Oris
- Founded
- 1904
- Based in
- Hölstein, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 9 watches from $1,800 to $8,300
Oris is one of the few big Swiss watch brands that is still independent. It makes only mechanical watches, sells them at fair prices and has a cheerful, slightly rebellious personality: one of its most popular recent watches celebrates Kermit the Frog. It's a good place for a first Swiss automatic.
History
Paul Cattin and Georges Christian founded Oris in Hölstein in 1904, naming it after a nearby brook. By the 1920s it was one of the largest watchmakers in Switzerland. In 1938 it launched the Big Crown, a pilot's watch with a crown large enough to use with gloves, and the Pointer Date, which shows the date with a hand.
Oris became part of the ASUAG group (later the Swatch Group) and lost its independence. In 1982 managers Rolf Portmann and Ulrich Herzog bought it back, and decided to make only mechanical watches at a time when quartz dominated. In 2020 Oris launched Calibre 400, an in-house automatic movement with a five-day power reserve and a ten-year warranty.
Signature models
- Big Crown Pointer Date: The 1938 classic, with a large crown and a hand pointing to the date.
- Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze: The same watch in bronze, which develops a patina.
- Divers Sixty-Five: A 1960s-style dive watch, popular since its 2015 relaunch.
- Aquis Date 41.5 and Aquis Date 36.5: Modern dive watches with ceramic bezels.
- Aquis Date Calibre 400: The Aquis with Oris's in-house movement.
- Artelier Calibre 400: A dress watch with the in-house movement.
- Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 400: A titanium pilot's watch with an integrated bracelet.
- ProPilot X Kermit Edition: The ProPilot X with a green dial and a Kermit the Frog date on the first of each month.
What it's known for
Oris makes only mechanical watches, supports environmental causes and has a fun approach to design. Its in-house Calibre 400 is one of the best movements at its price.
Price and positioning
Oris watches cost from about $1,800 for a Big Crown or Aquis to $8,000 for the titanium ProPilot X. Tudor and Longines are the usual alternatives. Oris tends to win on personality and the Calibre 400 warranty, and lose a little on resale value.
Oris watches in our library
- Oris Big Crown Pointer Date ($1,800 to $2,100)
- Oris Divers Sixty-Five ($2,100 to $2,400)
- Oris Aquis Date 36.5 ($2,200 to $2,400)
- Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze ($2,200 to $2,400)
- Oris Aquis Date 41.5 ($2,300 to $2,500)
- Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 ($3,600 to $3,900)
- Oris Artelier Calibre 400 ($3,800 to $4,100)
- Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 400 ($7,600 to $7,900)
- Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition ($8,100 to $8,300)