Oris Watches

Oris: The Maverick Watch Brand

Oris prides itself as a completely privately owned manufacture for more than a century, dedicating itself to producing only mechanical watches. With this, the brand began developing and producing in-house calibers again in 2014. For years, the brand’s designs continue to attract consumers with their elegance and excellence. 

The brand has four flagship collections that truly embodies the Oris principle: Aviation, Culture, Diving, and Motorsport. These collections prove popular among professionals. For instance, the Oris ProDiver, specifically the Pointer Moon, and the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge are top-of-mind watches for divers. Meanwhile, pilots turn to the Oris Big Crown ProPilot and Oris Big Crown for accuracy and precision. On the other hand, the Culture collection — such as the Oris Artelier and the Oris Classic series — takes elegance up a notch with innovative calibers and complications powering them through.

How much are Oris Watches? 

Oris provides high-quality watches at reasonable prices. For instance, one of its most popular men’s watches, the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Date, only costs about $1,000 USD. Meanwhile, the Oris Aquis Date costs about $1,200 USD, and the Oris Chronoris Date costs just a little south of $1,400 USD. 

As expected, more complicated models cost more than three-hand watches from Oris. Oris chronograph watches, for example, cost between $2,400 USD and $4,200 USD. The same thing applies to Oris watches with in-house calibers. You can expect them to sit around $3,600 USD, just as with the Oris Artelier Calibre 111. However, its price can reach about $15,600 USD for limited-edition men’s watches like the Artelier 110 Years Limited Edition. With the limited in-house Calibre 110, the watch comes with a red-gold case that’s truly worth every cent you paid for. 

ORIS DIVE WATCHES

Prices for the Oris Divers: The Classic Dive Watch 

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five takes inspiration from the brand’s first diver’s watches. In particular, it is a modernized take on the 1965 model. With a vintage aesthetic, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five uses state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing techniques. 

Just like its inspiration, the Divers Sixty-Five comes with a water resistance of up to 100 meters (or 10 bar). It also uses the automatic movement 733. This caliber is from the SW 200-1, which offers a date display as well as a power reserve of about 38 hours. A brand new Oris Divers Sixty-Five watch costs less than $1,500 USD. 

Prices for the Oris Aquis: A Sophisticated Diver 

Taking a deeper dive into the depths of the ocean, the Oris Aquis collection comes with great features. It offers real-world functionality that comes in a package with an innovative design. With its classic design combined with robust materials, Aquis men’s watches serve their very purpose well and beyond expectations. 

In the past years, the Aquis Depth Gauge caught the attention of many divers. It also uses the automatic movement 733, so its accuracy isn’t in question. With a 46mm case diameter in stainless steel, it has a water resistance of up to 500 meters (or 50 bar). It also comes with a unidirectional rotating bezel. Meanwhile, its hands and indexes have generous applications of SuperLuminova. 

On the edge of the sapphire crystal is a depth gauge based on the Boyle-Mariotte law. This feature sets the watch apart. With increasing pressure as you reach deeper into a dive, the air inside the gauge compresses. This allows water to enter it through a small opening located at 12 o’clock. You can see the depth you’re in through the gauge. Mechanical watches have never 

seen this technology introduced to them before. At around $,300 USD, you can experience this technology yourself. 

Prices for the Oris Prodiver: A Professional Dive Watch 

As expected, Oris takes its technology to a different level with every release. Case in point: the Oris Prodiver. This collection goes way beyond what the Aquis can reach. Compared to the other dive watch, this watch has a 100 bar water resistance. That’s 1,000 meters deep! Moreover, it comes with a unique Oris-patented RSS bezel-locking system. The collection also comes with a chronograph iteration as well as a GMT edition. 

However, the highlight of the collection is the Oris Dive Control Limited Edition. Filed under the Prodiver collection, this watch comes in a titanium case. It is lightweight and protected by black DLC. If you’re looking for precision and legibility, this is the watch for you. Most chronograph watches only carry 30-minute counters. The Dive Control watch carries a full 60-minute counter, seen in yellow on the 12 o’clock sub-dial of the watch. Because only there are only 500 pieces of these men’s watches, it’s not surprising how it’s more expensive than other Prodiver watches. You can avail of a brand new Prodiver GMT at around $2,600 USD. Meanwhile, the Prodiver chronograph watch costs around $3,400 USD. On the other hand, the Oris Dive Control costs about $4,900 USD. 

