First announced in January 2019, the limited-edition Oris Dive ProDiver Control Chronograph 01 774 7727 7784-Set offers a blend of great caliber, interesting exterior, and an overall flamboyant attitude of a heavy-weight boxing champion delivered in a single -albeit slightly overpriced- package.

Oris ProDiver Dive Control Chronograph: Overall Impression

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Full disclosure: I don’t like the direction the collection is taking with their recent bunch of “professional” diving companions. This Oris ProDiver Dive Control is not an exception here.

Since at least 2009, my idea of a “true” Oris diver was personified by their ProDiver Chronograph Titanium.

It was mostly the combination of signature bullet-shaped hands and hour markers that made the ProDiver such a distinctive timekeeper. The easily recognizable shape of the rotating bezel also did a great job at making its exterior unique.

It didn’t take much time to tell any member of the collection from any other semi-pro “diver” rated for 500+ meters of water resistance.

With the latest collection update, including this 2019 Dive Control Chronograph, Oris has introduced several cosmetic changes.

However minor, they have ripped a huge chunk of ProDiver’s unique identity.

Yes, the dial is still easy to read and its overall ergonomics -at least, for a 51mm behemoth- is still above all praise, but it feels like the soul of the original ProDiver is gone.

The Case, Ergonomics & Strap

Versatility: 2.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Ergonomics: 5/5

Look At The Size Of This Thing!

The “Versatility” value was hurt by the gargantuan size of the 51mm case. You must be an eccentric person to wear this watch with anything more formal than a professional diving suit. Well, perhaps a pair of blue jeans and a sheepskin B3 bomber jacket would also work.

Sure, it could be that the Dive Control Chronograph -as well as its numerous “professional” siblings- , was designed with eccentric persons -and collectors- in mind, and their definition of versatility may be different than mine. Still, only two and a half stars out of five for this beast in this department.

The case is also terribly thick at more than 20 millimeters from top to bottom, but the width is completely justified.

About 2/5 of its overall thickness comes courtesy of the unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel. It houses a sapphire crystal that is thick enough to withstand 100 ATM of static water pressure.

The Titanium Alloy

Timekeepers of these heroic proportions are normally heavy as a fish tank full of water.

When it comes to this behemoth, the problem is partially remedied by the choice of lightweight titanium alloy. They also used titanium for the folding clasp, although the crown and chronograph push-pieces are still crafted from DLC-treated steel.

The black DLC coating on its surfaces makes the ProDiver look extremely cool. It also does a good job of protecting the soft metal from minor dings and scratches.

The Ergonomics

For ergonomics, the Dive Control Chronograph is good. Everything is good about it.

The setting crown offers a good grip, while the chunky chronograph push-pieces are comfortable to operate. The lugs are short making the Dive Control Chronograph just a tad longer than a normal “large” wristwatch.

The points where the straps are attached to the body are moved as close to the bottom as possible. This makes making the timepiece look a bit too tall for my taste, yet the design allows the case to sit snugger on a normal wrist.

The Straps

What I am not happy about is the choice of straps. The waterproof presentation box that this device comes in contains only a 26mm black rubber strap and a complementary yellow rubber strap.

Bracelets are out of the question, sorry. To make changing the strap a bit easier, Oris put in the same box their traditional strap-changing tool.

The problem here is that, unlike their Culture and Aviation collections, Oris divers feature non-standard lugs. They will make it difficult finding a third-party replacement when the original one finally cracks.

Or maybe you love the watch but hate the feel of silicon or rubber against your skin, especially in winter.

In most cases, you’ll have just two choices. You can either get a standard 26mm leather strap and then cut it to fit or, preferably, order a custom strap. In any case, this $5k product gets even more expensive.

The same goes for bracelets, although they are even more expensive to customize to fit the lugs. NATO / Zulu straps are out of the question.

The Mechanism: Sellita SW500

The Dive Control Chronograph may look unique, yet the caliber that powers this monster is an ordinary Sellita SW500 chronograph. We have seen variations of this caliber in the 2017 Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph UTC as well as the limited-edition Oris Audi Sport Chronograph

Renamed as the Caliber 774 and fine-tuned to the Swiss brand’s specs, it sports the traditional red-painted oscillating weight. A drop-in replacement for the ETA 7750, it features the same 25 jewels and beats at 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour.

The guaranteed 48 hours of power reserve give it an edge over the 7750 for those who don’t plan to wear the Dive Control daily.

That’s all one needs to know about it besides the fact that it also powers their 2014 TT3 Darryl O’Young, the sporty 2013 limited-edition Calobra models, as well as dozens of other chronographs of the brand.

It is as blunt and boring as the gadget’s exterior is eccentric and outrageous, which is actually great. In this price bucket, you don’t want to get yourself a watch with a rare and fragile caliber that requires you to store the device in a controllable and safe environment: preferably a bank vault.

The Dial & Legibility

Overall Legibility: 4/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4/5

Oris ProDiver Dive Control Chronograph’s dials often look busy and cluttered. This one, however, is surprisingly easy to read with every element logically sized and painted.

This is one of the few watches that doesn’t make you guess the position of the seconds hand. It is of the same white color as the hour and minute indicators. The chronograph totalizers are bright yellow, as is the diving timer on the black ceramic bezel.

The legibility score would be even better if the sapphire crystal over the date aperture featured something like a fisheye magnifying lens, but the lack of said lens is just a minor annoyance, nothing more.

Pricing & Availability

Value for Money: 4/5

The ProDiver Dive Control Chronograph is already available for preorder at CHF 4850 (approx. $4900,) although some US-based retailers ask as much as $6500 for this beast. From where I stand, the watch is a bit on the pricey side of the ballpark, but, hey, it’s a limited edition model with no more than 500 pieces to ever enter circulation which makes it more valuable for collectors and diving enthusiasts alike.

Photos: Oris

WWR’s Verdict

Originality 4/5
Versatility: 2.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Ergonomics: 5/5
Overall Legibility: 4/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Oris Dive Control Chronograph 01 774 7727 7784-Set specification

Price: CHF 4850 (MSRP)

Winding: Automatic
Movement: Oris Caliber 774 (based on Sellita SW500,) Swiss Made
Movement finish: Red “Oris” oscillating weight
Number of Jewels: 25
Cadence of Balance: 28,800 vph
Power Reserve: Approx. 48 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, date

Case: Titanium, black DLC treatment
Crown: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 51.00 mm
Height: 21.00 mm
Lug width: 26.00 mm

Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective coating, domed
Back: Solid, engraved

Dial: Black with Yellow accents
Hour markers: Luminous, applied
Hands: Luminous

Water resistance: 1000 meters

Strap: 26 mm black rubber strap with black DLC titanium folding clasp; extra yellow strap and a strap-changing tool