The Oris Big Crown 40mm Pointer Date x Cervo Volante

A classic in Oris’ collection, the Big Crown Pointer Date borrowed features from the brand’s first serially produced pilot’s watch of 1938, including the oversized crown and the pointer date calendar indication. Reintroduced in 1984 by general manager Dr Rolf Portmann on a hunch that nostalgia for mechanical watches with a dash of aviation history might catch on, the Big Crown Pointer Date was largely responsible for the brand’s survival following the quartz crisis. Today, the large Big Crown family has branched off in different directions, with contemporary models and more vintage-inspired references. The latest edition is a collaboration with Cervo Volante, a Swiss company producing sustainably sourced and vegetable-tanned deer leather straps. Highlighting the old-school design elements, the dial bursts with a rich autumnal colour.

While Oris has introduced a fleet of more contemporary styled Big Crown Pointer Dates with flat bezels and trendy colourful dials, the “original” model with its fluted bezel, cathedral hands and red-tipped pointer date hand takes the prize. To be fair, the fluted bezel was a later addition and not featured on the original pilot’s watches from 1938, but it adds a great retro dash.

Available in steel and bronze, the classic Big Crown Pointer Date has toyed with colour in the past, including the appealing Oxblood Red dial, but perhaps with more moderation than the new generation. According to Cervo Volante, about 15,000 red deer are culled every year in Switzerland to protect Alpine forests. Instead of letting their hides go to waste, Cervo Volante transforms them into high-quality deer hide goods, including watch straps. In former collaborations, Cervo Volante provided a strap for the 38mm case. To complement the dial colour, the new deer hide strap for the 40mm case has a rich mahogany brown colour.

The new burnt maple gradient dial sets off the vintage notes of the watch beautifully. Attenuating the bold reddish-orange colour in the centre of the dial, the orange transitions to a darker, more intense burnt colour on the periphery, producing an eye-catching yet warm autumnal dial. The cathedral-shaped hands and the typography selected for the Arabic numerals are textbook old-school pilot watch and highlighted with Super-LumiNova. The additional hand for the calendar features the inverted arrow pointer picked out in forest green. Compounding the retro vibe, the dial is protected by a domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal.

Oris has selected a larger 40mm stainless steel case size with a thickness of 12.2mm for the Cervo Volante collaboration. The coin-edged bezel, extra-large screw-down crown and case flanks are polished in contrast to the brushed lugs. Like other references in the family, the water-resistance is rated at 50 metres.

The Oris 754 calibre, an automatic movement based on the Sellita SW 200-1 (a clone of the ETA 2824) with a pointer date module, features the brand’s signature red rotor, operates at 28,800vph and stores a 41-hour power reserve.

The Oris x Cervo Volante is delivered with a deer hide travel pouch. It is available now and retails for CHF 2,250. More information at oris.ch.