The Big Crown Pointer Date is the watch Oris built for gloved airmen in 1938: an oversized crown you can turn with flying gloves, and a fourth central hand that points at a date ring around the edge. Oris rebuilt the collection in April 2025. The fluted bezel went smooth, a new H-link bracelet with an Oris-developed clasp arrived, and the dial range went loud. 11 references, 7 dial colours, 2 case sizes.
These 2 are the same watch in different clothes, both 40mm on the bracelet at 2,000 EUR.
The 2 variants
| Lilac (4068) | Black (4064) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference | 01 754 7798 4068-07 8 20 06 | 01 754 7798 4064-07 8 20 06 |
| Dial per Oris | Purple, marketed as lilac | Black |
| Character | Soft, chic, seasonal | Sporty, focused, permanent |
| Colour accent | Blue pointer hand, on a violet ground | Blue pointer hand, the only colour on the dial |
| Price | 2,000 EUR | 2,000 EUR |
Everything else is identical. Same case, same movement, same bracelet, same 20mm lugs.
On the lilac. Oris's spec field says Purple and its copy says lilac, but the official photography does not agree with itself. The product render reads as a muted blue-violet and the wrist shot reads close to plain blue. There is also a separate blue dial in the range (4065), so the two are meant to be distinct. Do not buy this one from a screen.
Specs
| Diameter | 40mm, multi-piece stainless steel |
| Thickness | About 12mm. Oris does not publish it |
| Lug to lug | About 47.5mm. Oris does not publish it either |
| Lug width | 20mm |
| Crystal | Sapphire, domed both sides, anti-reflective coating inside |
| Case back | Screwed steel with a see-through mineral glass |
| Water resistance | 5 bar (50m) |
| Movement | Oris Calibre 754-1, Sellita SW200-1 base, automatic |
| Frequency | 28,800 A/h (4Hz), Ø 25.60mm |
| Power reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, centre pointer date, instantaneous date, date corrector, hacking seconds |
| Bracelet | Steel H-link with Oris-developed seamless clasp |
| Warranty | 2 years, 3 free if you register with MyOris |
The rest of the range
All 4 of the 40mm Calibre 754 references cost the same on the bracelet.
| Reference | Dial | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 01 754 7798 4064 | Black | 2,000 EUR |
| 01 754 7798 4065 | Blue | 2,000 EUR |
| 01 754 7798 4068 | Purple / lilac | 2,000 EUR |
| 01 754 7798 4069 | Yellow | 2,000 EUR |
Above that sit 2 Calibre 403 references, Oris's own 5-day movement with a 10-year warranty: 3,800 EUR on the bracelet, 3,600 EUR on leather. Nearly double the money for the movement alone. There is also a new 34mm size and a diamond-set version.
What is good
- The complication earns its place. A pointer date is easier to read at a glance than a 3mm window, and it does not cut a hole in the dial. Very few brands still make one.
- The crown. Oversized, knurled, screw-in. It is the whole point of the name and it feels right in the hand.
- The H-link bracelet. New for this generation, with a clasp Oris developed rather than bought in. It is the reason to take the bracelet over a strap.
- Lume where it matters. Applied Super-LumiNova numerals plus triangles at 5-minute intervals on the minute track.
- 20mm lugs on a normal spring-bar fitting, so straps swap freely. Oris sells 20mm leather from 145 EUR and textile from 125 EUR.
What is not
- 50m of water resistance. Fine for rain and hand-washing, wrong for swimming. A 2,000 EUR steel sports watch in 2026 should do 100m.
- A mineral display back. Sapphire on the front, mineral on the back. It scratches, and on a Sellita there is nothing behind it worth protecting.
- 41 hours of power reserve. Take it off Friday night and it is dead by Sunday.
- The price has moved. This was a sub-1,500 EUR watch not long ago. At 2,000 EUR it competes with watches carrying better movements.
- The smooth bezel. The coin-edge bezel was part of the model's face. Losing it makes the watch cleaner and less itself.
Where it sits
Against my Oris-propilot-date and Oris Big Crown ProPilot Big Date notes, the Big Crown is the older and more charming design. The ProPilot is the tool; this is the heirloom shape. See Oris for the brand.
| Alternative | Why | Price band |
|---|---|---|
| Oris Big Crown Calibre 403 | Same watch, 5-day in-house movement, 10-year warranty | 3,600-3,800 EUR |
| Longines Legend Diver 39mm | Similar era, 300m, better resale | Around 2,900 EUR |
| Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm | Cheaper, 80h, 100m, less character | Around 1,000 EUR |
| Nomos Club Campus | Sharper design, hand-wound, no bracelet | Around 1,700 EUR |
| Christopher Ward C65 | More watch per euro, less history | Under 1,000 EUR |
Buying
Direct from Oris or through authorised dealers, using their store finder. Oris is discounted in the German grey market with reasonable regularity, so the list price is a ceiling rather than a number. Register with MyOris after purchase for the free third year of warranty.
My take
The pointer date is the reason to want this, and Oris is one of very few brands still making one at a sane price. The 1938 lineage is real, not a marketing retrofit.
The black 4064 is the one I would buy. The blue arrow against a flat black dial is the whole design working with one accent, and it stays right in 5 years. The lilac is the more interesting watch and the harder one to live with, and given how differently Oris's own photographs render it, it needs seeing in daylight first.
What holds me back on both is the spec at the price. 50m, 41 hours and a mineral case back on a 2,000 EUR watch is thin next to what Hamilton and Christopher Ward give you for less. You are paying for the pointer date and the crown. That may well be worth it, but be clear that is the trade.
Further reading
- Big Crown Pointer Date 4068, lilac
- Big Crown Pointer Date 4064, black
- The Big Crown returns, Oris on the relaunch
