Why you can’t be good in the world like this – Style

The executive editor of Kommersant Style, Yuri Khnychkin, who visited the main watch show, explores the vicissitudes of the fate of a small but principled watch brand from the Swiss village of Holstein.

The almost 120-year history of Oris refutes the common belief that the key to success in the watch industry is the product. Interesting, distinctive and affordable watches did not help the brand avoid decline during the “quartz crisis” of the 1970s, and even now they are popular mainly with customers with a clear understanding that some of the watch logos are greatly overvalued. Although all the components of success are present: the independent status of the company, manufacturing movements with, I will not be afraid of the word, outstanding characteristics (more on them below), design in line with modern trends, often unique functions that are not available from competitors, and finally, a very moderate price for such a set of advantages. But, you understand, the stone flower does not come out. Personally, I have the only explanation that was suggested by the slogan used by the brand in the past decade “Real Watches for Real People” (“Real Watches for Real People”). Real people have emerged – real watches are not needed. But the brand honestly continues to bend its line, and this year’s new products, reflecting the versatile talents of Oris, confirm this.

Screen version

It’s worth starting with a model that has become one of the most popular exhibits of the entire Watches & Wonders exhibition in Geneva. On the very first day, ProPilot X Kermit Edition got into all the reports, and crowds of curious people were drawn to the corporate stand. The spectacle was worth it. The Kermit Edition, a collaboration with Disney, which owns the rights to the Sesame Street puppet characters, is based on last year’s new ProPilot X Caliber 400. The Kermits have a trendy green dial and a frog on the date indicator disc – its appearance marks the first number of the next month (followed by numbers from “2” to “31”). The balance of humor and seriousness is maintained: the image of the frog invariably causes a smile, at the same time it is far from kitsch and does not harm watch aesthetics. Unlike, say, the much more eminent manufactory Audemars Piguet, whose next collaboration with Marvel in the form of the limited Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man” is an example of what not to do.

Even if we ignore the charming frog, the ProPilot X Kermit Edition (like the ProPilot X Caliber 400 with pink, blue or gray dials) deserve close attention. Firstly, they are equipped with the new (introduced in 2020) automatic in-house Caliber 400, the description of the merits of which pulls for a separate story. Let me list briefly: the power reserve is fantastic for “automatic” 120 hours, the accuracy within 3 / + 5 s per day with a margin fits into the COSC criteria for chronometers (-4 / + 6 s), increased “immunity” from the effects of magnetic fields, a ten-year warranty (subject to online registration of the watch on the official website) and a ten-year service interval. Taken together, these characteristics are unattainable for watches, even such monsters as Rolex and Omega. The movement is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. Secondly, the case with a diameter of 39 mm and the bracelet are not made of stainless steel, but of lighter, but more difficult to process titanium. And now attention – the price: 4.4 thousand Swiss francs (484 thousand rubles are indicated on the updated Russian-language version of the company’s website).

If I already remembered the “spider-man” from Audemars Piguet, then I’ll finish with it. Yes, this watch has a skeletonized tourbillon caliber, a spectacular case made of a combination of titanium and ceramic, but at the same time it is a hand-wound movement with only a 72-hour power reserve, and a suggested retail price of 210.1 thousand francs. I understand that it is ridiculous to compare the market niches of the two brands and their clientele, but something is wrong here: either Oris shamelessly dumping, or Audemars Piguet eats too well. And instinct suggests that the last assumption is closer to reality.

On the heights and in the depths

The second new Oris of this year is familiar to me quite closely. When the first generation of the ProPilot Altimeter came out in 2014, with the rarest built-in complication for a mechanical watch – an altimeter (altitude indicator), I was invited to the Ambri airfield, located in the only Swiss Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. During the day I flew to my heart’s content (as a passenger, of course) in modern helicopters and World War II “spark” fighters, with the only urgent requirement of the hosts to compare the altimeter readings on the issued wristwatch with the readings on the aircraft dashboard. I testify that they diverged slightly, so the ProPilot Altimeter measurements can be considered reliable. Of course, I would not land an airplane based on them, but a toy, especially for those who are fond of aviation, is notable.

This year, the second generation of the model is presented, in which the maximum measurable height is increased from 15 thousand feet (4.5 thousand meters) to 19.7 thousand feet (6 thousand meters). For flights on a Cessna, or even more so on the basis of an amateur, including Russian, Robinson helicopter fleet – more than. Due to the congestion of the altimeter scale, the model is produced, as before, in two different versions of the calculation: feet or meters. Now the watch has a 47 mm case (the altimeter module is voluminous) made of the lightest (70 g less than the previous steel generation) carbon fiber. The base for the automatic movement is Sellita SW-300, with a power reserve increased to 56 hours (previously it was 38 hours). They cost 6.2 thousand francs (if you like – 682 thousand rubles).

For those interested in unusual functions, I inform you that in addition to watches with a built-in altimeter, Oris makes the Aquis Depth Gauge model with a mechanical depth gauge, which, according to the manufacturer, provides measurements up to 100 m. However, since none of the amateur divers dives to such a depth, then for their needs clearly marked up to 30 m scale is enough.

Classic form, modern content

Another successful Oris style is vintage. The Big Crown Caliber 473 is notable not so much for the oversized crown common to vintage-style Oris as its name, but for the characteristics of the movement and the retro design of the dial with a small second hand at 6 o’clock and a hand date indicator with a circular scale. The steel case is small by today’s standards (38 mm in diameter), but the old-school genre demands it. The main thing is the first hand-wound version of the in-house Caliber 400 movement (it bears the designation “Caliber 473”), but with the same amazing characteristics: a power reserve of 120 hours, chronometric accuracy, anti-magnetism, an unprecedentedly long warranty and service interval. The light blue dial goes well with the beige deerskin strap, and the transparent caseback window allows you to see in detail not only the mechanism not covered by the self-winding rotor, but also the power reserve indicator located there. Three years ago, after the release of the Caliber 400, the brand changed its slogan to “The New Standard” (“The New Standard”, with a hint of the possibilities of a new in-house caliber) – not as straightforward as the previous one, but rather understandable to watch fans. The model is estimated at 4.2 thousand francs (462 thousand rubles).

P.S. When the material was ready, the shortlist of watches-contenders of the Geneva Grand Prix of Horlogerie came out. The ProPilot X Kermit Edition and diver’s AquisPro 4000m nominated for this year’s competition, alas, did not make it. And if Oris is no stranger to failure, then it upset me.

Yuri Khnychkin