ORIS PILOT WATCHES

Prices for the Oris Big Crown: A Pioneering Pilot Watch 

When Oris started making pilot’s watches in 1910, the aviation industry was at its peak. Oris boasts its pioneering collection that professionals from the industry highly regarded. The Oris Big Crown, introduced in 1938, is one of the brand’s most iconic aviation watches. Today, it remains a steady player in the aviation watch market. 

As its name suggests, the Big Crown comes with an oversized crown. This design is specific for pilots so they can use the watch even with gloves on. This collection also comes with limited-edition models, like the Oris Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition. Limited to only 1,917 watches, it pays homage to the manufacturer’s pioneering aviation watches. Inside, the Oris automatic Caliber 732 powers the watch. This watch costs less than $2,200 USD. 

Prices for the Oris Big Crown Propilot & Big Crown Propilot X: Hybrid Pilot Watches 

Building upon Big Crown’s technology, Oris launched the Oris Big Crown Propilot and the Oris Big Crown Propilot X. These collections carry watches with a more modern look as well as a contemporary tech to match it. While some of its watches still carry a similar classic aesthetic, they are all undoubtedly modern. 

Take, for instance, the Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. Oris launched this timepiece in 2014 as its first automatic watch with an integrated mechanical altimeter. With a 47mm diameter, this watch surely is big. However, it’s only right to display altitudes from 0 to 4,500 meters (14,500 feet). How does the altimeter work? The yellow scale on the inner trim of the dial indicates the altitude. Meanwhile, the red indicator shows the current air pressure. You can get a model that tells altitude in either meters or feet. Powering the watch is the Caliber 733, based on the SW 200-1. With a textile strap, you can get the watch at around $3,100 USD. Meanwhile, if you opt for a stainless steel bracelet, you could spend about $3,300 USD. 

Meanwhile, the Oris Big Crown Propilot X Calibre 115 Skeleton watch is perfect for the next-generation pilot watch lovers. As its name suggests, it boasts a skeleton dial that proudly puts on display its technological prowess. What’s more, it runs on the Oris Caliber 115 in-house superlative movement that’s packed with over 10 hours of power reserve. 

ORIS MOTORSPORT WATCHES 

Prices for the Oris Chronoris: A Vintage-Inspired Motorsport Watch 

The Oris Chronoris comes with an iconic vintage design popular among collectors. First released in the 1970s, this became the first-ever Oris chronograph watch. The watch takes inspiration from the world of motorsport. Ultimately, the piece became an icon in the company’s catalog and today lives on with this collection. 

The collection comes with various models and subfamilies. Firstly, the Chronoris Date. It comes with a date window at 3 o’clock and a minute scale around the edges of the dial. It costs about $1,700 USD, brand new. Meanwhile, the Williams 40th Anniversary Oris Limited Edition sits north of $4,100 USD. This limited-edition piece is a chronograph watch with a tachymetric scale around the inner trim. While its design is more modern, we still see a hint of a vintage Chronoris on its soul. 

Prices for the Oris Williams: A Trendy Racing Watch 

In 2003, Oris partnered with the Williams Formula 1 Team. To honor the partnership, Oris launched a collection carrying the team’s name in 2015, the Oris Williams. The timepieces from this collection take the speed, power, and technology of a race car into a wristwatch. As usual, men’s watches from this collection take inspiration from the 1970s motorsport-driven watches. However, we now see a modern take on that design as well as a technology that surpasses all that. 

The Oris Williams 40th Anniversary Limited Edition, for instance, was launched to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Williams Team. This chronograph watch takes a 1970s vintage motorsport watch and gives it a modern twist via a chronograph. At 12 o’clock, there is a 30-minute counter, while a 12-hour counter sits at 6 o’clock. A display sits at 3 o’clock. The watch powers through with the Oris Caliber 673, based on the ETA 7750. This gives the 40 mm watch a power reserve of up to 48 hours. For $3,600 USD, you can have the watch brand new. 

