Q&AIn Conversation With Rolf Studer, CEO, Oris Watches

The Association With Watches

Let’s talk about you and watches. How did it all start?

I’ve always liked watches. As a Swiss person, that’s rather easy. But when you think about why that is… When I was as child, I used to go to my grandfather’s workshop in his shipyard in the lake of Lucerne. He would build these wooden boats with a few other people. I still remember the smell, the light coming in through dusty windows. That really gave me an appreciation for true craftsmanship. That’s what you really see in a mechanical watch, right? So I’d say that’s where it came from, for me.

Do you have any other interesting anecdotes to share?

I wouldn’t say it was a turning point really, but yeah, when I was 10, my father gave me a watch – a Breitling. I took it apart, and I couldn’t put it back together. It still exists, but I think I’ve lost some of its parts.

Speaking of Breitling, what other brands do you admire or look up to?

There are a lot of brands that do a fantastic job. More than the price levels, I think it depends more on the way you approach watchmaking. There are very high-end things that are beautiful. For example, A. Lange & Söhne’s chronographs are fantastic. But there are also less expensive pieces, such as some watches from Nomos that I admire. Rolex, of course, has been the epitome of the Swiss watches for many years. I think they do a great job with pushing the whole industry forward. You know, there are interesting things happening with various brands. What’s most important is that they innovate and stay true to their DNA. That helps the industry in general. If there were only two or three Swiss watch brands, it would be a far less interesting industry to be a part of.

What are the other watches that you have in your personal collection?

Apart from the Breitling in pieces, I have a Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox, which I also got from my father. I remember, when I would snuggle into my parents’ bed on Sunday mornings, that’s the watch he would be wearing. I also have an old Eterna, an old Panerai. Obviously in the last few years, the collection has been dominated by new pieces from Oris. I have the original 1970 Chronoris – a hard find. I have a pointer calendar from the early 2000s. I have our alarm clock from the 90s.

Highlights For Oris

Tell us about the highlights from Oris over the last one year.

There have been a few things that have been really great at Oris; the updated Aquis for instance. An Oris staple for many years, the Aquis now has a new bezel, slimmer case, a refined metal bracelet, a new crown and protector. It has become a more upscale watch without losing its DNA. Then there’s the Big Crown 1917, a new rendition of our first aviation watch from 1917. This watch is derived from a pocket watch, and the horns were welded on. It’s limited to 1,917 pieces in order to celebrate 100 years since our first aviation watch.

Discover the Oris Aquis Date 2017 here.

Oris is the longest-standing partner of the Williams Formula One team. We have been with them since 2003, and like Oris, they are an independent company. They do nothing other than motor racing, just like we don’t indulge in anything besides mechanical watchmaking. At their helm is Frank Williams, who has been with them since the beginning. Similarly, at Oris, it has been (Chairman) Ulrich Herzog, who has been with the company since the late 70s. So there are a lot of similarities, and we share the same spirit, to always aim for the better, for the more precise, and for more accurate. In that emotion, we launched a new rendition of the Chronoris, our first chronograph, from 1970. Here now, we have a date model, with an inner bezel that can be turned to operate the chronograph.

Explore the Chronoris 2017 watch here.

There’s also the limited edition Williams chronograph that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Williams team. This is the case used in the Chronoris, our original F1 or motorsport watch. The blue dial is in the corporate colour of the Willams team, and on the back, you have the racing logo of Williams. Williams is very happy with watch, and so are we. I think it’s a very well executed retro motorsport watch that also works in dressy situations.

Find out more about the Oris-Willams association here. 

A timepiece that I personally like very much is the Big Crown Pro-Pilot World Timer. It has our second time zone function that we introduced 20 years ago. It used to have pushers at four and eight o’clock, and now, we’ve replaced these pushers with a bezel that can be rotated to show the second time zone. It gives the watch a more elegant look, with the same functionality. And you can see here, like all Oris watches, this also actually makes sense. We would never do a tourbillon. Because a tourbillon is a fantastic complication, and it makes a lot of sense for some brands. But for us, it simply doesn’t because for a wristwatch, a tourbillon is useless. It was created to balance out the force of gravity, required only in pocket watches.

So would you say this is your favourite watch?

Maybe my favourite from the current collection is Artelier Calibre 113, which I’m wearing. It’s within our family of in-house movements. You can see here a 10-day power reserve, coming from a single barrel, and we have integrated a patent non-linear power reserve indicator in it. What does this watch show us? Of course, the time, small seconds, the date, the day, the calendar week, and the months of the year – again, all very useful complications. Many of the people in the industry work with calendar weeks, and often on your computer, or your cellphone, you don’t find that. You can also see how much of the year has already passed by. It’s not only an everyday business watch, it also has philosophical relevance, as it reminds you that time is limited. You don’t always understand that living day by day, but when you see the whole year displayed on the dial, it puts passing time in a larger perspective.

Which of these timepieces have been the best performers for Oris?

Oris was founded in 1904 in Hölstein, where we still operate from. We are a brand with over 110 years of history, and we have very rich archives. The piece that has done very well for us is the Diver’s Sixty-Five. As the name suggests, it is the new and updated version of the original diver’s watch made in 1965. We modernised it with today’s technology. Now water resistant to 100m, it also has a unidirectional bezel. The domed sapphire crystal gives the look of the original plexi-crystal. There are several strap options, and it has been an instant success. The timepiece has functionalities that make complete sense as it’s very much an Oris and reflects the brand’s history very well. It’s good looking, and at a price point that’s also reachable for people who have to really work for their money.

Dive into the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five here.

