Oris: history, models and value

Founded

1904

Founder(s)

Paul Cattin, Georges Christian

Headquarters

Hölstein

Owner / group

Independent

Oris: origins and founding

Oris was founded in 1904 in Hölstein, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. Paul Cattin and Georges Christian bought the recently closed Lohner & Co watch factory there and started industrial production of pocket watches. The company took its name from a nearby brook. In its first year it had 67 employees.

Oris grew fast. It opened further factories in Holderbank (1906), Como (1908), Courgenay (1916), Herbetswil and Ziefen (both 1925). By 1911 it was the largest employer in Hölstein, and it built housing for its watchmakers.

Founders and family

Georges Christian died in 1927. Jacques-David LeCoultre then became president of the board. From 1928 to 1971 Oscar Herzog, Christian's brother-in-law, ran the company as general manager for 43 years. Two later figures shaped modern Oris: the lawyer Dr. Rolf Portmann and Ulrich W. Herzog, who took over the company in 1982. Today Ulrich W. Herzog is chairman, and Claudine Gertiser-Herzog and Rolf Studer lead the company as co-CEOs.

Oris history and milestones

• 1934: The Swiss Watch Statute limited the use of new technology without permission. Oris was using pin-lever (Roskopf) escapements and campaigned against the rules for years.
• 1938: The first Oris pilot's watch, with an oversized crown for gloved hands and a pointer date. This became the Big Crown.
• 1960s: After the rules were relaxed, Oris made lever-escapement movements such as the automatic Calibre 645. The Calibre 652 earned chronometer certification.
• 1969: Oris had about 800 employees and made around 1.2 million watches and clocks a year.
• 1970: Oris became part of ASUAG, a predecessor of today's Swatch Group, and had to make quartz watches. During the quartz crisis staff fell to a few dozen, and in 1981 it stopped making its own movements.
• 1982: Rolf Portmann and Ulrich W. Herzog bought the company in a management buyout and made it independent again. Oris dropped quartz and focused on mid-priced mechanical watches.
• 2002: The red rotor became a registered trademark.
• 2014: Calibre 110, the first in-house Oris movement in 35 years, with a 10-day power reserve.
• 2020: Calibre 400, an in-house automatic with a five-day power reserve and a 10-year warranty.

Famous Oris models

• Big Crown Pointer Date: the pilot's watch from 1938, with a hand that points to the date on the dial edge. Still in the range, also in bronze.
• Aquis: the main diver line since 2011, water resistant to 300 m. The Aquis Depth Gauge (2013) has a patented mechanical depth gauge.
• Divers Sixty-Five: a 2015 revival of the original 1965 Oris diver.
• ProDiver: with the patented Rotation Safety System bezel lock (2009).
• Big Crown ProPilot: modern pilot's watches, including the ProPilot Altimeter with a mechanical altimeter, and the ProPilot X.
• Chronoris: a 1970 motor-sport design, later reissued.
• Artelier and Rectangular: dressier lines, including the Worldtimer with a patented one-hour jump for local time (1997).

Movements and technique

Most Oris watches use movements from outside suppliers, mainly based on Sellita, which Oris finishes and labels with its own calibre numbers. For example, the Calibre 733 is based on the Sellita SW 200-1. Since 2014 Oris has also made its own calibres again. The Calibre 110 offers ten days of power reserve. The Calibre 400 family is antimagnetic, has a five-day reserve and comes with a 10-year warranty and a recommended 10-year service interval. The red rotor, visible through many display casebacks, is the brand's signature.

Oris today

Oris SA is still based in Hölstein and owned by its management, not by a large group such as Swatch Group, Richemont or LVMH. It makes only mechanical watches. It sits in the mid-price segment, above mass brands and below the big luxury houses. Its themes are diving, aviation, motor sport and, more recently, environmental projects.

Oris prices on the pre-owned market

Oris is a popular brand to buy and wear, but most models are made in large numbers, so used prices usually sit clearly below new retail. Steel divers such as the Aquis and the Divers Sixty-Five, and the Big Crown Pointer Date, are easy to sell. Watches with the in-house Calibre 400 or Calibre 110, and limited editions, tend to hold value better than standard Sellita-based pieces. Quartz Oris watches from the 1970s and early 1980s, and plain dress models, usually bring modest amounts.

Vintage Oris from the 1950s to 1970s, including pin-lever models, is mostly affordable. Original dials, untouched cases and a working movement matter much more than age. The box, papers, extra links and service records all help when you sell a modern Oris.

How to recognise a genuine Oris

Modern Oris watches carry a model reference and an individual serial number, usually on the caseback. The papers should list the same numbers. On automatic models with a display back, look for the red rotor; fakes often get the colour or the finish wrong. Check that the bezel clicks cleanly, that the date sits centred in its window and that the printing on the dial is sharp. On vintage pieces, watch out for redials and replaced hands. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers the general checks.

What is your Oris worth?

Take a few clear photos of the dial, the caseback and any papers, and use our free watch value estimate for a quick indication. If you need a value for an estate, a divorce or insurance, you can order a written watch appraisal.

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