ReviewTwo Tales Entwined: The ‘Oris x Momotaro’ Divers Sixty-Five

Oris is a brand that we’ve come to know and love for its meaningful collaborations with organisations and people who are dedicated to saving the planet. This time though, turning its sights to fashion, Oris has partnered with Momotaro Jeans, the Japanese denim makers who carry the same spirit as the Swiss watch manufacturer. The word momotaro stems from ancient Japanese folklore and translates to ‘peach boy’. The story tells the tale of a child born to an elderly couple who found a giant peach floating down the river, ate it and regained their youth. They named him Momotaro. This was a tale of kaishun-gata or rejuvenation. The brand was established in 1992 in the small coastal town of Kojima in Okayama with just three employees. Incidentally the company originated in the same place as the folktale, and hence went with the name ‘Momotaro’.

However, the critically-acclaimed denim brand’s origin story isn’t the only one that’s interesting here. That’s because the timepiece that this collaboration is based on, the Divers Sixty-Five, has an equally interesting emergence. Way back in 1965, Oris had launched a simple diver’s watch that had a black domed dial, an external rotating bezel and a bold design with unique hour markers. At the time, the watch didn’t get a lot of traction and was almost forgotten. That is until Oris looked back at its past and decided to create a modern, larger interpretation of the original design without straying too far from it. And that’s how we got the Divers Sixty-Five collection of watches—all descendants of that timepiece from 1965.

The Tales Entwine

You’d think that when two engaging stories come together, it would entail a bit of chaos. But here, this merging is seamless and almost magical. This Divers Sixty-Five has the familiar silhouette of the basic 40mm variant, complete with its guardless crown and vintage-looking diver’s bezel. A size of 40mm means that the watch is a delight for all wrists, big and small. However, this version uses bronze in the bezel’s construction and that takes things up a notch. Bronze is one of the hottest materials in watchmaking right now. Pair that with the timelessness of denim and what you essentially have is one of the trendiest watches you could come across. 

The dial of the watch has a rare green gradient design that gives it a unique personality of its own

₹2,45,000

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The Divers Sixty-Five has the familiar silhouette of the 40mm variant, complete with its guardless crown and vintage-looking diving bezel

₹2,45,000

Check Our Selling Price

The gold-tone hands and hour markers, with matching lume, complete the face of this watch in an aesthetically pleasing manner

₹2,45,000

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A coin-edged bronze bezel spruces up an already handsome Divers Sixty-Five

₹2,45,000

Check Our Selling Price

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The dial of the watch has a rare green gradient design, with a white minute ring on the periphery. The colour looks lively and light and gives this timepiece a unique personality of its own. The gold-tone hands and hour markers with matching lume completes the face of this watch in an aesthetically pleasing manner. With a 100m water resistance rating, the solid caseback commemorates the collaboration with an ‘Oris x Momotaro’ script engraved on the back. What it protects is the automatic Oris 733 movement, which uses the Sellita SW 200-1 as its base and is capable of a 38-hour power reserve. Interestingly, in this case, they have removed the date function in order to lend the dial a more symmetrical and clean look. And looking at the result, we’d say deleting the date was the right call. 

The Distinctive Momotaro ‘Battle Stripes’

Coming to the Momotaro part of this collaboration, the strap is made by the niche denim label. Made from indigo Momotaro denim, the strap also features the brand’s signature ‘battle stripes’, which are the most striking and original elements of the watch. The brand doesn’t compromise on any aspect of the manufacturing process. The raw material has to be long-staple, high-quality cotton. They only use deep indigo rope dye for a beautiful fade. And they still use old, vintage shuttle looms to give the textile a handmade feel, with all details carefully hand-sewn. In short, there is no compromise on quality. Momotaro has a cult following around the world and this will make this watch extremely desirable to those who appreciate its value. But even if the strap is a bit bold for you, there is no doubt that this is one of the best examples of the Divers Sixty-Five out there—staying true to the collection, but with a distinctive identity of its own. 

Even in the dark, the watch presents a handsome appearance, as the stripes on the denim strap stand out, while the Super-LumiNova on the dial gives off an old, radium-like glow

“Oris is the perfect match for us, because like Momotaro, it’s independent, it makes bold and brave choices, and it’s obsessive about quality,” explained Katsu Manabe, the son of Momotaro’s founder, when asked why the collaboration made sense. “This isn’t just a product collaboration. Our spirit, culture and craftsmanship really synchronised. And we also love Oris watches and the Oris story. Go your own way!” And when you think about it, it does make sense. Both brands exemplify a free-thinking and individualistic way of life, both brands have a heightened sense of aesthetics, and both enjoy worldwide adoration. So, the ‘Oris x Momotaro’ Divers Sixty-Five is an easy winner in our books. Moreover, what makes it special is that even if you don’t consider the brand association, it still is a brilliant watch and a true value-for-money proposition.