Oris Luxury Watches

Oris is a manufacturer of Swiss luxury wristwatches founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian at Hölstein in 1904. Though there are Oris-branded quartz watches from the 1980s, the company produces only mechanical watches today.

History

The first branch of Oris was opened in 1906. Oris' first factory was run by 24 workers. Oris employed more than 300 people in Hölstein in 1911 who built houses and flats for the company's workers and became the largest employer in the area.

Shortly after, the founder George Christian died in 1927 and Oscar Herzog became the CEO of Oris, a position he held for the next 43 years. Between 1946 and 1981, Oris owned ten buses which were used to transport up to 800 workers to its many factory locations. The original Oris factory founded in 1904 continuously expanded and by the 1960s Oris became one of the top ten largest watch producers in Switzerland.

Oris began producing the "famous Automatic Movement cal. 645 with 25-jewel lever escapement" in 1966. In 1991 the “complication movement cal. 581” was developed, with moon phase display, week day, date and a second time zone.

In 1968, Oris obtained full chronometer certification from the Neuchâtel Observatory for movement cal.652.

In 1996, Oris organized the Oris London Jazz Festival, one of Oris’ first large sponsorship events.

In 1997, Oris produced the Oris Hong Kong Commemorative Watch, to commemorate Hong Kong’s handover to China.

Oris produced a limited timepiece to represent the 100 years of watch production. In 2004, 1904 watches were produced to resemble the date that Oris was founded, each watch being individually numbered. In 2009, Oris launched a limited edition watch for Bob Dylan.

In 2003 Oris signed an agreement to become the sole supplier of watches to the BMW Williams Formula One Team.

Items to Consider when Buying a Luxury Watch

1. Overall Design and Materials: Does it appeal to the buyer's eye? What are the materials used? Beyond the staples of Gold, Silver and Titanium there is a wide range of new materials on the market which work beautifully in luxury watches. Avoid anything plated, i.e. gold-plating.

2. The Watch Maker and History: Pick a seller or watch maker with a solid reputation and a untarnished history of making great products. Last place you want to make an exception is when buying an expensive timepiece.

3. Complications: Complications are number of different functions a watch can perform. Do your research of these as the price of a mechanical watch increases exponentially with the number of complex movements.

4. Movement: These are the intricate movements and design on the inside and can be either made in-house (considered better but more costly) or by third-party. If it's done by third-party, look up the reputation of that third-party.

5. Materials & Jewels: Check for number of jewels on the inside as well as out-side displayed jewels. Inner-jewels contribute to smoother and longer lasting mechanical parts.

6. Return Policies: Most reputable watch sellers and makers allow for easy returns if the piece is not to your liking. Sometimes it takes a few times of trial and error to get the right watch your comfortable with and enjoy wearing. A No Hassles return policy is best.

7. Budget: Considering many luxury watches are high in price, some more than a car or home, it may be a good idea to consider your budget or plan to get into a nicer watch. Many places will let you trade in and trade up with additional deposits. This way you can work your way up to a nice mechanical watch after some time and while getting the feel of the type of watch you prefer.