The latest version of Oris?s racing watch, the Chronoris Date, has no timing function. Is this good or bad" We take an in-depth look at the watch in this feature from WatchTime’s August 2018 issue.
Oris?s racing chronograph ? the Chronoris from 1970 ? has been back on the scene since last year, this time making its appearance as a three-hand model: the Chronoris Date. The oval stainless-steel case, a rotating inner bezel for timing minute intervals, the date display and the three centrally mounted hands are unchanged. However, the orange seconds hand is no longer used for the timing function, but is limited to the standard passing of seconds. Oris has deviated from the model?s design as a chronograph nearly half a century after its first issue. But strangely enough, this doesn?t detract from its appeal. It has the same number of hands as the 1970 Chronoris and has an even neater and sportier look than the original. The Oris Chronoris Date is a non-chrono revival of a racing-influenced chronograph from 1970.
How can the number of hands be the same as on the 1970 chronograph" It?s due to the unusual design of the historic model. The Caliber 725, which Oris had built according to its own specifications by chronograph specialist Dubois Dépraz, did not have a continuous seconds or a minutes or hour counter. And there was only a single stopwatch hand in addition to the two hands that showed the time. It was possible to time an interval of several minutes by adjus...