Oris expands its Aquis collection of divers’ watches this year with the launch the Oris Aquis Small Second Date, a timepiece that, like others in the series, was developed with the input of professional divers. Why is this watch’s “isolated” seconds function such an important development for those who’d wear it for diving" Read on.
Oris Aquis Small Second Date on steel bracelet
The feature that gives the Oris Aquis Small Second its name ? a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, supplanting the more common central seconds hand on previous models, such as the flagship Aquis Depth Gauge ? is, according to Oris, an advantage for a diver because it separates the seconds function from the hours and minutes and thus puts the emphasis on the minutes hand. The minutes hand is the most important of the three timekeeping hands to a diver, as it is the hand that aligns with the unidirectional rotating bezel to keep track of dive times safely; thus, the more legible that hand is, the more secure the diver feels. At the same time, some sort of running seconds display is also very useful on a divers’ watch, as it quickly indicates to a diver that his watch is functioning. Oris arrived at the 9 o’clock placement of the snailed, small-seconds subdial after feedback from the diving community. The unidirectional divers’ bezel is equipped with a black ceramic insert with dive scale.
The crown protectors are more tapered and closer to the...