Most enthusiast focused brands would find themselves extremely fortunate to have a single watch or collection that achieves “icon” status with the finicky hobbyist crowd. It’s not secret that watch enthusiasts are a picky and demanding bunch, and the watches that rise to the top and achieve a level of support by consensus are genuinely pretty special. Oris, I think, has at least two watches that fall easily into this category. There’s the Divers Sixty-Five (and the newer Divers Date) that have become forum favorites and are frequently spoken of when it comes time to recommend a solid sports watch to a budding collector. And then there’s the Big Crown Pointer Date. For my money, this is the iconic Oris. While dive watches, in general, might be more popular, the pointer date is special because it fills a very specific, old-fashioned niche, and there are just fewer brands making anything similar that’s still approachable for a casual or value oriented consumer. It has, of course, been a platform for many limited and special editions over the years, and the new version seen here made in collaboration with frequent partner Cervo Volante really stands out.
Cervo Volante is a strap and leather goods maker that Oris has partnered with for a number of years now. The brand specializes in sustainably sourced deer leather, and the straps they have crafted for the Oris watches they’ve worked on are truly exceptional. Cervo Volante’s mission also folds in nicely with Oris, a famously ecologically minded brand. In Switzerland, authorities manage an annual program of deer population control to protect the region’s alpine ecosystem. Cervo Volante seeks to make the best use of these influx deer hides, many of which contain natural imperfections that would cause them to be discarded by other makers.
The new Oris x Cervo Volante Big Crown Pointer Date features a dial that Oris calls “burnt maple gradient.” It’s a really pleasant color, and feels very autumnal, so it makes sense that the release would be timed with the rather sudden onset of cooler weather, at least here in the northeast. It’s paired with a brown Cervo Volante deer leather strap and includes a matching travel pouch, also made from deer leather by Cervo Volante.
The pointer date springs to life via a rebadged Sellita caliber. If you’re not familiar with the pointer date concept, it’s incredibly simple and straightforward. Rather than a traditional date window, an additional hand is mounted to the central pinion that points to the current date, which is read from the dial’s perimeter. It’s a classic complication that I’ve always felt was a more elegant solution to reading the date than through a potentially symmetry breaking date window. The nature of the pointer date also allows the wearer to more clearly visualize progress through a month, which is a nice bonus. In this example, the date hand is accented with a green arrow that should aid in legibility and subtly evokes the Swiss wilderness to which any watch that involves Cervo Volante is inextricably tied.
The case of the Oris x Cervo Volante Big Crown Pointer date measures in at 40mm in stainless steel, and is 48.2mm from lug to lug and 12.2mm tall. It’s water resistant to 50 meters and has luminous material coating the hands, indices, and Arabic numerals. The retail price is $2,600. Oris
Zach Kazan
2025-10-13 20:00:00