I know the Rolex Datejust pretty well. My father owns one with a black baton-marker dial, fluted bezel, and Jubilee bracelet, and I’ve spent enough time wearing it to understand the appeal. It’s an excellent watch. It also makes me very aware that I’m wearing a Rolex. And given the choice, I think I’d rather wear this new Oris. The latest Oris X Cervo Volante Big Crown Pointer Date is a 40mm steel model with a burgundy gradient dial and dark brown deer-leather strap. It costs $2,600 in the US and continues a collaboration that started with three 38mm Big Crown models in 2022.
There’s plenty to like about the color here. Oris says the burgundy was inspired by autumn foliage around the Waldenburg Valley near its factory in Hölstein. I don’t need that story to enjoy the dial. To me, the darker red simply works with the slightly odd collection of details that has always defined the Big Crown Pointer Date. And the pointer date itself is probably the reason I keep coming back to this watch.
A Datejust gives you one of the most recognizable date displays in watchmaking. The Oris takes a stranger approach. A long central hand reaches out toward a date track running around the perimeter of the dial. It adds another hand, another scale, and more information to an already busy design. I love it. The pointer date makes me want to look at the watch. That matters more to me than it probably should.
The rest of the package is familiar Big Crown territory. The steel case measures 40mm across, 48.2mm lug-to-lug, and 12.2mm thick, with a double-domed sapphire crystal and 50 meters of water resistance. Inside is the automatic Oris 754, based on the Sellita SW200-1, running at 4Hz with a 41-hour power reserve.
I’m fine with the Sellita-based movement. The Datejust is obviously playing at another technical and financial level, and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise. If both watches somehow cost the same amount, that difference would become much harder for me to ignore. They don’t.
At $2,600, I think this Oris makes sense as a complete watch. Cervo Volante supplies the dark brown strap using deer leather sourced through Swiss wildlife-management programs, and Oris includes a matching leather travel pouch. The collaboration adds some context, although my interest remains firmly with the watch itself. There’s another part of the Datejust comparison I can’t ignore. When I wear my father’s watch, I’m conscious of the Rolex name and the attention it can bring. Some people enjoy that recognition. I don’t.
I’d rather have the weird date hand. That probably says more about my collecting preferences than either watch. The Datejust gives me more watch on paper, and I respect it enough to admit that. This particular Big Crown gives me more of what I enjoy about watches: a distinctive design, an unusual way of doing something as mundane as displaying the date, and a dial I’d probably catch myself staring at when I’m supposed to be checking the time. My take is pretty simple. If both were sitting in front of me tomorrow morning, I know which one I’d reach for. Thanks for walking with me on this weird thought exercise.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.