ris introduces the Hölstein Edition 2021, a 250-piece limited-edition version of the Big Crown pilot’s watch. The watch, which has a 38mm stainless steel case, is the first to house the in-house developed Oris Calibre 403, a new automatic movement from the Calibre 400 Series.

The Big Crown is Oris’s signature design. It’s been in the collection, in constant production, since 1938 when it was introduced as a tool for gloved airmen. It was named after its oversized crown, and designed to be easy to operate during flight.

Its stand-out function was a pointer date, a central hand that pointed to a date scale running round the edge of the dial.

Oris Co-CEO Rolf Studer has been with the company for 15 years.

The Hölstein Edition 2021 brings this story up to date with a special case inspired by the pre-war original. For this model, we’ve stripped back the fluted bezel and domed crystal; in their place are a flat bezel and sharper, crisper lines. The grey palette reflects the industrial methods Oris pioneered in the first half of the 20th century, while the newly developed numerals are based on references from the Oris archive.

Inside it is Oris Calibre 403, which shares the same base architecture and same high performance as our in-house Calibre 400 automatic – a five-day power reserve, elevated levels of anti-magnetism and a 10-year warranty. Added to these features are a small seconds at 6 o’clock and the famous pointer date function. It’s a classleading movement created for the modern world, telling a much-loved story.

It’s also the first 38mm Big Crown this century, and each piece has the Oris Bear on the case back with its limited-edition number.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Case Multi-piece stainless steel case

Size 38.00 mm (1.496 inches)

Dial Grey

Luminous material Indices, numbers and hands printed with Super-LumiNova®

Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside

Case back Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings

Operating devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown

Strap Grey leather with quick strap change system

Water resistance 5 bar

Movement Oris Calibre 403

Functions Centre hands for hours, minutes and date, small seconds at 6 o’clock, fine timing device and stop-second

Accuracy -3/+5 seconds a day (within COSC tolerances)

Extra features Highly anti-magnetic

Winding Automatic

Power reserve 120 hours

Warranty Extended to 10 years with MyOris sign-up. Applies to watch and movement. 10-year recommended service intervals, five year recommended water-resistance check

Limited edition 250 pieces, each delivered in a special cherry wood presentation box

Swiss retail price CHF 3,600