SpotlightThe New Hue Of Joy: Oris Release The Hölstein Edition Aquis Watch, With A Deep Purple Dial
On their 119th birthday, independent Swiss watchmaking brand Oris release their fourth Hölstein Edition, an Aquis watch featuring a gorgeous deep purple dial, with no date and a special caseback, with the Oris calibre 400 housed within
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Hölstein-based watch brand Oris, who presented their joy-inducing lime-green ProPilot Kermit watch at Watches and Wonders, Geneva, earlier this year, have another joyous offering in the form of their 2023 Hölstein Edition, released this month. Only, this deep purple-hued dial is an Aquis dive watch, with a water resistance of 300m, but otherwise very different from the collection’s radiant mother-of-pearl dials released just last month. To celebrate the brand’s 119th birthday on June 1, Oris presented their special Hölstein Edition Aquis watch with a purple dial, without the prominent date display at six o’clock, in a limited 250-piece run. This Hölstein Edition is aimed at fans of the brand, and those who appreciate everything the name Oris has stood for in the last 119 years—fine, independent, mechanical watchmaking.
Oris On Their Own Course
Founded on June 1, 1904, in the Swiss town of Hölstein, and named after a local brook, Oris have always followed their own course when it comes to watchmaking—specifically, mechanical watchmaking, because Oris are all about the ‘joy of mechanics’. Four years ago, the brand started this annual tradition with the release of a 250-piece limited Hölstein Edition, to pay tribute to their roots and their constant source of inspiration—their surroundings. What these watches all have in common is the fact that the concept and design come from an independent mindset—much like the brand itself—and that they will not be available once the limited run is done.
This, however, is the first time Oris have released a Hölstein Edition based on feedback from the ever-growing Oris fan community. “We’re fortunate to have a very active global community. You can see that from the interaction we get on social, and even more so from the thriving Oris Social Club (OSC) network,” says co-CEO Rolf Studer. “We have more than 30 OSC chapters around the world now, each run by local Oris fans. They talk to us, and tell us what they think of our watches and our collaborations. They also ask good questions. Why have we not done a no-date Aquis? When are we going to do a purple-dialled watch? These inspired the Hölstein Edition 2023, which is what makes it a watch for our community,” he adds.
The Hölstein Edition Aquis Dive Watch
And so, inspired by fans’ ideas, this beautiful purple dial makes its appearance on an Aquis dive watch—in varying shades too. Towards the centre of the dial is a rich purple that darkens to a much deeper shade around the periphery. The absence of the date window is the significant other change on the dial. This change works so well that one wonders why we’ve had a date display at all. After all, in Oris’ words, it’s not as if one needs a mechanical watch to tell the time—or the date—anymore. Today, a mechanical watch is a luxury that makes the wearer smile. “It’s part of the human condition that we can feel and express joy, and high-quality Swiss-made mechanical watches have become a vehicle for that emotion,” they say, and rightfully so.
Turning the watch over will likely enhance that joy, for the caseback features the limited edition number, and an illustration of the Oris bear, dressed in scuba gear, all in purple. After all, this is a dive watch, and the unidirectional-rotating bezel, Super-LumiNova filled hour markers and hands, and a 300m water resistance—all attest to this.
The joy increases with the realisation that this is an Oris watch—a brand that take mechanical watchmaking seriously—and that housed within the 43.5mm case is the Oris calibre 400, a highly accurate, highly anti-magnetic movement with a power reserve of 120 hours, or five days. The watch comes with a 10-year warranty, with 10-year recommended service intervals. Mounted on a multi-link stainless steel strap, this Hölstein Edition watch is delivered in a special wooden box. All of its unique features combined are bound to make the wearer smile every time they look at the watch, like they’re part of the brand’s story through 119 years.
While the deep purple Hölstein Edition is a gorgeous no-date Aquis with special features, it is an aberration from the dive watch collection we know and love. “They’re a celebration, created to bring joy, make people smile and give something back to the community that gives the Oris story so much oxygen,” says Struder.
