ReviewWatch The Year Go By With The Advanced Oris Artelier Calibre 113

It’s only natural for one to think of all that one has achieved or accomplished in the year gone by. For some, it might mean breaking some record, or achieving some monetary target, but for others, it could mean taking a break for oneself or for family. Whatever your priorities are, it’s still a little unnerving to think of how this year has zipped by us so fast. That’s of course relative, based on how major or minor the events of your year have been. For some of us though, one can safely say that it seems like just a while ago that we were welcoming 2017.

Time flies, yes. We’ve all said that at some point or another. And before you know it, even 2018 will be behind us. But what if you could keep a check on that, with not just each passing quarter or month, but even with each passing week? When the watch on your wrist tells you it’s, say, week 28, and that you have less than half the year left to go, you will definitely stop and think. That’s what the new Oris Artelier Calibre 113 will do for you.

Giving You The Bigger Picture Of Time

The new timepiece from the Swiss manufacturers, who only produce practical and functional mechanical timepieces, is actually aimed at businessmen, for whom quarter endings, or week 22 or 39 would certainly matter. However, this idea of keeping a check on passing time, looking at the larger picture, is an extension of a thought that the CEO of Oris, Rolf Studer shared with us, on his recent visit to India. “It’s not only a business watch for people who have to live day by day, but it also has a philosophical meaning that tells you that time is limited,” Studer ruminated. “You don’t always understand that living day by day, but when you see the whole year being displayed on the dial, you clearly understand that.” Studer went so far as to call it his favourite watch from the brand’s current collection.

The arrowhead on the central hand points at the current week of the year, and will hence be on the current month as well, as it takes a year for it to take one round of the dial

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Through its exhibition caseback, the wearer can enjoy a glimpse of the intricate workings of the Calibre 113

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The Calibre 113 has an impressive 10-day power reserve only from a single barrel, which is quite the horological feat

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The Year On The Dial

The ‘business calendar’, as this complication is actually called, is presented on the face of this Oris Artelier timepiece by way of markers around the edge of the dial, and a central hand with a red arrowhead. The markers graduate from 1 to 52, corresponding to the 52 weeks of the year, and further inside are the twelve months of the Gregorian calendar, spelt in English. The arrowhead on the central hand points at the current week of the year, and will hence be on the current month as well, as it takes a year for it to take one round of the dial.

The interesting thing about placing the entire year on the circular dial is that it can be perfectly divided into four. If you draw imaginary lines from nine to three o’clock, and twelve to six o’clock, it will divide the dial into four perfect quarters, which will also be the four quarters of the year, as you’ll see.

And, of course, the watch includes the other conventional calendar features – the day of the week and the date of the month, seen through apertures at 12 and 9 o’clock respectively.

Calibre 113: A Matter Of Pride For Oris

It happens to be the fourth in a series of watches that Oris has proudly created with completely in-house manufactured movements. In 2014, the brand celebrated its 110th anniversary, with the launch of the Calibre 110, the first completely in-house manufactured movement by the brand in decades. Earlier in their 110-year-long history, Oris had created close to 280 calibres in-house, and was among Switzerland’s largest movement manufacturers. Calibre 110 marked a return to that league of mechanical watchmaking and these manufacturers had no intention of stopping there.

Since 2014, we’ve seen their Calibres 111, 112, and now 113, the fourth in a series of ‘highly innovative, high-functioning watches’, which are a true matter of pride for Oris. “Oris has a long and proud watchmaking tradition, and Calibre 113 is another big step for us,” reaffirms Ulrich W Herzog, chairman of the company. This watch is also a product of the newly founded Centre Of Excellence at Oris, where their most innovative products will be developed going forward. “This is an exciting time for Oris, with our Centre of Excellence now firmly established as a home for our most talented watchmakers, and a pillar on which we will continue to build our future as a mechanical watch company,” adds Herzog. A mechanical, manual-winding movement, the 113 shares the same base architecture as its predecessors, and takes the mechanics a step further with the business calendar.

Other Features Of the Artelier Calibre 113

It’s not just for its business calendar that Studer considers the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 as a personal favourite. “From our family of in-house movements, the Calibre 113 has a 10-day power reserve, coming from one single barrel,” informs Studer. “And we have a patent non-linear power reserve indication integrated [into the dial], and created by two gears.” In addition to the patented non-linear indication of the whopping 10-day power reserve, the dial also features a small seconds sub-dial at nine o’clock. Other detailing on the opaline silver dial are the applied gold-plated markers and numerals, and gold-plated hands, with the hour and minute hands filled with SuperLuminova.

A very interesting feature of this watch is that all the functions – time, day, date, week, and month – are adjustable through the one crown at three o’clock, on the 43mm stainless steel case. This is a slightly larger size for the brand, but there is a reason for it. “It needs a certain size to house the movement, and whole mechanism,” explains Studer. On both sides of the case is sapphire crystal – with an antireflective coating in front to see the dial better, and on the caseback to see the beautiful movement. This watch comes with a dark brown Louisiana crocodile leather strap, or a stainless steel bracelet.

As you see, there’s a lot to like in this watch. It certainly will help you realise and appreciate what your time means to you. And as you notice the red arrowhead hand heading back to the week-52 position next December, you’ll get a whole new perspective of how life comes a full circle.