Special OfferAll Their Moving Parts: Oris And Its Magnificent In-House Movements

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When you have a history that spans over a hundred years, you can’t help but look at the past for some much-needed inspiration. This is especially true for watchmakers who play the vintage card when it comes to the design of some of their watches. But Oris has gone about this in a different and refreshing way. They put some of this wonderfully weighted history into making their movements as well, and this history is truly a fascinating one.

The Story Behind Oris’ Movements

Founded in 1904 by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, the people at Oris envisioned to create the ‘best possible watch in its category’ through the use of industrial watchmaking techniques that were at their zenith in their day. The company was flourishing, making precise pin-lever escapements or Roskopf escapements for its own movements. Here’s a bit of a refresher for those who need it: an escapement is a mechanism fitted between the gears and the regulating organ of most timepieces. The escapement releases energy at periodic intervals so the watch remains powered in a sustained manner. These pin-lever escapements were inexpensive as compared with the pallet forks used in other mechanical movements—providing the wearer with a watch that’s accurate and doesn’t pinch the pocket. However, in 1934, the Swiss government stepped in to regulate the watchmaking industry and passed a law called the Watch Statute, where watch companies were disallowed from introducing new technologies without permission. Unfortunately for Oris, their pin-lever escapements fit the bill and were consequently banned.

This variant of the Oris Artelier Calibre 111 features a stunning blue dial. Legibility is not an issue here, since the power reserve indicator on the left side of the watch and the small seconds sub-dial on the right are clear and readable. Besides mechanical precision, this calibre also offers visual balance

Oris continued making watches but decided to fight the battle out in court as well, even winning an award for accuracy for its pin-lever movements from the Bureau Officiel de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres in Le Locle in 1945. The company finally saw respite in 1966 and managed to get this disruptive statute reversed. Such is the tenacity of Oris that, only two years later, the company unveiled the Oris Calibre 652, which used a superior lever escapement. This movement was awarded full chronometer certification by the Observatoire Astronomique et Chronométrique (Neuchatel Observatory, Switzerland), putting the debate to bed once and for all, proving that pin-lever movements were as accurate as lever escapements.

By the late 1970s, Oris had become one of Switzerland’s largest movement manufacturers, producing 279 calibres, and had secured its place in the watchmaking history books. However, Oris’ innovative movement-making lost some steam when it was acquired by ASUAG (now, the Swatch Group). Even when the management took back the company and restored its status as an independent watchmaker, back in 1982, it still took a while to restore its movement-making capabilities. In the year 2014, the brand celebrated its 110th anniversary by releasing the in-house calibre 110. This was the first time in almost 40 years that a movement in its entirety had been crafted by Oris watchmakers. Oris, at the rudder of a mechanical resurgence, has gone back to its dogged roots. Subsequently, the manufacture began to release one in-house calibre every year. Here we explore three of these movements that have made waves in the watchmaking world.

Calibre 111: The Power And The Glory

Marking its 111-year anniversary, Oris released the appropriately named calibre 111, a hand-wound movement developed entirely in-house. The movement features a 10-day power reserve, indicated via a retrograde power reserve indicator—displaying numerals 10 to 0, representative of the number of days of power left—which can be seen on the right of the dial, between one and five o’clock. While the in-house calibre 110 had only the power reserve indicator, the 111 also included a date window at nine o’clock, touching the periphery of the small seconds sub-dial. This calibre has the distinct honour of being the first proprietary, industrialised calibre the Swiss watchmaker has introduced since the 1970s. It represents resurgence and revival at its finest.

