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GENESIS_Oris founder Georges Christian, Manager 1904 - 1927

GENESIS

1904

Oris is founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian in the Swiss town of Hölstein. They buy the recently closed Lohner & Co watch factory, and on June 1, 1904 the two men enter into a contract with the local mayor. They name their new watch company Oris, after a nearby brook.

A PERIOD OF EXPANSION_Oris Factories Painting of 1929

A PERIOD OF EXPANSION

1911

By 1911, Oris was Hölstein’s largest employer with 300+ workers. To attract more watchmakers, it built staff housing. Oris’s success led to expansion, with factories in Hölstein (1904), Holderbank (1906), Como (1908), Courgenay (1916), Herbetswil (1925) and Ziefen (1925).

THE END OF AN ERA

THE END OF AN ERA

1927

Company co-founder Georges Christian dies and Jacques-David LeCoultre becomes President of the Board of Directors. Jacques-David LeCoultre was Antoine LeCoultre’s grandson and the man who merged with Edmond Jaeger to form Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937.

THE NEXT GENERATION_Oscar Herzog, Oris CEO 1928 - 1971

THE NEXT GENERATION

1928

Following the death of Georges Christian a year earlier, Oscar Herzog, Christian's brother-in-law, takes over as General Manager, a position he will hold for 43 years. From 1928 to 1971 Herzog steers Oris through the many watchmaking highs and lows of the 20th century.

THE SWISS WATCH STATUTE

1934

Oscar Herzog’s ambitions to improve the quality of his company’s products run into trouble when, on March 12, 1934, the Swiss government introduces the so-called ‘Watch Statute’, a peculiar law designed to protect and regulate the industry that prevents watch companies from introducing new technologies without permission. Until that point, Oris had been using pin-lever escapement (Roskopf escapement) movements, which were claimed to be less accurate than the lever escapements used by some of Oris’s competitors, who had adopted such technology before the law was passed.

FIRST ORIS ESCAPEMENTS

THE FIRST ORIS ESCAPEMENTS

1938

As an integrated manufacturer Oris produces its own watch escapements. The company employs many highly skilled watchmakers, becoming one of the first employers to offer equal opportunities to both men and women.

BITH OF BIG CROWN_Oris Pointer Calendar 1938

THE BIRTH OF THE BIG CROWN

1938

Oris introduces its first watch for pilots, which has a distinguishing big crown and a Pointer Calendar function. The collection takes its name from the watch’s oversized crown, employed as an aid to pilots who adjust their watches while wearing leather gloves. 

ALARM_CLOCKS

ALARM CLOCKS

1940

During the Second World War, Oris’s distribution network beyond Switzerland is reduced significantly. To keep business alive, the company starts manufacturing alarm clocks. The famous eight-day power reserve model is launched in 1949.

Oris 8 day power-reserve clock 1949

THE 8-DAY CLOCK

1949

During the Second World War, the company’s output is limited to around 200,000 pieces a year. Oris keeps business alive by manufacturing alarm clocks, which leads to the landmark eight-day power reserve model launched at the end of the 1940s.

FREE AT LAST

FREE AT LAST

1956

General Manager Oscar Herzog hires lawyer Dr. Rolf Portmann. Rolf campaigns for 10 years to reverse the ‘Watch Statute’ preventing Oris from using lever escapements. In 1966, he succeeds, marking his place in Swiss watch history.

THE FIRST ORIS CHRONOMETER

1967

Swiss ‘Watch Statute’ of 1934 restricted Oris’s tech advancements for 30+ years. In 1966, the statute was reversed. By 1968, Oris unveiled Calibre 652, using a superior lever escapement, earning the highest accuracy distinction by the Observatoire Astronomique et Chronométrique.

THE GOLDEN YEARS

THE GOLDEN YEARS

1969

By the 1960s’ end, Oris ranks among the world’s top 10 watch companies. It employs 800 people, produces 1.2 million watches and clocks annually, develops its own tools and machinery, and trains 40 engineers and watchmakers yearly through an apprenticeship scheme

GROUP MENTALITY

GROUP MENTALITY

1970

In 1970, Oris joins ASUAG, future Swatch Group. Amidst the Quartz Crisis, Oris’s independence and production suffer, staff numbers drop from 900 to a few dozen. A later management buy-out secures Oris’s future, restoring its independence.

A CHANGE IN FORTUNES_Oris Ulrich W. Herzog, Dr. Rolf Portmann 1982

A CHANGE IN FORTUNES

1982

With Oris in decline because of the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s, Dr Rolf Portmann and Ulrich W. Herzog lead a management buyout. Soon after, the newly formed Oris SA bravely elects to abandon quartz and produce solely mechanical timepieces.

