By Osheen Arakelian
A little while ago I attended an Oris event held in Sydney and had the chance to talk to Peter Borghouts from Oris about a new super secret release being unveiled at Baselworld 2014. After trying to crack his shell and make him spill the beans on this super secret release I gave up and opted to wait to see what the big fuss was all about. What I were told was that it would be a surprise worth waiting for and it would be revolutionary. With Baselworld 2014 in full swing, we waited impatiently for the news to arrive and without further ado, here it is. Presenting the new Oris Caliber 110, the first mechanical movement developed entirely by Oris from the ground up in over 35 years. It is a hand wound caliber with a 10 day power reserve and a patented non-linear power reserve indicator.
What is intriguing and revolutionary is that these 2 movements have never been used together before. This has been the greatest challenge for Oris’s in house team of watchmakers and designers, who have been collaborating with Swiss technical experts and with L’École Téchnique Le Locle. The project has been ongoing for over 10 years until its final release at Baselworld 2014.
What you see today is a milestone in technological watchmaking. Each caliber is going to be hand-assembled and tested in Oris’s Hölstein factory by the expert watchmakers at Oris who have been working with the company for over 40 years so you can be sure that quality control is of the utmost importance.
Also of note is that the Oris Calibre 110 uses a single-barreled system that has a mainspring nestled inside that can stretch to 1.8 meters. However as Oris stated, having a 10 day power reserve in itself was not enough of a statement and therefore the Caliber 110 also has a 10 day power reserve indicator. This display is located at 3 o’clock on the face itself and indicates the power remaining in the barrel from 10 down to zero. Also as indicated by Oris, the notches on the power reserve display are uneven and closer together at the top but spread further apart towards the bottom of the display. This is to ensure greater accuracy for the wearer by giving them a clearer indication of when the power reserve is getting low by having larger gradients towards the bottom.
The new Caliber will be appearing in a limited edition Oris wristwatch that will celebrate the company’s 110 year anniversary. Below you’ll find the specifications of the piece from its amazing new movement and case construction down to its packaging. For further information in regards to purchasing one of these amazing timepieces, contact Oris directly to put an order in before its to late as each model is limited to 110 pieces.
Technical Specifications
Oris 110 Years Limited Edition
Ref. No. 01 110 7700 4081 (SS), Ø 43.00mm
Ref. No. 01 110 7700 6081 (18-ct RG), Ø 43.00mm
Movement
- Calibre 110, first movement fully developed by Oris for 35 years
- Hand-wound, 3hz, 21,600vph, single barrel
- 34mm diameter
- 10-day power reserve, patented non-linear power reserve indication at 3 o’clock and small seconds at 9 o’clock
- 177 parts, including 40 Jewels
- Bridges feature edges polished and bevelled by hand
Case
- Multi-piece case construction in 18-carat solid rose gold or in stainless steel with polished surfaces. Water-resistant to 3 bar
- Sapphire crystal top glass with antireflection coating inside
- Mineral crystal case back
- Opaline-silver colour dial with applied indices and numerals
- Polished nickel hands
- Dark brown Louisiana croco leather strap on rose gold version; black Louisiana croco leather strap on stainless steel version
- Luxurious wooden box with a metal insignia
Osheen Arakelian – Contributing Writer
Drawing on a lifelong love of horology and a more recent introduction to appreciation of fine whisky, Osheen brought the two together with watch & whisky. He is proprietor of the site, which covers everything related to watches and whisky. In between completing a degree in commercial law and supporting a rich social life, he is out and about attending all the latest watch and whisky events Sydney has to offer. His passion has also taken him around Australia attending a number of events and he hopes to continue his career in the watch industry on a more serious level after he graduates.