One of the watch collections boasting this exemplary calibre is the Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 111. Seen here is the variant with a fetching blue sunray-finished dial and stainless steel bracelet

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Calibre 111 offers a power reserve of 10 days, indicated through a power reserve indicator. This calibre powers the hour and minute functions, a small seconds sub-dial and a date indication

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Oris ProPilot

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Calibre 111 is prototypical of the brand’s ground-breaking approach to the design of its calibres. Design-wise, Calibre 111 follows in Calibre 110’s footsteps, with the inclusion of the date. Mechanically precise with superlative craftsmanship, the single-barrel calibre is designed in such a way that the power is released to the mainspring evenly over a 10-day period. The design of this very indicator is interesting too—at the top of the scale, the notches are closer together, becoming further apart as you get to lower numeric values. When fully wound, the indicator’s hand moves clockwise—slowly at first, and more swiftly as the mainspring loosens up further and the power diminishes.

Seen here is the Oris Artelier Calibre 111 with the same blue dial as seen above, along with a matching blue leather strap. The pop of colour is what your watch collection needs

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The dark brown Louisiana alligator leather strap truly brings out the winsomeness of the anthracite dial of this variant

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Oris Culture

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State-of-the-art industrial techniques are used to produce and finish each and every calibre ticking inside an Oris timepiece, and things are no different here. The production of the calibre’s bridges alone encompasses eight steps in total. Rigorous quality control inspections accompany all processes—from milling to engraving and finishing. The calibre’s balance wheels are machined to tolerances of 1/1,000ths of a millimetre, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find such detail and precision anywhere else.

There are two collections that boast the mechanical intricacy of calibre 111. The first is the Oris Artelier Calibre 111. On offer here is a satin-finished stainless steel case housing an anthracite grey or blue sunray-finished dial. The grey variant comes attached with a dark brown Louisiana crocodile leather strap—making it the most vintage-looking watch of the lot. One of the blue variants comes with a blue crocodile leather strap and another with a stainless steel bracelet—both formal and luxurious.

This variant of the Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 111 features a beautiful anthracite dial along with the iconic large crown and bezel inspired by jet turbines

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In this line of watches, the patented non-linear power reserve indicator has been designed to be reminiscent of a plane’s fuel gauge

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Calibre 111 can be seen in all its glory through the sapphire crystal caseback of these watches

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For a special offer on any of the watches showcased here, please call +91 8725028882 or 8725016301

The second collection to feature the calibre 111 is the Big Crown ProPilot from the brand’s aviation repertoire. With a fascinating history that can be traced back to 1917, when Oris produced its first pilot’s wristwatch, and then consequently, the original Oris Big Crown, with its recognisable oversized crown, in 1938. An aviation timepiece staple, the large crown was originally meant to increase the ease of adjustment for pilots, who needed to operate it with flying gloves on. The Big Crown collection carries this legacy effortlessly on its shoulders even today.

Each of the ProPilot Calibre 111 watches have a substantial 44mm case, water resistant to 100m, made from satin-finished stainless steel. All watches feature coin-edged bezels, which have been inspired by jet engine turbines. Here, the retrograde power reserve indicator near three o’clock has been designed to look like an aeroplane fuel gauge.

For more information on Oris’ Calibre 111 in their Big Crown ProPilot watches, click here

Calibre 113: The Crown Jewel

The fourth in-house calibre from Oris was the calibre 113. Like its predecessors calibres 111 and 112, 113 also features a 10-day power reserve, which is indicated through a patented non-linear power reserve display, along with a small seconds sub-dial. What’s different and exciting about this particular movement is the addition of a ‘business calendar’, which includes day, date, week and month displays—a first for Oris.

Boasting Calibre 113, the opaline silver-coloured dial of this Artelier watch has applied gold-plated baton markers, numerals at 12 and 6, along with gold-coloured hands that look striking

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Contrary to what one might think, the dial of this watch does not look busy. Instead, the non-linear indications provide visual balance to the dial

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The dark brown leather strap gives the watch a vintage touch

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The sapphire crystal caseback gives one a glimpse into this powerhouse of a movement ticking inside

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This calibre was devised at the brand’s Centre of Excellence, where Oris’ most innovative watches and movements are now developed. This incomparable movement is housed inside the Oris Artelier Calibre 113—watches that are as handsome as they are functional. Here, the exuberantly premium-looking 43mm, multi-piece steel case has been covered with a sapphire crystal glass. An aperture at 12 displays the day, while a window at nine o’clock has the date indication. A central pointer hand with a red tip points to the periphery of the dial where you can see the week and month. Such is the mechanical prowess and artistry of this movement that all these functions—along with the basic time-setting and winding—can be operated through the crown itself.

