Do we ever really need to wear mechanical watches? Swiss watch manufacturer Oris answers this age-old question by unveiling their latest timepiece; the Hölstein Edition 2021. This watch is everything that is synonymous with Oris and what we watch fanatics love. The watch was officially released on June 1 as a celebration of Oris’s 117th anniversary.
So what is it about mechanical watches that we love so much? What differentiates it from an analog timepiece that ultimately does the same thing if not better? It’s all down to the emotional connection and how we feel when we wear it. At the core of it all is the joy of having a beautifully handcrafted timepiece that contains a heartbeat composed of gears and levers that brings nothing but a smile to our faces.
Oris has been fortunate enough to be able to love what they do in creating wonderful timepieces, but at the same time have people all over the world love what they do as well. What mechanical watch manufacturers do is try to bring joy to the people that wear their timepieces. Oris is no different. This latest timepiece by the Swiss brand comes with one mission; to make people smile.
Design:
The Oris Hölstein Edition 2021 is a limited edition version of the brand’s own Big Crown pilot’s watch. The Big Crown models are of course Oris’s signature design and have been in the brand’s collection since 1938 when it was first introduced as a tool to be used by gloved airmen. The stand-out features of the Big Crown were the oversized crown, the pointer date which is a central hand that points to a date scale on the edge of the dial. These features are all retained in this latest Hölstein Edition 2021.
Oris has made some changes from the typical Big Crown pilot watches in their collection to make this model quite special. The brand has stripped back the fluted bezel and domed crystal to now feature a flat bezel that has sharper and crisper lines. This change has been inspired by pre-war original models and it doesn’t stop there. The grey tones used on the dial also reflect the industrial methods that Oris used and pioneered in the first half of the 20th century.
Movement:
Inside this timepiece beats Oris’s Calibre 403 movement, which is in fact the first-ever watch to feature this movement. The Calibre 403 movement is a step up from Oris’s groundbreaking high-performance in-house Calibre 400 movement which featured the staggering five-day power reserve and a 10-year warranty. The Calibre 403 movement adds to this by now featuring a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock and also Oris’s iconic pointer date function.
Limited to just 250 pieces, each Oris Hölstein Edition 2021 will feature its limited-edition number along with the Oris bear on the case back. The first 38mm Big Crown this century, the Oris Hölstein Edition 2021 is a fine modern mechanical timepiece that dives into its roots to bring nothing but a smile to those fortunate enough to wear it.
Oris Hölstein Edition Specification:
- Case: 38 mm
- Case Material: e Multi-piece stainless steel case
- Dial: Grey
- Crystal: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Water resistance: 50 meters
- Movement: Oris Calibre 403
- Power reserve: minimum of 120 Hours
- Strap: Grey leather with quick strap change system
