Foundation Creation: All-Bronze Oris Hölstein Edition 2020 Celebrates the Brand’s Roots


The story of Oris begins in June 1904, when Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, two watch entrepreneurs from the Swiss Jura, formed a partnership in the small Swiss factory town of Hölstein. Their mission, a visionary one at the time, was to meld traditional horology with contemporary industrial practices to make beautiful watches at prices accessible to working-class citizens. More than a century later, Oris still adheres to its founders’ philosophy, and with the new Hölstein Edition 2020, the firm pays tribute to its origins with a watchmaking world-first: it’s the first wristwatch to use bronze for both its case and bracelet.

The Hölstein Edition 2020 is the first in a series of commemorative pieces.

The Hölstein Edition 2020, described by the brand as “the first in a series of limited edition pieces named in honor of the Swiss village… where the company was founded,” uses as its base one of the most popular models in the modern Oris lineup, the retro-styled Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. Continuing the theme of previous well-received Oris special editions, such as the recent Big Crown Pointer Date, its 43-mm case, bezel, relief-engraved dive-scale bezel insert, screwed crown and chronograph pushers are all cast in solid bronze. This watch, however, expands upon the theme with its bracelet — the first in all of watchmaking to have its links made entirely of bronze. The only elements of the bracelet not made of the material are the pins holding the links together and the folding clasp, which are constructed in high-grade stainless steel.

For the first time, the watch’s case, bezel, and bracelet are all made of bronze.

Also made of stainless steel is the solid caseback, here for the first time featuring an engraving of the Oris Bear, a recent mascot of the Swiss brand, chosen, says Oris co-CEO Rolf Stüder, for its “warm and honest” appearance and simply because “it just makes you smile.” Behind that cheery covering beats the automatic Oris 771 caliber, based on the Sellita SW500-1, with a 28,800-vph frequency and a 48-hour power reserve. As with all bronze watches, this one’s surfaces will take on a patina unique to its owner after years of wear.

The playful “Oris Bear” mascot appears on the steel caseback.

The Oris Hölstein Edition 2020 is limited to 250 pieces, available at Oris boutiques, retailers, and the Oris e-shop, priced at $5,200. For more detail on the Oris Divers Sixty-Five model, read our review here.

The gold-plated dial has two black subdials for running seconds and chronograph minutes.
Manufacturer:Oris SA, Ribigasse 1, 4434 Hölstein, Switzerland
Reference number:771 7744 3182
Functions:Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph
Movement:Oris Caliber 771 (Sellita SW500-1 base), automatic, frequency = 28,800 vph, power reserve = 48 hours, stop seconds, chronograph with 30-minute counter
Case:Multi-piece bronze case with solid caseback, screw-in crown and pushers, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating inside, water resistant to 100 meters
Bracelet and cla­­sp:Bronze bracelet with folding clasp
Dimensions:Diameter = 43 mm
Price:$5,200
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  1. I’d be afraid to buy because I find green spots on my wrist after wearing my bronze watch with SS caseback, so with a full bronze bracelet I’d be a goner. Curious why they wouldn’t make the caseback bronze too, I mean, what’s the point of a stainless steel caseback to keep you from turning green if the full bracelet is bronze

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