The Oris Big Crown | family history
The Big Crown name comes from the oversized onion crown originally designed for glove operation, a direct functional reference to early aviation. The modern Propilot family carries that DNA through the pointer-date, GMT, and standard date variants. The Calibre 01-754 is Oris's in-house automatic for the Propilot line. At this price the Big Crown Propilot GMT is the most direct independent-Swiss competitor to the IWC Pilot Mark XX and Hamilton Khaki Aviation at a fraction of IWC's price.
Oris’s contemporary pilot line: coin-edge bezel, oversized crown drawn from the brand’s 1938 Big Crown pilot reference. The ProPilot Date is the family entry; X Calibre 400 references step up to the in-house caliber 400 platform.
1938 · Original Big Crown
The original Big Crown was produced for the British Royal Air Force in the late 1930s, with an oversized onion crown, large Arabic numerals, and high-contrast dial. The original reference established the vocabulary that Oris has kept in continuous production across multiple generations.
No references from this era in the catalog yet.
2000-2016 · Propilot and modern family expansion
Oris expanded the Big Crown into the Propilot family with multiple complications: pointer-date (the distinctive jumping hand tracking the date around the chapter ring), GMT, and standard date variants. The 7750-based chronograph is the most complex reference. The Calibre 01-754 in-house movement began appearing in Propilot references in this period.
No references from this era in the catalog yet.
2016-present · Calibre 01-754 and current production
The current Propilot Date and GMT carry the Calibre 01-754, an in-house automatic with Oris's distinctive red rotor. The GMT is the family's most-collected reference: the 41mm case, the clean pilot dial, and a second time zone at a price point below any IWC pilot with comparable function.
How to read this family
Two honest questions for any Big Crown buyer:
- Propilot or Pointer Date? The Propilot Date is a straightforward pilot-watch choice. The Pointer Date (tracked under oris-big-crown-pointer-date) uses the distinctive pointer-date hand jumping around the chapter ring, creating a more complex and more visually interesting dial. Both are excellent; the choice is whether you value legibility or complication distinctiveness.
- Oris or IWC Pilot Mark XX at three times the price? The IWC has better case finishing, an in-house caliber with soft-iron anti-magnetic cage, and significantly more brand prestige. The Oris has honest Swiss construction at a fraction of the price. If budget allows, the IWC is the better object. If budget is the constraint, the Oris makes a genuine argument.
Related families: Oris Aquis · IWC Pilot · Hamilton Khaki Aviation
References in this family
Which ref to buy
The Big Crown ProPilot is Oris's main pilot watch. Two meaningful variants: the standard date version using a Sellita SW220, and the ProPilot X with Cal. 400 -- Oris's first in-house caliber. Cal. 400 has a 5-day power reserve, 10-year service interval, and anti-magnetic to 1,000 gauss. The Cal. 400 version is a different value proposition entirely.
- 1Open
ProPilot X Cal. 400 -- Oris's in-house movement changes the entire value equation.
- The case for it:
- Cal. 400 is a genuine argument for the watch: 5-day reserve, 10-year service interval, 1,000 gauss anti-magnetic. Oris built something worth the premium. At the price point, nothing else in the segment matches that service interval.
- Consider instead if:
- The skeletal ProPilot X case design is polarizing. Buyers who want a cleaner pilot aesthetic should look at the standard ProPilot Date instead.
- 2Open
ProPilot Date -- clean pilot design, honest price, standard movement.
- The case for it:
- Correct pilot watch aesthetic: large crown, bold numerals, legible layout. The price is fair for what it is.
- Consider instead if:
- If you're spending Oris money on a pilot watch, the Cal. 400 version is a materially better purchase. The standard date version has no story the Cal. 400 doesn't tell better.
Rankings last reviewed 2026-06-07. Editorial perspective only. Not financial advice.