Another watch that also did very well is our updated Aquis watch. It’s one of our bestsellers, because it works in every situation. You can wear it to the beach, since it’s water resistant to 300m. You can also wear it with a suit to a business meeting. It’s just a perfect, every-day, all-situation watch that fits every gentlemen very well.

That being said, it also depends on which part of the world we’re talking about. In the western parts, it’s the diver’s watches that does well. In Asia, the more classic pieces do well. And then our retro watches, such as the Big Crown Pro Pilot, they actually work well everywhere. In fact, in China, since vintage watches don’t do too well, they ordered very few, but soon enough, they came back for more, because people began to appreciate the vintage look.

Trends In Watches

In an interview earlier in 2017, you said that the general trend for a few years would be vintage-looking timepieces, and sizes no larger than 38 or 40mm. Do you still believe that? What other trends do you see emerging in the near future?

I still think that retro-looking timepieces will stay with us for the next few years. People like seeing designs from the past being updated for today’s times. I also think that sizes won’t really get bigger, unless it makes sense, when the functions of the watch demand a larger size, as with our Calibre 113 which needs to be of a certain size to house the whole mechanism. I also think that sporty and classic watches will blend more. The term, ‘sporty elegance’ that is used a lot is going to come back in many countries. I see in Asia and China, there is a developing taste for sportier timepieces. Also the development in the world of smartwatches has brought changes within the mechanical watch industry. The distinction between an electronic and a mechanical product is clearer than ever, which is also one of the reasons for the retro trend.

Speaking of the smartwatch… Apple recently said that they’re now the number one watch brand in the world. Do you have anything to say to that? Does Oris have plans to enter the smartwatch space?

We don’t know by what measures they claim to be the number one watch brand. If it’s by sales numbers of the Apple Watch, then it’s fair. A mechanical watch is something that has more of a culture. It’s something educated. A smartwatch is a gadget. Just as you have a nice pair of sneakers to go running, you also have a nice pair of well-made leather shoes to wear to business meetings. I think it’s the same for watches. When you’re involved in sporty activities, it makes sense to use the functions of a smart watch, but you don’t want to wear a smartwatch when you go for a formal evening. So I don’t think there is a real threat to the mechanical watch from the smartwatch. Lower-end electronic watches have already been affected by the advent of the smartwatch. However, that’s a different game than the game that Oris is in, and therefore, we are not worried. On the contrary, I welcome the development, because I think the bigger problem is that young people don’t wear watches at all. It’s definitely much easier to convince someone to wear a good pair of leather shoes if they’ve grown up wearing sneakers, than it would be if they had grown up barefoot. That’s my take on the smartwatch. I hope that they continue to innovate. That will raise the appeal towards watches in general.

Although, even luxury mechanical watchmakers such as TAG Heuer and Montblanc are doing smartwatches now.

It’s not for me to comment on their product strategy. Personally, I think smartwatches and luxury don’t really go together. Luxury means a product that you will love your whole life, a product that you can give to your children. A smartwatches will get outdated in a few years, and will have to be replaced, as is the case with any electronic goods. They can never epitomise true luxury. But let’s see. There have been different concepts developed by these brands, to also change a smartwatch into a mechanical watch later on, which already shows that smartwatches can’t last. But you see, I hear that they sell well, so good for them.

Oris 2018: A Sneak-Peek

What is Oris working on for Baselworld 2018?

Well, I can’t give you all the details. I’d be giving away all the information to the competition!

Maybe just a teaser?

Well, there will be an update of a very traditional, classic line. I can’t tell you which one, but I can tell you that it’ll be very exciting. There will be some new limited edition watches. It will also be an interesting year for women. Even though we’ve always made women’s watches, we generally focus on the classic and sporty men’s watches. However, there are more mechanical watches in store for women too. There’s your teaser!

Oris: The Brand Ideology

Are there any complications that Oris hasn’t done that you’d really like to do?

There are a lot of things that we haven’t done so far. And we are working on a few things, but it would be a spoiler to tell you exactly what. But I can tell you that when we work on complications, they are with a purpose, such as an altimeter in an aviation watch, a depth gauge in a diving watch. And we must be able to make them in a price range that makes sense for our consumers. When we set out to create a complication, we must arrive at a solution that can be afforded even by watch enthusiasts who spend hard-earned money on a watch.

The Oris slogan has been ‘Real watches for real people’ since 2010. How relevant is the slogan today?

Often at the Oris factory, you hear people asking questions like, ‘Is that real?’ and ‘Does it make sense?’ That’s how we make real watches for real people. We have a lot of respect for our consumers who spend a considerable amount of money on an Oris. CHF 3,000 is a lot of money already. And sometimes in the industry, you hear of watches that cost CHF 10,000 and 50,000. When have you spent that kind of money? These prices are just unreal, making the watches irrelevant to most people. We want to do things that are relevant, and that’s why we do ‘Real watches for real people’.

And what about counterfeiting of watches? Is that a challenge you’re dealing with?

Counterfeiting is an issue. Although, now with new distribution channels, to some extent, it also drives business back to authorised retail, because people do want to ensure that they’re spending on authentic timepieces. On the other hand, if somebody copies you, you should also take it as a compliment, and be fast and continue to innovate, to bring out even newer features and products. Of course, the Swiss watch industry is dealing with counterfeiting in their own way. The Federation De La Haute Horlogerie takes various measures to fight counterfeiting.

The Indian Market

With India as a growing market for luxury watches, do you have any plans to build a greater brand presence here?

Yes, of course! With Ethos, the plan is to really build the brand. In the last two years, the watch industry was in decline, but Oris was still able to grow, with strong momentum. We definitely want to make the most of that momentum here in India as well.