Oris

The history of the Swiss watchmaker Oris goes back over a century to 1904. In most industries that would be considered a long tradition - in the world of horology it makes Oris something of a youngster!

The company has a five point design philosophy: mechanical watches, characteristic designs, Swiss quality, proud heritage, personality.

History

The company was founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, although Cattin left in 1917. The company was based in Holstein, North West Switzerland and named after the the nearby Oris brook and valley. Over a century later the company headquarters is still based in the same building.

A breakthrough for Oris took place in 1968 when the calibre 625 movement achieved full chronometer certification. Since then the company has had a high degree of involvement with the sporting world with their range of chronograph watches.

In 2003 Oris became sole watch supplier to the Williams Formula One (F1) team and it's for this connection that the company is probably best known. In 2006 they produced a limited edition Nico Rosberg racing watch.

Watches

Since the beginning the company has only made mechanical timepieces and this remains true today. Each watch is powered by a mechanical movement and has a red rotor visible through the back. This is the patented symbol of Oris High-Mech that allowed them to move from manual winding to automatic operation.

Classic Oris models which might interest collectors include the 1966 Calibre 645, the 1995 Big Crown and the 1997 Worldtimer.

The models available to buy today are at the time of writing divided between four collections, three of which are sports oriented and one general range:

  • Motor Sport
    • TT3 (including Formula Gold and Grand Prix limited editions)
    • WilliamsF1 Team
    • Chronoris
  • Diving
    • Divers
  • Aviation
    • BC4
    • Flight Timer
    • Big Crown
    • BC3
  • Culture
    • Rectangular (including Day/Date)
    • Artelier (including Complication and Skeleton)
    • Classic


This site is not associated with or endorsed by Oris
Contact an authorised dealer for prices and availability