Oris BC3

The Oris BC3 is a Swiss made 'Pilot' style watch with an automatic wind mechanical movement
This example is fitted with the Oris Deployment Bracelet, other versions are available with rubber or leather straps
The BC3 is available in two case diameters, 35 and 40mm (40mm reviewd here)
Both sizes are 11mm thick. All Stainless Steel construction.

The Case is monumental in construction. Deep lugs extend from below the bezel to the full thickness. The rim of the bezel and the screw back are polished, all the rest of the case is brushed. The glass is flat uncoated sapphire and there is a mineral glass rear window. The crown is massive as a major feature of the BC series and carries the Oris logo. It is not screw down but on rotation one can feel the confident drag of the sealing 'O' ring.
The watch and bracelet weigh 150 grams.

The Dial is a masterpiece of clarity.The black is finished in a non relective satin and all the hands and markings are white.

The Hands and hour indices are Tritium loaded, with excellent dark visibilty. The Second hand is not luminous and the 12 o'clock indice is a double dot.

The Day and Date characters trip over at 12 o'clock with no creep.

The texture around the rim of the dial where the indices are is very slightly less satin than the rest, and there is a thin line feature encircling, within the numbers.

Under magnification there is no 'debris' on the dial and the markings are finely printed.

The watch is well served with a flat sapphire which sits about 0.2mm above the bezel.

Close examination shows that the seconds numbering (5,10,15 etc) is silver and not white.

The Movement is the ubiquitous ETA 28xx series 25 jewel automatic. It is visible through the mineral glass rear porthole and looks rather small against the massive case and bezel. The watch was regulated from its +15 seconds to -2 in 24 hours. This performance is with the watch continuously worn on the wrist. Off the wrist there is quite a large gain in dial up and crown up (around +15 seconds a day). This performance will be evaluated in more detail at a later date. A Hack feature is fitted to this movement.

The only finish applied to the movement is the Oris logo and some texturing on the rotor.

The movement is constrained in the case by pressure from a wavy circumferential spring inside the rim of the back. Therefore no plastic retainer is evident.

The Bracelet is Stainless Steel with solid links. It uses the common deployment principle. The clasps are adequate but rather cheaply fashioned from stamped out steel. The bracelet is a mixture of polished and brushed areas and is comfortable to wear.

Links can be removed easily by pushing out the steel bifurcated link pins.

The termination of the bracelet between the lugs does not use the usual ugly, pressed steel adaptor and is very attractive.

The merits of this watch lie in the design and excellent construction of the case and bracelet.

The movement is the 'standard' workhorse used by so many Swiss makers who buy in.

The watch is large and heavy but sits well on even my slight wrist.

I enjoy wearing it and regard it as excellent value to anyone who wants a mechanical Pilot style Swiss watch.