Prices for the Oris TT1: An Edgy Sports Watch 

The Oris TT1 comes with watches that go beyond aesthetics. It’s a powerful watch that features a sleek and classy vibe without a hitch. Motorsports enthusiasts will enjoy its clear representation of time and date. Its mechanical heart also gives the watch even more edge than other motorsports watches from a different brand. The movement of the watch is also a product of the long-standing partnership between Oris and the Williams Formula 1 Team. At $1,400 USD, you can avail of an Oris TT1 Engine Date. On the other hand, the Oris TT1 Day-Date watch costs about $1,000 USD or less. 

ORIS CULTURE WATCHES

Prices for the Oris Artelier: A Timeless Dress Watch 

The Oris Artelier is the brand’s take on timeless dress watches for men. Watches from this collection embodies the brand’s heritage as well as its innovations. Each watch comes with an in-house movement as well as sleek designs. They’re perfect for any formal occasion or on the executive seat. 

You can get a new Oris Artelier timepiece for as low as $1,200 USD. However, the collection comes with a lot of limited-edition Swiss watches that sit on the more expensive side of the scale. In fact, the Oris Artelier Caliber 111 alone costs around $4,300 USD. You can choose to buy pre-owned Oris Artelier men’s watches for a lower cost. A more affordable limited-edition watch is the Artelier Dexter Gordon Limited-Edition watch. With only 1,000 pieces available, the watch comes with a date display at 6 o’clock. It’s a watch with an understated elegance, taking jazz as an inspiration as seen on the reed-shaped 12 o’clock index. This dress watch retails for about $1,700 USD. 

Prices for the Oris Classic: An Understated Dress Watch 

Generally, Oris Culture watches are dress watches best worn in formal settings. The aptly named collection takes inspiration from artists like Louis Armstrong as well as Nat King Cole. While the Artelier takes this inspiration heavily, the Classic tones it down a bit with a simple, understated design. The Classic is a timeless watch in a round case with three hands a date window at 6 o’clock. No more, no less. For a little over $800 USD, you can get an Oris Classic watch yourself. 

Why Should You Buy an Oris Watch?

Oris is one of the brands that continues to provide excellence while remaining true to its philosophy. Here are some of the many reasons you should buy an Oris watch. 

1. 1. Oris is an independent manufacturer. It is not a part of large corporations. 
2. 2. The brand exclusively manufactures mechanical watches. 
3. 3. Oris is dedicated to producing watches for divers, pilots, and motorsport enthusiasts. 
4. 4. Oris watches are great value for money. 
5. 5. Oris’ trademarked Red Rotor is an example of the brand’s excellence and innovations.

History of Oris 

Taking over the Lohner and Co. watch factory in Hölstein in Switzerland, Paul Cattin and Georges Christian began the history of Oris in 1904. Taking inspiration from the Orisbach stream near the factory, the pair gave the brand the name as we know it today. For the following years, Oris became the town’s top employer. It eventually expanded by having factories in various other locations until about the late 1920s. To service the employees, Oris even had a bus bring them to and from work. 

Right from the start, Oris had a clear-cut view of what its watches should be for. The brand targets professionals like aviators, divers, and even motorsport racers. Almost quickly, the interest in the brand grew to paying customers. People were all about the functional design as well as the reliability of watches from Oris. Today, these are the same patrons Oris serves and more. 

Oris became a steady player in the industry until the Quartz Crisis happened in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Oris, just like any other Swiss manufacturer, had to fight through the economic turmoil. So, they became a part of ASUAG, the name that we would later know as Swatch Group. However, in 1982, Dr. Rolf Portmann and Ulrich W. Herzog bought the company back into independence around 1982. To this day, the company remains an independent watch manufacturer. 

High-Mech by Oris and the Red Rotor 

Oris remains a powerful player in the industry. One of its most critical reasons for that is the brand’s decision to produce only mechanical men’s watches. Despite the existence of quartz, Oris watches remained to produce only high-quality premium Swiss watches. By the beginning of the 1990s, Oris took on the “High-Mech” slogan in response to every other brand’s chase for everything “high tech”. Today, Oris’ catalog includes watches with a mechanical altimeter and depth gauge. 

In 2002, the brand started carrying the Red Rotor. This trademark became iconic within the industry. Every automatic watch from Oris has a Red Rotor. 

