Sunday, April 2, 2023

ORIS – ProPilot Altimeter 47mm Carbon Fibre


ORIS – ProPilot Altimeter Carbon Fibre / Titanium 47mm Automatic 2023

 Oris returns to the world’s first and only automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter, adding elevated performance and an innovative carbon-fibre composite case

Rising to the occasion

Higher, slimmer, lighter: Oris upgrades the world’s first and still only automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter

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In 2014, Oris became the world’s first watch company to introduce a watch that combined an automatic mechanical movement with a mechanical altimeter in a single watch. This year, the innovative ProPilot Altimeter is back, with an upgraded altimeter, a slimmer profile and a lightweight case.

Since 1904, Oris has focussed on developing high-functioning watches that deliver real-world value. We’ve developed more than 280 unique calibres and countless watches in that time, many of them offering pioneering, useful, easy-to-use complications. 

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The ProPilot Altimeter continued that tradition by accurately relaying the time, air pressure and altitude via a single dial – entirely mechanically. Full of innovation, it became a watch pilots, mountaineers, hikers and so-called “watchnerds” aspired to. 

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Now, after a three-year project, we’ve made it even better. The new ProPilot Altimeter has an improved altimeter module, capable of indicating altitude up to 19,700 feet or 6,000 Rising to the occasion Higher, slimmer, lighter: Oris upgrades the world’s first and still only automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter metres (as before, there are two available configurations), where previously the scales topped out at 15,000 feet or 4,500 metres. 

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The new watch’s case is in lightweight carbon fibre produced using an innovative process developed and perfected by our partner 9T Labs (see page 10), a spin-off from the prestigious ETH Zurich university (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). It houses Calibre 793, a slimline automatic with an improved 56-hour power reserve that sits inside a case 1mm thinner than the original. 

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These upgrades make the new ProPilot Altimeter one of the highest performing, most innovative watches we’ve ever created.

 How it works

The ProPilot Altimeter is a high-functioning wristwatch packed with technical innovation. But it’s also a practical tool that’s designed to be simple to operate and use

Oris ProPilot Altimeter Operating instructions

The Altimeter function can be operated with the crown located at 4 o’clock.

1. Neutral mode: Crown position 0

In neutral mode, when its crowns are screwed in securely, the ProPilot Altimeter functions like a regular automatic watch. Time is displayed by the hands on the central dial (adjusted by the crown at 2 o’clock), and the watch is water-resistant to 10 bar/100 m.

2. Activating the altimeter: Crown position 1

To activate the altimeter, unscrew the crown at 4 o’clock into position 1. At that point, a red ring appears, indicating the altimeter is in use.

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3. Setting the altimeter: Crown position 2

To set the altimeter, pull the crown out to position 2 and rotate it so that the reference air pressure (supplied by an airport control tower, for example) aligns with the red triangle at 6 o’clock on the central dial. The watch now shows the current altitude, shown by the yellow indicator, and the current absolute air pressure, shown by the red indicator. While activated, a patented Oris altimeter-adjustment and venting crown, equipped with a PTFE vapour barrier, stops ambient moisture entering the watch.

4. Measuring altitude: Crown position 1

Having set the altimeter, push the crown back into position 1. Changes in altitude are shown by the yellow indicator against the outer dial ring, on a scale from 0-19,700 feet, or from 0-6,000 metres (the watch is available with either feet or metres scales).

The altimeter hand is made from lightweight laminated carbon fibre. To deactivate the altimeter and return it to neutral, screw the crown back into position 0. This also reseals the watch so that it becomes water-resistant to 10 bar (100 metres).

Wrist and reward

The ProPilot Altimeter is a technical wonder. Oris product development engineer Richard Siegrist goes into the detail

Richard, tell us a bit about yourself… My name is Richard Ipyana Siegrist, but everyone calls me Ipy. I’ve been Oris product development engineer for three years. I’m a timber engineer by education and in my free time I like working in my wood shop and truffle hunting with my dog.

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How did you come to work at Oris? I’d worked in product management, but I’d always wanted to go somewhere products are developed. When this job came up, I took the chance and applied. I didn’t come from watches, so I brought new perspectives and ideas. Personally, the challenge of working with such a small product with so much emotion was very intriguing.

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What does your role at Oris involve? I’m responsible for “materials” and coming up with new and innovative production processes, and materials or special coatings that can be applied to watch cases, dials, bracelets or even packaging. Sustainability is at the centre of it. My work provides material for the designer to use. If we have something interesting, the first question is always: “Where can we apply this and how does the customer benefit from it?” But because we’re working to such exact tolerances, sometimes good ideas have to be let go.

If a designer has designed something you think is impossible to deliver, what then? That doesn’t really happen, because what  do comes first. It’s then my job to explain to the designer the possibilities and also the limitations of, for example, a specific new case material. We work very closely, so we have a constant exchange on every project. 

