Green dial watches, especially divers, have become very popular these recent years. The Submariner Hulk being nearly impossible to find at retail price (and I am quite optimistic), watch enthousiasts are searching for alternatives. Oris rescently released green dial diver watches, in the Aquis and ivers Sixty-Five collection. Today we will have a look to the Oris Hulk Aquis.

The watches of the Aquis collection adopt a modern diver design, in contrast with vintage design of the Oris divers Sixty-Five collection. The Oris Aquis Date Green Dial is available with a 39.5mm or a 43.5mm diameter case. I had both of them in hands, and I have to say I find the 39.5mm more elegant and versatile for daily use. I understand that a Navitimer requires a large diameter due to the numerous informations diplayed on the dial, but this is not the case for a basic diver watch. The striking feature of the Oris Hulk diver watch is its sunburst green dial. The green color is changing depending of the outside light. The dial color can appear dark green or shinny green. The watch polished ceramic bezel is also green, but slighly darked than the dial.

The watch has bold stick indices and silver hands, all filled with Super-LumiNova. The watch possesses a date function at the 6 o'clock position. The date is luckily written in white color on a black background, so it is staying discrete. In contrast with the 43mm version, the caseback of the 39mm Aquis green is not transparent. It is thus not possible to see the Oris red rotor.

The watch is powered by an Oris 733 caliber, which is based on the Sellita SW200-1. This caliber is similar to the ETA 2824-2 caliber. It is hacking and handwinding. This caliber offers a 38 hour power reserve and a date function.

The watch comes with a stainless steel 3-link bracelet. The lugs are thick, that means it is not possible to replace the steel bracelet with a conventional leather strap. It is however possible to buy the watch with an Oris leather strap or Oris rubber strap instead of the Oris stainless steel bracelet. In any case the watch is delivered with a diver's folding clasp.

The Rolex Submariner 116610LV Hulk is not alone anymore ! Oris is offering its own version of the Hulk diver, with the two key elements: green dial and green ceramic bezel insert. In contrast with the Submariner, that keeps its classic style, I am glad Oris selected the Aquis line for its green diver. That is refreshing. To my opinion the 39mm diameter case is the right choice for this model. I can understand that 43mm are required to fit the circular date complication of the Aquis Source, but 43mm for a clasic diver date is definitively too large (and I am quite convinced that large watches will be out of fashion is the coming years). The best feature of the Oris Hulk is its sunburst dial (luckily). It looks great! It is playing so well with the external light. The color range starts from dark green to shinny green. I feel that the dial color range is similar to the one of the Submariner (if I remember well, it is quite a long time I didn't manage to grab a Rolex Hulk... annoying Rolex short supply...). It is a very pleasant watch to look at. The Oris ceramic bezel green color doesn't seem to change as much as the color of the Rolex one, it is staying quite dark. The Rolex ceramic insert can take a very light green color in certain conditions, but I didn't notice that witht the Oris insert. I am usually not a big fan a watches with thick lugs, because it is complicated to swap bracelets, but the Oris watch can be purchased with metal, leather and ruber strap, so it is possible to find different configurations.
So if you are looking for a modern green-dial diver and do not like the classic look of the Submariner, or cannot find a Rolex Hulk (or do not want to pay the premium price to get one), the Oris Aquis Date Green dial 39mm is a great model worth considering... that explains why this model is selling fast and your AD may not always have it in stock.