COMPLICATING MATTERS

COMPLICATING MATTERS

1991

Oris’s decision to produce only mechanical watches is vindicated in 1991 with the launch of the highly successful Calibre 581. At the time, it becomes the company’s most complicated calibre, with a moon-phase module developed by an in-house team of watchmakers.

A WORLD FIRST

1997

Oris launches its pioneering Worldtimer, a watch housing a patented function that means local time can be adjusted forwards or backwards in one-hour jumps via buttons on either side of the case. If local time is adjusted forwards or backwards over midnight, the date is updated accordingly.

Oris Red Rotor

THE RED ROTOR

2002

In 2002, the Red Rotor becomes Oris’s registered trademark. It symbolises Oris’s philosophy: to produce high-quality, Swiss Made mechanical watches with real-world functions at accessible prices.

MOVING UP THE GRID

2003

In 2003, Oris signs a deal with the Williams Formula 1 team and launches its first Williams F1 Team watches, beginning a fruitful partnership that spawns numerous timepieces and innovations. In 2015, the Oris Williams collection is launched, the first range of watches dedicated to the F1 icon.

100 YEARS

100 YEARS

2004

For its centenary, Oris launches the Oris Centennial Set 1904 Limited Edition. It includes an Artelier Worldtimer in stainless steel and an eight-day clock, one of the company’s most iconic historic designs. It is limited to 1904 timepieces, all individually numbered.

THE ROTATION SAFETY SYSTEM

THE ROTATION SAFETY SYSTEM

2009

Oris works with ambassador and commercial diver Roman Frischknecht to develop the ProDiver, a diver’s watch that features the patented Rotation Safety System, a unidirectional rotating bezel that can be locked into place, preventing mistakes under water.

THE WATCH WITH A HOLE

THE WATCH WITH A HOLE

2013

Oris’s patented Aquis Depth Gauge solves the challenge of getting a depth gauge into a mechanical watch. It allows water into a channel via a small hole at 12 o’clock – water enters under pressure, creating a watermark that corresponds to a depth gauge.

REVIVING A MOVEMENT

2014

Oris celebrates 110 years of watchmaking with its first in-house-developed calibre for 35 years. Calibre 110 is a hand-wound movement with a unique pairing of complications – a 10-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator. The movement is produced using highly efficient industrial manufacturing techniques.

AIR TIME_01 733 7705 4134-Set 5 23 14FC - Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter

AIR TIME

2014

More than 75 years after Oris made its first pilot’s watch, it announces the launch of the most innovative pilot’s watch in its history – the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter, the world’s first automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter.

NEW MANAGEMENT

NEW MANAGEMENT

2016

Still independent, Oris places its future in the hands of the next generation of leaders, Joint Executive Officers Rolf Studer and Claudine Gertiser-Herzog

Maison Oris

MAISON ORIS

2016

Oris announces ‘Maison Oris’, its first boutique in Switzerland. The new boutique is operated in cooperation with renowned jeweller Seiler, and offers Oris customers an unrivalled experience of the company and its watches.

Oris Logo

ORIS GOES ITS OWN WAY

2018

Oris introduces a new brand identity to capture the history and subtle modernity of its watchmaking philosophy. The new logo celebrates Oris’s founding year of 1904 and its location in the Swiss village of Hölstein, nestled in the beautiful Waldenburg Valley.

A WATCH FOR ALL TIME_Oris ProPilot X Calibre 115

A WATCH FOR ALL TIME

2019

Oris introduces the milestone Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. The watch features a skeletonised movement, a 10-day power reserve and the Oris-patented non-linear power reserve indicator. Its modern form stands as a symbol of Oris’s long-term commitment to mechanical watchmaking.

Oris Calibre 400

THE NEW STANDARD

2020

Oris confirms its status as the creator and innovator of high-performance in-house calibres by introducing the automatic Calibre 400. Its exceptional levels of anti-magnetism, five-day power reserve and 10-year warranty set the new standard for mechanical Swiss watchmaking.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

2022

Our first sustainability report marks a step towards a better future. It outlines our journey to becoming a climate-neutral company, our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, and our global initiatives for Change for the Better. And it’s only just the beginning.

PPX KERMIT_01 400 7778 7157

PROPILOT X KERMIT EDITION

2023

Oris and Disney’s The Muppets Kermit the Frog get together for a bit of fun and to create “Kermit Day” with a very special edition of the ProPilot X Calibre 400.