Featuring Oris’ Calibre 113 is another handsome member of the Artelier collection, with an opaline silver dial and a stainless steel bracelet

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Along with a power reserve indicator, a small seconds sub-dial and a date window at nine o’clock, this movement powers the day, month and week functions as well

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Oris Artelier

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On offer are two aesthetically-pleasing watches with clear and legible opaline silver dials, featuring applied gold-plated indices and numerals at 12 and 6. Even with so many functions, the dial does not appear busy. Attached is either a brown Louisiana alligator leather strap or a fetching stainless steel bracelet.

To read more about the Oris Artelier Calibre 113, click here

Calibre 114: The World At Your Feet

There’s nothing else that caters better to the modern traveller than the calibre 114, the fifth in-house movement from Oris, which was released in 2018. Taking its cue from its predecessors, this movement has a 10-day power reserve, displayed through a retrograde power reserve indicator, a date, but no day indication. However, its most significant element is the 24-hour second time zone indicator, which includes half-hour differences. Displaying this behemoth of a movement in all its glory are the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 watches.

A goliath even in front of other members of the ProPilot series, this watch features Calibre 114. This variant features an anthracite dial and a brown leather strap

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The large crown, meant for gloved hands, remains here, as does the coin-edge bezel, which is inspired by jet engine blades

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The 44mm stainless steel case looks bold and wholesome—a masculine addition to any man’s collection

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Besides the power reserve indicator and date display, this movement supports the display of a 24-hour second time zone, which includes half-hour differences. You can view this calibre through the clear crystal caseback

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The jet-setting age of the 1950s, when passenger jets first came into service, was the prime time to introduce a function for the second time zone—and the watchmaking world delivered. Watchmakers began producing timekeepers that were able to display home and local time, with the help of a GMT function. Initially, these watches were only created for pilots, however, due to their inherent practicality, they began to be worn by jet-setting businessmen and frequent flyers as well. Although in the past, Oris had made watches with a second time zone function, the Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 offered local time adjustment to the nearest half-hour, useful if you’re travelling to or from countries such as Australia (GMT+9.30) or even India (GMT+5.30). Considering most GMT watches cannot be adjusted for half-hour increments for the second time zone, these particular watches from Oris are exceptionally useful, particularly for us in India, and tremendously utilitarian in the global age.

This edition of the ProPilot Calibre 114 comes with the same anthracite dial, but with a stainless steel bracelet

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Another variant of the collection features a black dial. Attached is a stainless steel bracelet. The imposing look is sure to draw envious glances

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Oris Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 Shop the Collection

This member of the ProPilot line shares the same feature as others in the collection—the large crown and a bezel design inspired by jet turbines. The movement here is encased inside a durable 44mm stainless steel case, water resistant to 100m, with beautiful vintage-style dials presenting Arabic numerals. The dial is available in black or anthracite. One’s options when it comes to straps range from stainless bracelets to an aviation enthusiast’s dream—a brown Louisiana alligator leather strap.

Find out more about the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 by following this link

A mastery over mechanics and a design scheme that’s simplistic yet eye-catching, Oris delivers some brilliant watches that won’t let you down when the going gets tough. From a history of innovation that spans decades to a bright future that will, perhaps, see more advancements in their movements, Oris has sought to deliver the best quality at the most reasonable prices. Let’s see what this Swiss brand has up its sleeves for us next.

For a special offer on any of the watches showcased here, please call +91 8725028882 or 8725016301