A Closer Look at the Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante Watch
Oris is a luxury watchmaker known for its commitment to sustainability and doing its part to make the world a better and healthier place to live. The famed brand has partnered with Cervo Volante, a leather producer, also committed to conservation and eliminating waste on the planet. The startup sources deer hides from countries that allow hunting to reduce deer populations that present a threat to the natural environment. The hides would otherwise be burned or disposed of in other ways. Cervo Volante acquired the hides from various countries to use the valuable resource, ensuring natural vegetable tanning processes to craft the fine leather watchbands for Oris. This is the first significant feature of the model that Oris dubs the Big Crown X Cervo Volante watch.
History of the Big Crown X
Reviewers at A Blog to Watch are kind enough to give us an overview of the background for the Orig Big Crown X Cervo Volante. It’s based on the Big Crown Pointer Date, yet in a smaller version with a vintage aesthetic. Reducing the size of the case gives it a lighter and more comfortable feeling on the wrist. It also opens up a larger segment of the population who prefer the smaller size. Still, the latest iteration in the Big Crown Collection has its distinct personality, although maintaining the DNA of the family line. It’s a timepiece that merits a more thorough inspection to fully appreciate its finer points.
A closer look at the Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante
We like to start at the case that protects the delicate inner workings of the powerhouse. The Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante has a stainless steel case that measures 38 mm in diameter. Oris explains that it’s a multi-piece style with a brushed finish. The lugs are tapered, presenting a strong, masculine aesthetic. The back of the case is also stainless steel, screwed in, with an exhibition-style mineral glass on the back to provide a full view of the mechanical workings of the movement beneath. The front crystal over the dial is a sapphire crystal lens with scratch and scuff resistance, domed on both sides with anti-reflective treatment to reduce glare from brightly lighted environments. The crown is a security screw-in type, also stainless steel. The bezel is round and fluted, yet slightly diminished. It imparts a visual effect that makes it appear to recede slightly with the domed sapphire crystal a bit more pronounced. The green dial provides a sporty look. The classic Arabic numerals and indices are white to give the dial a nice contrast, making the time pop visually. We love the high legibility of the dial with its clean and simple layout that makes it easy to read from most angles. The indices, hands, and numbers are all treated with a coating of Superluminova C1/3 to give it a bright glow in low light and darkness. The silvertone hands also contrast well against the green and white colors making it easy to read the time. Another notable feature is that the watch is attractive from the frontal view, and also interesting when you flip it over to reveal a view of the movement.
The movement
The Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante contains an in-house movement. They call it the Oris 754, base SW 200-1 caliber. The size of the device is 25.60 mm wide. It’s an automatic winding pointer date model developed by the team at Oris. It beats at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, with 26 jewels and a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. Functions include hours, minutes, and seconds. Uniquely, the other movement features include the center hand for the date, instantaneous date, date, corrector, stop-second, and fine-timing device. The unique date function explains the fourth hand displayed on the dial, with the date indices placed around the outer circumference of the dial.
The strap
The strap is a brown leather type made of genuine deer hide. Cervo Volante sourced the leather from hides that would otherwise be disposed of, wasting the resource. They tan each hide naturally. The craftsmen use no chemicals in the creation of the watchband. Its light brown color works well with the sporty green dial. The combination delivers a versatile aesthetic. It is suitable for casual wear and it is also remarkable for dressy occasions. The Oris Big Crown X Cervo Olante is an all-around practical dress accessory that can help you stay on schedule and look good at the same time.
Price and availability
The Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante is now available through Oris and authorized dealers. The price of this entry-level luxury watch is just $2,000. We believe it to be an exceptional value for the cost.
Final thoughts
The Oris Big Crown X Cervo Volante is an attractive men’s wristwatch suitable for anyone looking for a solid all-around watch that can be worn with most outfits and on most occasions. It’s fashionable from the front or the back view with a crisp and clean aesthetic in simple styling with just enough tiny accents to make it visually interesting. It’s alluring at first glance with its green dial, which is not that common, and the deer hide strap that offers a comfortable and earthy tone. The watch is easy on the eyes, and it’s also suitable for use in darker lighting conditions thanks to the bright glow of Superluminova on the hands and indices. The Big Crown case is smaller by a few mm, but distinguishable as a member of the collection, albeit with a few of its personality traits. The instantaneous date function is another nice touch that helps distinguish it from the crowd. Overall, we’d have to give the Cervo Volante edition high marks. We had to subtract a few for its low resistance to water at 5 bar. You shouldn’t wear it swimming, but aside from that, it’s a magnificent accessory that fits into most lifestyles.