Oris, my first love: Background
The Oris Aquis line has been a favorite of watch enthusiasts since its release in 2011. This was also the year I bought my first automatic watch, a Mondaine, which I soon returned for a Tissot T-Tempo (in 2018, I bought another Mondaine). I am currently wearing the Tissot, which is a classically styled 39 mm watch, though I wish I hadn’t gone with a two-tone colorway. But, in 2011, I really wanted an Oris Divers (an older line), which was just outside my budget at the time. I still regret not buying the Oris; it was a beautiful watch in blue, had a wave motif on the dial, and had an extra strong type of Super-LumiNova with a greenish tint. The case was also 44 mm in diameter.
I don’t regret that aspect of the watch.
In 2018, I bought my first Aquis—and first diving watch, for that matter. It was the 43.5 mm version of the Oris Aquis Date in green (the 39.5 mm version in green wouldn’t be released for another year). I ended up selling the watch because I thought it looked too big. But this left a void in my watch collection, and I often missed owning the watch.
Buying a smaller size: Today
Last week, I caught the watch bug again. And I wanted the Aquis. After reading articles and watching videos on YouTube (namely, those by TGV, Ariel Adams, and Tim Mosso), I decided I would buy the Oris Aquis Date 39.5 in green. I went ahead and called the authorized dealer I’ve purchased most of my watches from (contact me if you’re looking for a good deal, and I’ll give you their name), but I was surprised by his response.
“Have you tried on the watch?” This was the watch dealer’s first response. Apparently, many of his customers have been unhappy with the 39.5 because it’s smaller in real life, and they end up returning it for the 41.5. Because of this issue, he said he no longer stocks the 39.5. I explained to him that I had done my research and wanted the 39.5, but that I would try it on at a local authorized dealer first, which he highly recommended. He would still be able to order the 39.5 for me (as he would have had to do with the 41.5 as well, since neither were in stock in green), but he just wanted to make sure I would be happy with the relatively small wrist presence.
I made it to an A.D. the same day right before closing time. On the phone, the sales associate told me they had a 39.5 and 41.5 Aquis in stock on bracelet. They even let me compare the Aquises with my Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight (BB58).
The BB58 is an immensely popular watch because of its smaller 39 mm case diameter, which works well with smaller wrists. Therefore, I think comparing the 39.5 mm and 41.5 mm Aquises with the 39 mm BB58 will be helpful for many watch buyers with smaller wrists. Even though the stated size of the 39.5 Aquis is slightly larger than the 39 mm BB58, it wears smaller because of its short, angled lugs and smaller lug-to-lug measurement.
Measurements
Before showing the photos, I want to list the measurements of the three watches. These measurements were gleaned from various sources on the web.
Note: The 41.5 Aquis I am comparing in this article is the Caliber 400 version that costs nearly twice as much as the one with a stock Sellita movement. This was the only 41.5 Aquis the A.D. had in stock. The Caliber 400 versions apparently have the same case dimensions as the standard versions, though you should measure the standard version yourself for certainty.
Oris Aquis Date 39.5
Case diameter: 39.1 mm
Lug-to-lug: 45.9 mm
Thickness: 12.5 mm
Oris Aquis Date 41.5 Caliber 400
Case diameter: 41.5 mm
Lug-to-lug: 48.3 mm
Thickness: 13.5 mm
Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
Case diameter: 39 mm
Lug-to-lug: 47.5 mm
Thickness: 11.7 mm
My wrist
Circumference: 6.25 in (15.9 cm)
Comparison photos
Conclusion
I decided to go with the 39.5 because my wrists are small (they are probably in the 10th percentile or smaller for men) and this is the smallest men’s Aquis (the women’s version would be the 36.5). I reasoned if Oris made the 39.5 Aquis for anyone, it’s for someone like me. However, as I think the photos and measurements illustrate, the 41.5 doesn’t seem too big on me and I could have gone with that option as well. I actually went into the A.D. thinking I would get the 41.5 and spent the most time thinking about that model. It wasn’t until I got home and started reading articles and watching YouTube videos again—in addition to doing my own reasoning—that I decided to go with the 39.5.
A subjective factor that played into my reasoning was how I appreciate the look of smaller watches, both because of the jewelry aspect and how they are more traditional in size and favored by a certain demographic (such as people who read Hodinkee or luxury watch forums). In the end, I think both watches would look good on my wrist, but the subjective factors tipped the balance in favor of the 39.5 for me. I will know more about how I like it after spending significant time with it on the wrist. Look for an update to this article with a link to another article where I’ll write about my thoughts after wearing the 39.5 for a significant amount of time.