One of the many hallmark complications of Swiss watchmaker Oris is the altimeter. They became the world’s first luxury watch brand to create a watch with an automatic winding movement equipped with a mechanical altimeter back in 2014 and now almost ten years later, Oris brings back the Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch with several impressive improvements. The 2023 edition increases the altimeter scale and adds in a lighter and thinner carbon fibre case.
The Oris Altimeter watch is one of the most innovative and coolest pilot’s watches on the market, and it can be used in so many more environments than just the cockpit alone. Whether up in an aircraft, hiking one of the world’s tallest peaks or skiing on mountains, the Oris ProPilot Altimeter will accurately relay the time, air pressure and altitude on a single dial, entirely mechanically. The original design was launched in 2014 and was later followed by a 2016 Oris Altimeter Rega edition created in partnership with Rega, Switzerland’s air rescue service. Since then however, the design has been missing from the brand’s portfolio. Yet it seems three years ago, Oris began to draw plans for a new Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch, improving the altimeter module to indicate altitude up to 19,700 feet or 6,000 metres which before were topped at 15,000 feet and 4,500 metres. The mechanical altimeter movement is also now housed within a lightweight carbon fibre case created in partnership with 9T Labs.
How does the Oris ProPilot Altimeter Watch Work?
Before we go into the general details of the Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch, let us first explain all the nitty gritty elements of how the high-functioning altimeter functions works. To activate the altimeter, you simply pull out the crown at the 4 o’clock marker to position one; you’ll know when you’ve done this because a red ring will appear. This means the altimeter is in use. To set the altimeter, you’ll need to pull the crown out again to position two and rotate it so the reference air pressure aligns with the red triangle at 6 o’clock on the central dial. This will now display the current altitude using the yellow indicator and the current absolute air pressure with the red indicator. While activated, Oris’ patented altimeter-adjustment and venting crown with a PTFE vapour barrier will ensure no moisture enters the watch. Once you have set the altimeter on the Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch, you can push the crown back into position one. Finally, to deactivate the altimeter, you’ll simply return the crown to its neutral position by screwing it back down hiding the red ring. This also reseals the watch so that it becomes water resistant to 100 metres. In neutral mode, the watch functions like a regular timepiece displaying only the time and date.
Additional Features of the Oris ProPilot Altimeter Watch
Now you know how the Oris ProPilot Altimeter works, let take a look at some of its other core features. For starters, one of the biggest improvements to the new 2023 edition is its case which is now engineered almost entirely from carbon fibre. Oris recruited the help of 9T Labs, a Swiss firm based in Zurich, to create case. The main case module is created from a single piece of carbon fibre composite that has high-mechanical, heat and chemical resistance. It’s also insanely lightweight on the wrist and is more durable than most conventional watch metals. The profile of the large 47mm case is still exactly the same, electing the distinctive knurled bezel in titanium, two screw down crowns, sapphire crystal glass and a 100 metre water resistant rating. It does sit a little bit thinner, measuring in at 17mm thick compared to the 18mm height of the original.
Like before, the 2023 Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch presents the altitude scale in either feet or metres on a smooth black display. Changes in altitude are shown by the yellow indicator against the outer dial ring, on a scale from 0-19,700 feet, or from 0-6,000 and the altimeter hand is made from lightweight laminated carbon fibre. The two large Superluminova-adorned hands for the hours and minutes are bright white for effortless legibility and sit beside a slender black and white-tipped seconds hand. The white indices and Arabic numerals are also applied with Superluminova and a date window sits at 3 o’clock.
Powering the Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch is the Oris 793 automatic winding movement with a 56 hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800vph. The movement is kept hidden from view behind a screw down titanium case back engraved with a feet-to-metre conversion chart. Finally, to secure the design to your wrist, the watch is completed by a green textile strap with brown leather lining. The grey-PVD plated titanium folding buckle also incorporates a clever micro-adjustment system so you can minor adjustments to its length whenever required.
The Oris ProPilot Altimeter watch is a permanent piece within the Swiss watch brand’s ProPilot collection and will retail at £5,250. If you’d like to order one for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here or contact our team by calling 01335 453453. You can also message us at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 47mm x 17mm
- Case Material: Single-piece carbon fibre
- Bezel: Fixed, grey-plated PVD titanium
- Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screw down with feet-to-metre conversion chart engravings
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Movement: Oris 753 automatic winding
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, altimeter scale, air pressure scale
- Power Reserve: 56 hours
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Black with altitude scale on dial ring in either feet or metres, Superluminova hands, indices and numerals
- Strap: Green textile with brown leather lining
- Buckle: Folding, grey PVD plated titanium, with fine-adjustment system
- Limited: No
- RRP: £5,250
- Reference: 01 793 7775 8734-Set (Feet), 0 1 793 7775 8764-Set (Metres)
- Release Date: March 2023