Moreover, during the brand’s 110th anniversary in 2014, Oris went back to producing in-house movements. That’s 35 years since their hiatus from in-house movement production. Oris released top-notch calibers with 10-day power reserves. They even have complications that ultimately found their way into the company’s catalog. 

Oris Mechanical Watches & In-House Movements 

In 2014, the brand launched the Caliber 110, a limited-edition caliber. Following this caliber, Oris launched three other in-house movements: 111, 112, and 113. These hand-wound calibers power watches from the Artelier collection. All these calibers come with 10 days of power reserve that you can track on the watch’s dial. The Caliber 111 has a small seconds dial. Meanwhile, the Caliber 112 has a second time zone and a moon phase function. On the other hand, the Caliber 113 has more complications such as a day-date function, calendar week, and even the month. 

Oris also has automatic in-house movements namely Caliber 400 and 401. Both have a power reserve of 5 days. They’re also anti-magnetic with a 10-year recommended service intervals. Moreover, getting Swiss watches with these calibers give you 10 years of warranty. The difference is that the 401 is a two-hand caliber with a seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. Meanwhile, the 401 is a three-hand caliber with a date function as well as a stop-second function. 

Oris and Sports — Diving and Motorsport 

Oris has long affiliated itself with sports, specifically diving and motorsport. These two sports are the pillars where Oris stands today as an institution, alongside aviation. 

When Oris launched the Oris Aquis Date, the brand found widespread popularity in Europe. The Aquis Date is one of the brand’s most iconic Swiss dive watches. It reaches as deep as 300 meters with a 30 bar water resistance. Today, it has a unidirectional ceramic bezel that proves more robust than just steel with an aluminum insert. The generous SuperLuminova on the watch’s indexes and hands make them legible even at maximum depth. With the 733 movements on the watch, based on SW 200-1, you get a date display at the 6 o’clock position. The watch is available in either 43.5mm or 36mm. At around $1,200 USD, you can get it brand new. If you’re looking for a dive watch with flair, the Aquis Date Diamonds is for you. At 36mm, it has 12 diamonds on the dial as indexes. This watch costs about $1,700 USD. 

The Motorsport collection from Oris boasts its collaboration with Formula 1 team, Williams. Watches from the Motorsport collections of Oris go from vintage to modern. They also have a robust built that’s made for the tracks by the masters of tracks. The Oris Williams Chronograph Carbon Fibre Extreme, for example, comes with a carbon case. The crown, pushers, bezel, and screw-down caseback of the watch are made of coated titanium. This watch costs about $3,700 USD. The collection also houses the Williams Valtteri Bottas Limited Edition with only 770 pieces. As its name suggests, the watch is dedicated to Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas. You can get this watch for the price of $4,200 USD. 

Oris Watches and The Aviation Industry 

Oris also dedicates itself to creating high-quality aviation Swiss watches. Professionals deem Oris watches one of the best in the industry. Aviation collections from Oris include the Oris BC3. This watch takes accuracy as well as legibility to the next level. As technical as it sounds, the watch is rather simple. It’s a three-hand watch with a date and day window at 6 o’clock. This Oris watch costs about $1,400 USD. 

Oris Vintage Watches 

Generally, Oris Vintage watches come at very affordable prices. They can range from less than $100 USD to a little over $500 USD. Vintage Oris men’s watches don’t hold as much value, but with the brand’s continuously rising reputation, there might be a rise in their prices soon. However, these Swiss watches are not the type to invest in for now. 

If you’re after the vintage aesthetic, you might want to check out the brand’s vintage-style men’s watches instead. Among these include the Oris Chronoris, Oris Divers, and Oris Big Crown. 

A Century of Innovation and Reliability 

Oris, since 1904, remains focused on industrial watchmaking. The brand continues to grow to this day with both engineering and craftsmanship in mind. The brand is not only located in a different Swiss region but also takes risks, which makes them unique. The brand prides itself on its mechanical technology and how it embraces mechanical instead of abandoning it for new technology. Oris stays true to its philosophy: “Things must make sense”. As the brand continues on its path, it continues to attract new collectors left and right. Today, it’s a brand that proves itself a strong, steady player in the industry.