Review: Oris ProPilot X 400 caliber wit the salmon (pink!) dial.

Let me start but talking about the pink elephant in the room and pose the question many people have asked about this watch; is it even a pilot watch? There, now we can move on with the review, but I will circle back to the question above later.

What we see here is the 2022 version of the ProPilot in Grade 2 titanium. It came in three different dial colours, grey/silver, blue and this salmon dial. Now I don’t know about you, but if someone walked up to me and said ‘name this colour’, I would say pink. Not salmon. But somehow, when we talk about watches, we seem to say salmon. No, let me rephrase that; when we talk about men/unisex watches, we seem to say salmon. For me it is clear that we try to avoid the fact that a pink watch is not going down well with a lot of men, and I think that’s just silly. Fun fact, on the Oris website, it actually says pink… In this time and age, I think it’s important that we should stay away from classifying watches based on gender and just get on with the good stuff. And oh boy, is this good stuff…

For a start, the titanium is light as a feather and I don’t feel wearing it. Now, I like it when I feel my watch. The steel watches have a nice weight and it just feels nice around my wrist. But this one is just sneaking up on you when all of a sudden you see this pink flash in the corner of your eye and BAM! It’s there! Now, before we go any further with the user experience, let’s do some specs. The case is 39 mm. and has a double domed sapphire crystal with AR coating inside. The lug space is 19,5 mm., but is advertised as 20 mm. and the lug to lug is 49,5 mm. The watch is 12.1 mm. thick, so easy to fit under the cuff of your shirt. The water resistance is 10 bar / 100 meter. All in all, specs that make a lot of people happy and will fit a lot of wrists. Now, we have to talk about the movement, a thing I always try to avoid, because of, well… boring! But this time is different, because we are talking about the Oris 400, that will give you a whopping 120 hours of power reserve and still beats at 4 Hz with 28’800 A/h. The twin barrels make sure that the power distribution is very even and with -3/+5 seconds accuracy it falls well within COSC specs. The movement is highly anti magnetic and they are so bold as to give you 10 years of warranty if you sign up for the MyOris plan. You can see the movement through the case back display, also with a sapphire crystal.

Another eye catcher for me is the bracelet. The sharp edges and mixture of brushed and polished links gives the bracelet an organic feel. Also, the fact that they cut the flanking links in an angle gives it a definite edgy, almost alien look and feel. You see the same design principles with the H. Moser & Cie Streamliner and (to a lesser extend) the Tissot PRX Automatic. The bracelet looks integrated, but it’s not. You can easily replace it with a strap, although I think it’s not a strap monster. The case is to industrially defined for that, so just keep it on that fantastic bracelet. I should also mention the spring-loaded clasp, which resembles an airplane seatbelt clasp and feels very secure. The bracelet has screwed links with a half link near the clasp for extra adjustment, but it does not have micro adjustments.

Now, for the dial… The reason why I bought this watch is the combination of this industrial, sharp edged case and bracelet with that gorgeous pink, textured dial. It looks like a baby robot. A metal alien in a pink tutu. The combination of two opposites that become something else when brought together. The definition of a pilot watch is that it should be highly legible, with big Arabic numerals and lumed like Chernobyl. Sorry, not happening here. The lume is meh, no applied numerals and white indices on pink? Not really legible. But think of it this way; who needs all that when you are flying your spaceship with highly intelligent AI robots? See? It’s a pilot watch! From the future…

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Review: Oris ProPilot X 400 caliber wit the salmon (pink!) dial.

5.0
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5/5
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5/5
  • Dial
  • Bracelet
  • Movement
  • Titanium
  • No lume to speak of
  • No microadjustments
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It’s certainly a looker and the movement sounds top class. Oris make great watches and this is no exception. Enjoy

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That watch is a stunner!

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Great watch and great review. 
 

I recently got some stick for wearing one of my pink jumpers - so rather than getting mad - I went online and bought another! Pink is the new black.

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I had a chance to try this on a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve been looking for a titanium watch for a while and love this from the pictures.

In the flesh, and on the wrist, I hated it.

The watch sits very flat, with hardly any downturn to the lugs.  The whole bracelet just feels over-styled for the sake of it, without adding any useful functionality or comfort. The dial doesnt give off any ‘pilot’ vibes and is rather flat and two-dimensional.  For the money I would’ve liked a colour-matched date wheel.

The more it sat on my wrist the less value it seemed; and it’s not a cheap watch.

I came away really disappointed.  I really want to love this watch, and I really want to love Oris as a brand. It’s not happened yet.

On the plus side, my wife fell in love with the Cotton Candy pink, so she’s now an Oris fan 😊

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Superb review and stunning watch!

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That is a lovely dial!

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That's what I like about this hobby: same watch, two totally different experiences! 🤝

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Nice review, I came close on this one. I appreciate your insights. Maybe this year . . .

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Nice review 👍

I liked the look of this watch but trying it on felt too big on my wrist. But huge fan of Ti (yay! Ti!!)

Glad to hear the 400 seems solid. I’m looking forward to all Oris watches getting it.

My Aquis is weak sauce for lume, so I’m with ya in that department

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Nothing against this watch, as I really like it. But at $4,300, you're competing against a lot of other great options that I think would eat this watch's lunch. But that's just my opinion, and clearly this is totally subjective. Great review!

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WatchoLibre

Nothing against this watch, as I really like it. But at $4,300, you're competing against a lot of other great options that I think would eat this watch's lunch. But that's just my opinion, and clearly this is totally subjective. Great review!

You know; I thought exactly the same when I bought it! I was on holiday in the UK and it was sort of an impulse buy (not really, I did my research and tried it on months before the purchase, but still…). After I bought it, I panicked because of the same reason in your comment. But back home everything just fell into place! The colour, the titanium and the look makes it a perfect watch for the sub tropical climate here! It is the perfect beach/poolparty/dinner watch! So I guess it’s all contextual. Yes, there are many brands out there with models that are technically superior (did I mention the calibre 400? 🤯), but for here, for my life, it’s perfect.

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It is pilot style , not necessarily a watch a pilot would wear. But actually maybe it is. Because do pilots even need a watch in this day and age? I love the clasp on the bracelet #oris Nice piece Sir.

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I took the plunge and snagged the Oris PPX Kermit, but let me tell you, the initial buyer's remorse hit hard when I saw some less-than-glowing reviews. But here's the thing: most of those critics haven't even laid eyes on this watch in person. So, while their opinions are appreciated, they're not the gospel truth.

Let's talk about ticking boxes. The PPX Kermit does it with style:

a.) It's Swiss-made, with all the legacy and heritage you could ask for.

b.) Oris is an independent player, not just another cog in a big corporate machine.

c.) It's made of materials that go beyond the ordinary steel.

d.) The design? Unique. No homages, no retreads. Just fresh, original style.

e.) Inside, it's got an in-house movement with a jaw-dropping 5-day power reserve.

f.) It's got all the features enthusiasts drool over: serious anti-magnetism, 100M water resistance, and that Goldilocks 20mm lug width.

Comparisons? Sure, let's talk about the $12K IWC Ingenieur. Even that's not immune to criticism for its lazy design redux.

So, no, I don't buy the hype that the PPX Kermit is overrated. Compared to its own lineup from just a couple of years back, it's a game-changer. Sure, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially with those printed markers on the dial. But trust me, applied markers or a sandwich dial would just water down the bold statement this watch is making.

Bottom line? For those craving a modern, attention-grabbing timepiece, the PPX Kermit delivers in spades.