innovations in movement development. Notable names include the Calibre 605 with pin-lever escapement from 1952 and the legendary Calibre 645 from 1966, which, following the abolition of the Watch Statute, was finally allowed to use the more modern jeweled lever escapement.
From ETA to Calibre 400: A Major Transformation
No matter how many advantages a sourced ETA movement offers, the expectations of watch lovers have shifted considerably over the course of the 21st century. The movement in a beautiful watch has long ceased to be an afterthought; for many enthusiasts, it is the deciding factor in a purchase. In-house movements hold a special fascination because they aren't off the rack and give their owners the elevated feeling of having an exclusive movement powering their timepiece. Everything comes from a single source. Oris recognized this demand in 2014 and presented the exclusive Calibre 110, its first in-house movement in decades. Despite a staggering ten-day power reserve and sophisticated engineering, it remains a rarity that is hard to find even on today's pre-owned market.
That same year, CEO Rolf Studer and head of development Beat Fischli launched the design of a new caliber intended to bring about a long-term transformation of the brand into a true "manufacture" in the minds of its customers. Six years later, in October 2020, the costly project was completed and presented to the public as the Calibre 400. The trade press responded enthusiastically and was quick to speak of a new era in the company's history and for Oris watches.
In a League of Its Own: The Technical Specs of the Oris Calibre 400
Rightly so, as a look at the technical specs of this great hope makes clear. Measuring 30 millimeters in diameter and 4.75 millimeters in height, the Calibre 400 delivers a remarkable 120 hours of power reserve at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz). In everyday life, this means the watch is ready to go at any time, even after five days off the wrist – a huge advantage, especially for collectors with several watches.
This athletic stamina is made possible by two series-coupled mainspring barrels, each with 2.5 days of autonomy. The precision of the Calibre 400 has a similar wow factor: a daily deviation of -3/+5 seconds even surpasses the standards of chronometer certification. Further features of this powerful engine include an instantaneous date change, a hacking seconds function, and central seconds. In the modified Calibre 403, the date window is replaced by the brand's signature pointer date.
Ten-Year Warranty: Reliability and Antimagnetism
As with hardly any other movement in the industry, the developers of the Calibre 400 focused on maximum reliability. To this end, the total number of components, including screws and jewels, was limited to a manageable 150, combined with doing away with the ball bearing that allows the rotor in most automatic watches to spin freely.
Because experience has exposed this ball bearing as a frequent source of problems, the Calibre 400 replaces it with a friction bearing, in which the rotor turns around a pivot. That may sound like an unstable solution at first, but in stress tests it has proven resistant to shocks of 5,000 G. The result: maximum efficiency and a lower likelihood of breakdowns.
The Oris Calibre 400 brings further achievements to the wrist when it comes to magnetic protection. More than 30 components made of antimagnetic material, among them a silicon pallet fork and escape wheel, effectively resist the influences of the digital home. After 24 hours in a magnetic field of 2,250 gauss, the Calibre 400 deviates by just ten seconds, far outstripping the minimum requirements of ISO 764 (a maximum deviation of 30 seconds at 200 gauss). How much confidence Oris has in its new Calibre 400 is demonstrated not only by the ten-year warranty, granted after registering the watch on MyOris, but also by the long service intervals, likewise of ten years.
Aquis Date Calibre 400: A New Dive Watch with Superpowers
At Watches and Wonders 2022, the Hölstein brand showcased its super caliber in a series of new watches, among which the Oris Aquis Date with the Calibre 400 is of particular significance. Available in diameters of 41.5 and 43.5 millimeters, the diver, water-resistant to 300 meters, is one of the brand's most important models and gains new appeal thanks to the Calibre 400.
Visually, nothing has changed – like its Sellita-powered sister models, the Aquis Date Calibre 400 hugs the wrist with steep case flanks, sturdy lugs, and outstanding legibility. In terms of color, the green dial excites us the most. And before any doubts arise: yes, the technical highlight can be admired through a sapphire caseback. Here, however, the Calibre 400 doesn't dazzle with lavish decoration but instead seduces mechanical enthusiasts with sober functionality.
A Modified Calibre 400: The Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403
Alongside the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400, the slim 38-millimeter pilot's watch Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403 was a major highlight of the Geneva fair. Presented with a blue dial (Ref. 01 403 7776 4065-07 5 19 11) and a red date hand, the watch captivates us with its symmetrical beauty and the certainty that the ingenious technology of the Calibre 400 can flourish in compact timepieces, too.
Combined with more than 80 years of tradition behind the brand's own pointer date, whose addition accounts for the slight name change to Calibre 403, the newcomer is a true modern classic and will surely rise to become one of the most attractive watches in the entire brand portfolio. Chapeau!
