Luxury Swiss watchmaker Oris’s highly acclaimed collection of innovative pilot’s watches has grown in recent years to include some of the most iconic watches the genre has to offer. That collection is now joined by the Big Crown ProPilot GMT, Small Second – an elegant, stylish take on Oris’s classic pilot’s watch design.
The Big Crown ProPilot was introduced in 2014 as a practical pilot’s watch designed for life in the cockpit, but it has always had genuine crossover appeal. While the aviation community has embraced it, it’s also worn by stylish men and women who appreciate its balanced design, quality finish and confident aesthetic.
The Oris Big Crown ProPilot GMT, Small Second is an extension of this approach, designed both for pilots and also style conscious international travellers. It has a round steel case, oversized Arabic numerals (designed specifically for this watch), an oversized crown, and an elegant, clearly legible dial.
The new Oris Big Crown ProPilot GMT, Small Second also exudes contemporary style. Its anthracite, sunray pattern dial and polished top ring give it a debonair, louche quality that will appeal to suited gentlemen as well as airmen wearing a flight suit.
Since its launch two years ago, the Big Crown ProPilot has become one of the most recognizable lines in the Oris collection. Innovative pieces such as the Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter – the world’s first automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter – have put the ProPilot on the map and won it the respect of the watchmaking and professional pilot communities.
The collection’s aviation-inspired features include a coin-edged bezel, designed to mirror the geometry of a jet-engine turbine, and the oversized crown, a feature first introduced into watches during the early years of flight and designed so gloved airmen could still operate their watches.
Oris only makes mechanical watches. The new Big Crown ProPilot GMT, Small Second is powered by a Swiss Made mechanical movement, in this case the Oris Cal 748 automatic. This provides it with a running seconds hand at 9 o’clock, a second 24-hour time zone indicated by an airplane-shaped pointer hand, and a big date at 3 o’clock.
Its 45mm stainless steel case comes on either a dark brown and grey leather strap or a choice of black, grey or olive textile straps with a folding clasp inspired by the design of passenger airline seatbelt buckles; or on a stainless steel bracelet. The Oris Big Crown ProPilot GMT, Small Second gives Oris’s pilot’s watch collection a stylish edge that will appeal to design conscious watch buyers.
