BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The 1st of June is a big day for many. It’s halfway through the year (almost), it’s when it begins to feel like summer is here, and it’s also when Oris releases its Hölstein edition watch. The Hölstein watches are Oris’ tribute to the town in which they’re based, which is fairly north for Swiss watchmaking (which is centred on the western side) but south of Basel. The Hölstein editions are often used to play around with Oris’ usual watchmaking concepts, as well as allow them to do some market research while also making cash.
This year’s edition focuses on the Aquis diver’s collection and features two major changes for the Aquis watches. The first is the lack of a date window, which is something that’s been on nearly every Aquis that Oris has made. The lack of a date window on a watch’s dial is a win for some people, especially those who find their tool watch needs to be as simple as possible.
The other first is the use of bright purple on the sunburst-finished dial, as this is the 41.5mm steel version there’s a fair amount of purple here. Purple is a rich colour but one that isn’t often seen on watches, and even less on casebacks like this one. It also has a Hölstein bear on, which is Oris’ symbol.
Behind that bear is the calibre 400, which is Oris’ flagship movement made by them in-house. It has a five-day (120h) power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate with a 10-year service interval.
Limited to 250 examples, the price of one of these is $4,300 USD.
