Oris Faithfully Revives a Classic Pilot’s Watch Design from the 1930s

In 1938, Oris first developed its pointer date and put it into a pilot’s watch. The complication indicated the day of the month, with a hand pointed to the day at the edge of the dial and offered up additional functionality to the wearer back when dates were not as ubiquitous on watches as they are today. The configuration has been an Oris favorite since and continues on in the brand’s latest aviation-inspired watch 80 years later.

The new Big Crown Pointer Date does not stray far from that original formula. It features brilliant ’30s-inspired design details like “cathedral” hands, a coin-edge bezel and sharp, printed Arabic numerals done in a legible, old-school font. The watch is still designed with modern tastes in mind, though, and as such comes in a great, mid-size 40mm case with a tastefully stylish light blue dial. Inside ticks away an Oris-tuned Sellita SW 200-1, an affordable and reliable automatic. As such, the Big Crown Pointer Date is still an exceptionally-priced watch, retailing for just $1,600.