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The new ProPilot Altimeter is an interesting case study: first, what does it do? It has an integrated altimeter, which means you can read the altitude up to 19,700 feet or 6,000 metres from the dial. Once you calibrate it correctly, you can check your altitude at any time. And of course, it’s a watch that shows the time and date, too.

And what’s new about it? We wanted to evolve the existing model by increasing the altitude range from 4,500 metres to 6,000 metres, while also making the case slimmer and lighter. It took three years to develop, and it was complex! The solution was an updated pressure box that can show the range within 1.5 rotations of the indicator hand. We also introduced a thinner automatic movement with a 56-hour power reserve, Oris Calibre 793, and housed it in a unique carbon-fibre composite material case with a titanium bezel and case back. The carbon composite is two thirds lighter than titanium. The result is a watch with improved performance that’s also 1mm slimmer than the previous model and 70 grammes lighter. At 47 mm, it’s still a substantial watch, but we’ve created a beautifully balanced tool that works even on a smaller wrist. Of course, there are electronic altimeters out there, but this is all about the joy of mechanics!

How easy is the function to operate? Once you’ve calibrated the scale to the altitude where you are, you simply read the height from the dial – so it’s very easy. 

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Does anyone else do something similar? No, we’re still the only watch company that has managed to put an automatic movement and a mechanical altimeter in a single watch. There are other mechanical watches with an altimeter function, but they’re always hand-wound to avoid a rotor and therefore be able to connect the pressure box with the dial on top by going through the movement. Oris took another path by developing a second dial underneath the movement, which meant we could separate the altimeter from the mechanical automatic movement. 

Who would you say this watch is for? It’s for outdoor fans, who like to go hiking and be in the mountains; for pilots and aviation enthusiasts; and last but not least for “technical nerds”, who appreciate the ingenuity in this high-functioning watch.

Case studies

Oris partnered with 9T Labs for the ProPilot Altimeter’s case. The company’s Giovanni Cavolina unlocks its secrets

Giovanni, introduce yourself and 9T Labs... Hi, I’m Giovanni, co-founder and chief commercial officer at 9T Labs, a Swiss high- tech firm based in Zurich. We founded the company in 2018 and now have more than 60 employees and offices in Europe and North America. 9T Lab’s focus is on what we call the “climate neutral mobility of the future”, which means introducing the new design and manufacturing standard for stronger, lighter parts at lower cost and zero waste. 

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Why did Oris approach 9T Labs? Oris wanted a watch made of lightweight, extremely strong materials, but in a new, innovative way. Watches produced using carbon fibre composite are two-a-penny, now. It’s become a bit boring, and the materials are not sustainable. 9T Labs was commissioned to use carbon fibre composites in a way never seen before: using sustainable processes and a unique design, with an artistic, natural pattern. The tree-ring effect provided an unusual challenge for this material; normally the challenges are based on where loads are applied. We collaborated with Oris’s design team to get the result. It worked out really well.


How is the ProPilot Altimeter case made? 9T Labs developed a unique, all-in-one manufacturing solution based on “additive manufacturing and moulding”. This is different to normal 3D-printing, which is mainly for prototyping. We can industrialise manufacturing and use the technology to produce structural end-use parts at high volumes. This is a real breakthrough. 

What benefits does the material deliver? It’s a composite of carbon fibre and a polymer called PEKK that has high mechanical, heat and chemical resistance. Together, they form a material that’s as light as plastic and that can be stronger than metals. So it’s low weight, high stiffness and high strength. 

And where else is it used? 9T Labs’ technology is used to make parts for airplanes, satellites, cars, motorbikes, bikes and instruments used in surgery. Oris is the first watchmaker using 9T’s tech.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: ProPilot

Model: ProPilot Altimeter Carbon Fibre Case 47mm

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 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Versions

Movement
Automatic Calibre Oris 793 base SW 300-1
Dimensions Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’
Winding Automatic winding
Power-Reserve 56 hrs
Vibrations 28’800 A/h, 4 Hz
Jewels 25
Functions
Hours, minutes and central sweep seconds hands, date with quick setting, stop second device, date window at 3 o’clock
Operating devices

  • Grey PVD-plated titanium screw-in security crown at 2 o’clock
  • Grey PVD-plated titanium screw-in altimeter crown at 4 o’clock

Case
Single-piece carbon fibre case
Grey PVD-plated titanium bezel
Diameter: 47.00 mm (1.85 inches)
Top glass: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Case back: Grey PVD-plated titanium, screwed, feet-to-metre conversion chart engravings
Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres)
Dial
Black with altitude scale on dial ring in either feet or metres
Indices, numbers and hands printed with Super-LumiNova®
Strap/Bracelet
Green textile strap with brown leather lining
Material Grey/Black PVD-plated titanium folding clasp with fine adjustment system

  Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

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Available from   March 2023

🔴 Swiss retail price CHF 6’200

 
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Press Release - 2023
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