The Art Of Watchmaking
Oris is one the great innovators, but behind its groundbreaking complications is a profound respect for the long-standing traditions of mechanical watchmaking. The watchmakers art has proves time and time again that it will outlast the whims of modern technology. Oris , founded in 19804 has never lost sight of this nor of its own mechanical heritage – the company hasn’t made a quartz watch for more than a quarter of a century.
The ultimate expression of this is the Artelier family of watches. For years, the Artelier has been a vehicle for traditional, Oris-developed complications, including the pioneering world timer of 1997 and , most recently, the in-house developed Calibres 111 and 12. The latest additions to the Artelier collection have all the hallmarks of design classics. The Artelier Chronometer, Date has a slimmer, more refined case than previous models, as well as an Art Deco-inspired guilloche dial. Inside it is a chronometer-certified movement that’s been independently tested for accuracy by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, known as COSC. According to COSC’s guidelines, a movement that meets its exacting standards must be accurate to withing -4/+6 seonds a day.
Today, the Artelier collection remains home to some of of Oris’s most complicated watches. The Artelier Worldtimer Greenwich Mean Time Limited Edition is the natural successor to Oris’s original World-Time watch and features a second time zone function that can be adjusted forwards or backwards in one-hour jumps using the push buttons on either side of the case. It’s so well engineered that it takes into account the changing date at midnight, both forwards and backwards, to accommodate travel across the international date line in both directions.
The Artelier’s long tradition is a symbol of Oris’s enduring passion for the art of watchmaking. Every model reflects the classical traditions of this great company – Jessica Baumgartner
Oris was the first Swiss mechanical watch brand to develop this useful complication. As influential is the Artelier Complication, a watch that displays the date, date and moon phase, and a second time zone. Oris originally developed this combination of functions for Calibre 581, which was released in 1991 and played a significant role in reviving the Swiss watch industry. But arguably Oris’s signature is the ‘pointer’ series of complications. The original Pointer Date was introduced in 1938. It used a central hand with a red tip to indicate the date, a system that has since been applied to indicating the day, as with the Artelier Small Second Pointer Day.
‘The Artelier’s long tradition is a symbol of Oris’s enduring passion for the art of watchmaking’ says Jessica Baumgartner, one of Oris’s experienced watch designers. ‘Every model reflects the great classical traditions we’ve inherited, as well as the tastes of contemporary watch buyers.’
You can view our full range of Oris Artelier watches here and you can view the Oris Artelier collection on the official Oris website here.
