Following the current trend, Oris has encased its design icon, the Big Crown Pointer Date, in warm bronze ? not only the case, but the bezel, the namesake big crown and even the dial. In this feature from our October 2020 issue, we tested the watch in real-life situations.

The oversized crown was designed for use by pilots.

Bronze, a metallic compound based on a minimum of 60 percent copper, is one of the first alloys to be created and used by humans. These days it?s a popular material for watch cases, and just about every brand has bronze models in its portfolio.

But admittedly, you have to like how this material changes color to appreciate it. Bronze reacts when exposed to air. This causes its surface to oxidize over time but has no effect on the properties of the material such as durability and resistance to corrosion. The color change simply marks the passing of time. What other material could be better suited for products that reflect time?s passage" Especially when it?s a timepiece like the Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date, our test watch, which has a design that alludes to its past.
Everything about the design and functionality of the dial is correct with excellent legibility both day and night.

In 1938, Oris introduced a watch with an oversized crown that could be operated by pilots wearing gloves. It also featured large Arabic numerals and arrow-shaped markers to enhance legibility, a fluted crown and an arrow-shaped hand with a red tip to ind...