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On June 1, 1904, two ambitious men, Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, bought a closed watch factory in the Swiss town of Holstein and named their new company after a local brook. By 1911, this company became the town’s largest employer, with over 300 workers under its wings. And thus, the flamboyant brand of Oris was born.
Oris is a true testament to Swiss watchmaking excellence. With breakthrough innovations in timepieces built for the four “Oris Worlds'' - Diving, Aviation, Motor Sport and Culture - the company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-functioning, sophisticated watches in the world. From their humble beginnings they went on to become the forerunner in the large watch niche, creating timeless classics such as the Oris XXL, a line of oversized casual sports watches. In addition, Oris’ long-standing association with the world of Jazz led to a chic collection of watches in honour of Miles Davis in the early 2000s. These are just a few instances of the heritage that Cattin and Christian, and the countless who came after, slowly built over the years.
Staying true to their philosophy - “things must make sense” - Oris is one of the few Swiss brands that only create exotic mechanical watches. Headquartered in Holstein since its inception, Oris still operates as an independent brand which means that it holds its values close and explores new innovations with maximum customer satisfaction at heart.
What sets their watches apart is the state-of-the-art-movements, crafted in-house, that earn Oris the distinction of ‘the master of movements’.
The Oris Calibre 403 and the in-house Calibre 400 automatic come laden with a 5-day power reserve, high-level anti-magnetism properties and a 10-year warranty that ensures sturdy watches with high performance. Calibre 115, the movement that powers the signature Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115, is a pure illustration of the company’s philosophy of creating excellence in mechanical timepieces. These are hand-wound with a 10-day power reserve and the Oris trademark non-linear power reserve indicator, which achieves unprecedented accuracy in determining the time remaining on the clock.
Other offerings in their range of movements have unique features such as date and day & night functions, second time zones and business calendars. Oris’s movements are at the centre of their premium mechanical watches that deliver on class-leading performance while ensuring modern sophistication in style.
Oris’ catalogue boasts of extraordinary timepieces that have become prominent examples of leading-edge innovation in the world of horology. Adhering to the ‘four worlds’ Oris strives to achieve perfection in their range of aviation, diving, and cultural watches.
The Oris Big Crown range of pilot watches was first introduced in 1938 and continues to inspire designs today. The Big Crown Pointer Date models have a 40 mm big crown case with a sapphire top glass with an anti-reflective coating inside. It is equipped with an automatic winding pointer date movement developed by Oris that carries functionalities such as centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, instantaneous date and date corrector. The cherry on the cake is the sustainably sourced and produced strap materials. Other notable examples from the many watch collections specifically built for the Aviation industry are the Propilot and the Propilot X with their cock-pit ready functionalities.
Built in partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening, an organisation working to turn plastic into energy, the Oris Aquis Clean Oceans Limited Edition is a high-level piece from the Aquis diver’s collection created with recycled ocean plastic waste. Water-resistant to 300 m, the watch heavily incorporates aqua blue elements in the dial and the rotating bezel, symbolising the ethereal beauty of the marine world.
The classic Artelier collection is the epitome of Oris’ commitment to their heritage even when they strive to incorporate modern technological innovations in their watches. The Artelier Date, archetypal of the sophistication of this collection, comes with a 40 mm case of stainless steel with a string of customisations for the dial and strap. Each of Artelier’s models deliver a strong statement in culture and innovation.
By undertaking painstaking research and meticulous invention to create cutting-edge technologies, Oris has continued to strive for innovation, making them a force to reckon with in the horological world.