The good and the bad the Oris Aquis caliber 400
The size and feel
One of the nicest watches I ever had on my wrist at 41.5 with a 47 lug to lug the case fits perfectly on my wrist, the bracelet drapes perfectly around my wrist just as a worn in leather strap would. It is definitely a solid built watch with some heft to it, and you can definitely feel the presence on the wrist without it being over burdening.
The case is very industrial looking with a modern design, it definately does not borrow inspiration from key competitors like Rolex, Omega, Blancpain, and Doxa, it draws from its own design language.
The looks
As mentioned above the case is industrial looking mostly brushed surfaces with some polished edging on the bezel and polished outer links of the bracelet with brushed middle links. The links are held together by screws which is what you would expect from a well built bracelet
The dial is a deep blue gradient dial that darkens around the rim. It has a ceramic dark blue bezel that matches the dark blue rim of the dial. It is spectacular. I had this watch just a short time and I am getting a lot of compliments from people that could't help but notice the blue dial wshich ito me is uncommon because not many people ever noticed my watches.
The handset and raised indices are well-lumed and rhodium plated so they really glow in the dark and reflect when in the light, you can tell that this watch is bordering on the perceived notion of a luxury watch.
The accuracy
The accuracy of this watch is fantastic, in the last few weeks wearing this watch I found that it has lost a couple of seconds a day meeting COSC standards, and about the same as my Jeager Lecoultre which was the most accurate watch in my collection along with my Rolex Day Date.
Now the negatives
The caliber 400 movement has a huge flaw which would definitely lose a lot of buyers that would find this flaw unacceptable for any watch above the 2k mark. When pulling out the crown to hack the movement the minute hand jumps, this also occurs when setting the crown back to position 1. Oris said that this is not a flaw and to hack the movement you must move the minute hand beyond the time you want to set and then move it back and set the watch. I tested this over and over and it works and I am able to hack the movement every time with no problem every time, but sorry Oris this is a flaw, I am not bothered by it but I know others would be. It takes less than a second but I can see how some people would be irritated by this.
The other thing is the 5-day power reserve. I haven't fully tested this function but I can say that I have wound the watch more so than all my other watches including my Hanhart which is a hand wind movement and I guess I gave up before winding it completely to test that 5-day power reserve. For me, it is not a complication that I really care about and I do not care about taking the time to wind it so many turns needed to get that 5 day power reserve, ok maybe I should wear it to the gym so that I and my watch can get a proper work out.
The watch has a integrated bracelet, some may find this a negative since you are forced to use propriatary straps, I do believe there are third market providers and even special libnks that you can buy to convert it to using any strap but to me ithe iuntegration is part of its design. I would not see why anyone would want to change out the bracelet for a strap but you can always purchase straps from Oris, or buy the links to allow after market straps. Again I really dig the bracelet and see no reason to swap out, personal choice.
In summation
The watch is a real beauty and eye-catcher, the gradient blue dial is noticeable from far away and the case design is industrial and draws from its own design queues. The bracelet is one of the best for the price, right up there with any oyster-style, beads of rice, or H-link bracelet you would find on a diver watch. The accuracy of the watch is top-notch and up there with any watch in its price range. The movement has a major flaw but I heard that it has been corrected on the latest Oris 400 caliber that just came out, but does little for me. Although I can live with it since I can still hack the watch without a problem using the "ORIS" method.
The big question is would I buy the watch knowing what I know now?
I would probably wait to see if the newer Aquis models will come with a newer 400 movement, if so I would definitely wait but if not I would still consaider it. Now, this flaw is not so big of a deal to me and there are too many positives that outweigh this one negative so yes I probably would buy this watch again knowing that using the "ORIS" method I can still hack the movement. I know for others it would not be acceptable and I can respect that as well.
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The size and feel
One of the nicest watches I ever had on my wrist at 41.5 with a 47 lug to lug the case fits perfectly on my wrist, the bracelet drapes perfectly around my wrist just as a worn in leather strap would. It is definitely a solid built watch with some heft to it, and you can definitely feel the presence on the wrist without it being over burdening.
The case is very industrial looking with a modern design, it definately does not borrow inspiration from key competitors like Rolex, Omega, Blancpain, and Doxa, it draws from its own design language.
The looks
As mentioned above the case is industrial looking mostly brushed surfaces with some polished edging on the bezel and polished outer links of the bracelet with brushed middle links. The links are held together by screws which is what you would expect from a well built bracelet
The dial is a deep blue gradient dial that darkens around the rim. It has a ceramic dark blue bezel that matches the dark blue rim of the dial. It is spectacular. I had this watch just a short time and I am getting a lot of compliments from people that could't help but notice the blue dial wshich ito me is uncommon because not many people ever noticed my watches.
The handset and raised indices are well-lumed and rhodium plated so they really glow in the dark and reflect when in the light, you can tell that this watch is bordering on the perceived notion of a luxury watch.
The accuracy
The accuracy of this watch is fantastic, in the last few weeks wearing this watch I found that it has lost a couple of seconds a day meeting COSC standards, and about the same as my Jeager Lecoultre which was the most accurate watch in my collection along with my Rolex Day Date.
Now the negatives
The caliber 400 movement has a huge flaw which would definitely lose a lot of buyers that would find this flaw unacceptable for any watch above the 2k mark. When pulling out the crown to hack the movement the minute hand jumps, this also occurs when setting the crown back to position 1. Oris said that this is not a flaw and to hack the movement you must move the minute hand beyond the time you want to set and then move it back and set the watch. I tested this over and over and it works and I am able to hack the movement every time with no problem every time, but sorry Oris this is a flaw, I am not bothered by it but I know others would be. It takes less than a second but I can see how some people would be irritated by this.
The other thing is the 5-day power reserve. I haven't fully tested this function but I can say that I have wound the watch more so than all my other watches including my Hanhart which is a hand wind movement and I guess I gave up before winding it completely to test that 5-day power reserve. For me, it is not a complication that I really care about and I do not care about taking the time to wind it so many turns needed to get that 5 day power reserve, ok maybe I should wear it to the gym so that I and my watch can get a proper work out.
The watch has a integrated bracelet, some may find this a negative since you are forced to use propriatary straps, I do believe there are third market providers and even special libnks that you can buy to convert it to using any strap but to me ithe iuntegration is part of its design. I would not see why anyone would want to change out the bracelet for a strap but you can always purchase straps from Oris, or buy the links to allow after market straps. Again I really dig the bracelet and see no reason to swap out, personal choice.
In summation
The watch is a real beauty and eye-catcher, the gradient blue dial is noticeable from far away and the case design is industrial and draws from its own design queues. The bracelet is one of the best for the price, right up there with any oyster-style, beads of rice, or H-link bracelet you would find on a diver watch. The accuracy of the watch is top-notch and up there with any watch in its price range. The movement has a major flaw but I heard that it has been corrected on the latest Oris 400 caliber that just came out, but does little for me. Although I can live with it since I can still hack the watch without a problem using the "ORIS" method.
The big question is would I buy the watch knowing what I know now?
I would probably wait to see if the newer Aquis models will come with a newer 400 movement, if so I would definitely wait but if not I would still consaider it. Now, this flaw is not so big of a deal to me and there are too many positives that outweigh this one negative so yes I probably would buy this watch again knowing that using the "ORIS" method I can still hack the movement. I know for others it would not be acceptable and I can respect that as well.
