Oris unveils its new Calibre 400, a powerful automatic movement with a five-day power reserve and an impressive 10-year warranty. The mandates were for a high-performance and anti-magnetic movement to keep pace with consumers’ lifestyles for longer periods of time. Heralded as the “new standard” in automatic movements by Rolf Studer, Oris’s Co-CEO, the movement promises to deliver.
More power to the people
You could say that Oris is on a roll this 2020. Renowned for its compelling portfolio of affordable dive and sports watches made for everyday wear and tear, the brand has been firing new products in rapid succession this year. What few of us anticipated was the launch of a new movement. However, like all things at Oris, the credo, “things must make sense” underscores the brand’s pragmatic approach to production. Entry-level models are fitted with third-party movements, while higher-end models run on the brand’s Calibre 110, an automatic movement conceived in-house by Oris and introduced in 2014 with a whopping 10-day power reserve.
The latest Oris Calibre 400, with its 5-day power reserve, will no doubt be assigned to the brand’s mid-range models. It is, like Calibre 110, a proprietary manufacture movement meaning that although it was developed entirely in-house by COO Beat Fischli and his team, it is produced by a network of suppliers with state-of-the-art industrial techniques. And given its sturdy credentials, it will be a very welcome addition indeed.
5-day power reserve
One of the directives formulated by Beat Fischli and his team was to boost the power reserve. As Fischili points out: “Power reserves have improved in modern mechanical watchmaking. Three days has become normal, but we wanted to do better.” To extend the autonomy of the watch, Calibre 400 is equipped with twin barrels, each with an extended mainspring capable of storing two-and-a-half days of power.
Oris also revisited the oscillating mass (or rotor) that generates the power for the mainsprings. Conventional rotors sit on a ball-bearing system and swing in both directions. Fischli’s team devised a more reliable system based on a low-friction, slide-bearing system that only winds in one direction, which in turn is less complex and reduces wear and tear over the long run.
Anti-magnetic Silicon Escapement
Another directive for the new movement was to counter the magnetism we encounter in everyday life. Magnetic fields have a direct effect on the hairspring causing the watch to gain or lose time or to come to a grinding halt. Using silicon for the anchor and escape wheel, along with non-ferrous material for the axes that hold the balance wheel, escape wheel and anchor, the impact of magnetic fields on Calibre 400 is reduced by more than 90% compared to standard Swiss mechanical movements. During tests undertaken by the Laboratoire Dubois, Calibre 400 deviated by less than 10 seconds a day after exposure to 2,250 gauss.
10-Year Warranty
Oris backs its new Calibre 400 with a 10-year warranty and 10-year recommended service intervals, two-fold that offered by many other reputed watch brands.
Any guesses as to which Oris watch will be the proud bearer of the new Calibre 400? We’ll certainly know the answer soon. More information at oris.ch.