WATCH & JEWELRY /
SIHH＆BASEL
March 30, 2015
ORIS | New Aviation Watches Abound, Plus Enhanced Collaboration with F1's AT&T Williams Team Announced
ORIS
New Aviation Watches Abound!
Enhanced Collaboration with F1 AT&T Williams Team Announced
Oris offers a collection of attractive, reasonably priced mechanical timepieces, focusing on sports models including collaboration models with the F1 AT&T Williams team. This year, in particular, several appealing new aviation watches, linked to the history and topics of the aviation world, have been released.
Reporting and text by Yasuhito Shibuya
No. 1 in Mechanical Watches Under 350,000 Yen
Founded in 1904 as a small watch workshop with just 24 employees, Oris steadily grew before World War II with its affordable mechanical watches. The company is known for developing the Pointer Date mechanism, supplying military watches with large crowns operable even with gloves, and more recently as a sponsor of the F1 AT&T Williams team. It is one of the watch brands symbolizing the revival and development of Swiss mechanical watches today.
After a slump caused by the quartz crisis, the management was reformed in 1982. In 1985, the company adopted a corporate strategy of "manufacturing only mechanical watches." It has since grown steadily amidst the global watch boom that began in the 1990s and continues today. Its high-quality, attractive, and affordable watches, especially sports watches, have gained an increasing number of devoted fans year by year.
The company boldly declares on its website, "We are the undisputed leader in mechanical watchmaking in the price range up to 4,000 Swiss francs (approximately 350,000 yen)." In 2011, they once again proved this statement to be true by releasing an attractive collection of new models that offer quality far exceeding their price.
Focus on Aviation Watches!
The 2011 new releases are, as expected, centered on sports watches. At the time of Baselworld, while a collaboration model with the F1 AT&T Williams team, which they plan to further support as a sponsor, was not yet announced, new aviation (pilot) watches and diver's models were introduced. Among these, the aviation watches are particularly well-represented, with a total of three models unveiled, including one that supports aircraft preservation activities in Switzerland. For male readers of OPENERS, we highly recommend the new "Big Crown" series model, which inherits the tradition of military watches from World War II.ChronographIt is the "Big Crown X1 Calculator."
This model commemorates the achievement of the American experimental aircraft "Bell X1," which broke the sound barrier for the first time in the world on October 14, 1947. In an era before computers were integrated into aircraft, pilots and flight engineers used slide rules (calculators) to compute routes and fuel consumption. This model, based on that tradition, is equipped with a rotating slide rule on the bezel. A great attraction is also the inclusion of the DVD of the movie "The Right Stuff" (directed by Philip Kaufman), which dramatizes this story, along with the slide rule manual and a special box. Its retro yet sharp design is also striking. We highly recommend it not only to aviation enthusiasts but also to anyone considering purchasing a mechanical chronograph.
Big Crown X1 Calculator
The Rotating Slide Rule Offers a True "Precision Instrument" Experience
This new chronograph features a slide rule function on the rotating bezel, reminiscent of vintage aviation watches. To honor the achievement of the Bell X1, the start/stop and reset buttons of the chronograph are engraved with "X" and "1" respectively. The movement is Oris's "Oris 675," based on the highly reliable and proven ETA automatic chronograph caliber 7750. The gunmetal color case with PVD coating and the bezel's calm, sharp aesthetic are also significant attractions. The hands and indices are treated with Super-LumiNova, ensuring excellent legibility even in low light. Furthermore, a conversion table for meters and feet is engraved on the case back.
Automatic, 46mm diameter PVD-coated stainless steel case, calfskin strap with rubber underside, see-through case back, date and day display, includes special box and "The Right Stuff" DVD, 294,000 yen.