Jewellery & Watch News
Oris have unveiled their next generation Aquis Depth Gauge watch which cleverly measures depth during a dive, now with even better performance owing to a multitude of small but impressive upgrades.
If there’s one industry that Oris has a strong reputation with, its diving. Their Aquis collection in particular holds a strong place in many luxury watch collector’s hearts, not only for its technically proficient execution but for its widely accessible price point. While the regular Oris Aquis watches are perfectly suited to professional and amateur divers alike, the Aquis Depth Gauge takes things one step further. The design has been praised by the diving community ever since its launch in 2013, renowned for its clever and easy-to-use system which measures depth while underwater. Now the legendary design returns but with some small but worthy visual and mechanical changes.
What’s New?
The new 2021 Oris Aquis Depth Gauge still boasts all the same functionality we have come to admire about the Aquis collection but now treats us to some neat changes to its overall aesthetic and a boost for its depth gauge’s performance. The case itself is now non-coated stainless steel, like that of the first generation Aquis Depth Gauge watches – with a brushed and polished surfaces. It still measures to the same diameter, coming in at 45.80 millimetres, but with a redesigned crown guard. The unidirectional bezel also opts for some improvement, now with a polished black ceramic insert dressed in a 60 minute diving scale. The dial also has some minor upgrades including larger inclusions of Superluminova and different shaped hands and indexes.
One of its more important changes however is found within the dive gauge system. The process used to mill the channel into the outer edge of the crystal has been amended so that accuracy and readability of the gauge is increased – more on that shortly. The case back has also been re-engineered so that the familiar metres to feet conversion chart is always set at 90 degrees to the 12 o’clock position. This is going to be a huge selling point for divers who rely on charts like this when prepping for a dive. The last, and again another pretty important update, is the addition of Oris’ new patented Quick Strap Change system. This unique technology is built directly into the stainless steel bracelet or black rubber strap (depending on which model you go for) and allows you to simply switch from one to the other without need a tool or a visit to a jeweller.
What’s the same?
While the upgrades to the new Oris Aquis Depth Gauge sound a lot, the overall appearance of the watch is pretty similar. The dial is still jet black with bright yellow accents all around, predominantly on the depth scale. The case still ensures a screw in crown water resistant to 500 metres and is topped by scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass treated with antireflective coating on both sides. The Oris Aquis Depth Gauge watch also remains powered by the Oris 733 automatic winding movement, one of their most trusted and well-worn calibres. It guarantees central hands for hours, minutes and seconds, an instantaneous date window at 6 o’clock and a power reserve of 38 hours. It also runs at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and is equipped with 26 jewels.
How does the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge work?
Like other Oris Aquis Depth Gauge watches before it, the new 2021 models uses a complex scientific principle to create an easy to use depth gauge function. The science is based on the Boyle-Mariotte Law, which states for gases that ‘pressure x volume = constant’. With this in mind, Oris’ talented engineers calculated that the volume of air in a channel milled into the sapphire crystal glass would reduce during a dive when compressed under pressure. Ultimately, when you take the Aquis Depth Gauge watch for a dive, you are allowing water to enter into the channel as the volume of air compresses. The air then decompresses during an ascent and forces the water out of the hole. You can see this hole on the outer edge of the sapphire crystal at 12 o’clock.
When you’re on land, the hole fills with air, and then on entering a body of water that air is compressed. Water then enters the hole and begins to fill the space created in the channel. This in turn creates a watermark visible through the crystal which then corresponds to the gauge seen in yellow around the circumference of the dial and the two combine to indicate depth. In comparison to previous models before it, the new Oris Aquis Depth Gauge has a more finely grained channel which means the depth indication is even clearer.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Oris Aquis Depth Gauge watch and to order your own, head over to the C W Sellors website here or get in touch with team. Call us on 01335 453453 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
Specifications: Oris Aquis Depth Gauge Watch (01 733 7755 4154)
- Case Size: 45.8mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Unidirectional, black ceramic insert, 60 minute scale
- Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screwed, engraved with metres-to-feet conversion chart
- Water Resistance: 500 metres
- Movement: Oris 733 automatic winding
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, depth indicator
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Jewels: 26
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Black with luminous hands and indexes
- Strap: Black rubber or stainless steel bracelet with Oris-patented Quick Strap Change system
- Buckle: Folding with security clasp, divers extension and safety anchor systems
- RRP: £3,000 (Bracelet), £2,900 (Rubber)
