Hands-On Review of the Oris ProPilot X Caliber 400 Laser
2023 was a big year of watch releases. From the Rolex Daytona Le Mans to the IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40, there was no shortage of exciting new timepieces. And one of my favorite new releases was a piece released only a couple months ago at Dubai Watch Week. The Oris ProPilot X Caliber 400 Laser is an interesting piece for multiple reasons. It uses Oris’ flagship collection, the ProPilot X, as a jumping off point to do something truly unique and innovative. And that’s why I like it so much (so much that it is one of our favorite Oris Watches and favorite watches of 2023).
While I first saw the Oris ProPilot X Laser in November at Dubai Watch Week (during its official release), more recently I was able to spend the last couple of weeks with the watch, and I came away just as impressed.
Before getting into the details of the dial, which is the focal point of the Laser, it’s necessary to discuss the case and bracelet. The Laser is part of Oris’ flagship ProPilot X lineup. You might think of the ProPilot X as a pilot’s watch, given its name, but at its core it fits more in the sport watch category. Yes, the airplane seat buckle-inspired clasp is a really cool design point, especially since brands tend not to innovate buckle and deployant designs. But, when you look at the watch’s overall design, it really says sport watch. The lineup is made up of a mixture of both quirky and more muted colorways, and there is also an openworked option available. These are things I tend to associate with a brand’s flagship stainless steel sport watch (only the Laser is not stainless steel and instead titanium).
The case is 39mm in diameter, meaning that it should be wearable by most. I prefer that sizing as opposed to a lot of the options that sit in the 40mm to 42mm area. And while the the Laser isn’t thin per se, at 12mm thick, and just 47mm lug-to-lug with lugs that are sloped, it has a smaller feel on the wrist. Further, since the watch is made of brushed titanium, it is incredibly light and easy to wear.
The most interesting part of the ProPilot X Laser’s Case, and any ProPilot X for that matter, is the bezel. You may call it a fluted bezel, but in reality it is turbine-engine inspired. The ridges have a spiral pattern that is unique and plays into the watch’s aviation inspiration. The case, and entire watch, is extremely modern, which I really appreciate. While Oris has its share of vintage-inspired pieces in its collection, the ProPilot X is not one of them. It’s always great to see a brand do something completely new, and Oris accomplished that in spades here.
The modern detailing continues with the bracelet. The three-link bracelet is brushed and extremely contemporary. Oris took a fairly standard dial design (the three link) and flipped it on its head, creating something new. The outer links are angled, giving the watch an almost futuristic flare. I think that this design really pairs well with the turbine bezel. The case and bracelet really feels like they were designed together, and the bracelet was never an afterthought. If you talk to some of the most preeminent watch designers, many will actually tell you that they designed the bracelet first, in order to make the rest of the watch fit it seamlessly. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case with the ProPilot X.
Now that I’ve discussed pretty much everything but the most important part of the ProPilot X Laser, let’s get to it. And that would be the dial. When you first look at the ProPilot X Laser you will see a dial that is full of colors. This rainbow-esque dial fades from purple to blue to green to yellow to pink. Depend on the lighting the dial can appear very muted or incredibly bright and vivid. The dial appears metallic and almost sunray in its sheen. And while the dial is stunning on its own, its the innovative way that is produced that really impresses me.
Oris achieves this gradient rainbow dial without adding any color to the titanium dial. Essentially, the whole watch, sans the movement, is one big block of titanium. And how does Oris make the colorless colorful? Well, Oris used a brand new technique, where the dial is laser cut to allow light into microscopic pockets on the dial’s surface. As a result, you get “optical interference”, giving the dial the reflective rainbow effect that is so unique.
I really appreciate that Oris is taking the time to try new things with their watches. Too often brands are too content with taking their iconic pieces and just changing the dial color, not really adding anything new or different. What results is a huge collection of essentially the same watch, with their only difference being a slightly different dial color. It seems lazy to me. And Oris DID NOT do that here. And I really appreciate it. Did the world necessarily need a laser-cut dial that lets in different amounts of light on different parts of the dial, creating a rainbow pattern? Perhaps not. But now that it exists all I can say is that it’s damn cool and I’m happy Oris has some out of the box thinkers in their offices.
Internally, the Oris ProPilot X Laser runs on their in-house caliber 400 automatic movement with 21 jewels, and 120 hours of power reserve. The watch runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, 4 Hz. The movement is well finished and can be seen through a display caseback with custom rotor showcasing Oris’ seal. While you can opt for an Oris with an off-the-shelf movement, I much prefer Oris manufactured movements because of the attention to detail paid to manufacturing them. I think its worth the upcharge.
Overall, if you are looking for a watch that doesn’t overwhelm your wrist but surely will be a conversation starter, I would definitely recommend the ProPilot X Caliber 400 Laser. Having it on my wrist for a couple of weeks I can say that I would catch myself staring at the watch, rotating my wrist to see how the dial changed in different lights and angles.
