The Oris story begins in 1904 when company founders Paul Cattin and Georges Christian buy an old factory in the Swiss town of Hölstein. The company quickly expands to include 6 additional factories in the locality. By 1925 Oris also own their own electroplating factory in Herbetswil. At this point, the company begins to convert their pocket watches into wristwatches, by altering the side attachments.

Following the death of Georges Christian in 1927, Oscar Herzog, Christian’s brother-in-law, takes over as General Manager. Herzog steers Oris through the many watchmaking highs and lows of the coming years including a diversion to alarm clock production during WW2. The company builds a reputation of being supportive to its vast number of employees by building housing near their factories. They are also one of the first employers to offer equal opportunities to both men and women.

The Oris watch company, despite all changes and adaptions over the years, have proved themselves to be innovators in the world of horology. They use their own Calibre 601 movements in their automatic watches with a power reserve indicator. Other notable in-house movements include the Oris Calibre 652, which due to its high level of accuracy was awarded full chronometer certification by the Observatoire Astronomique et Chronométrique.

Oris are best-known for their pilots watches with big crown and a Pointer Calendar function. The collection takes its name from the watch’s oversized crown, developed as an aid to pilots who adjust their watches while wearing gloves. Aviation is now one of the four ‘Oris Worlds’ others include Diving, Culture and Motor Sport.