6 things you didn't know about Oris

The Swiss brand from the town of Hölstein is named after the stream that flows through the town. Oris is a traditional Swiss company, founded in 1904, and in recent years it has become widely recognized. The brand does not belong to any of the large groups, but is one of the few that has retained its independence. They are recognizable for their collection of diving watches that turned them into a mainstream brand. It is no secret that Oris is a brand with an outstanding price-quality ratio. Why did a brand that has existed for over 100 years take so long to become recognized? It is time to find out, as well as some other interesting facts about this brand. Here are six things you did not know about Oris.

Oris left the Swatch Group

In 1969, Oris was one of the ten best-selling watch brands in the world. This made them attractive to investors. General Watch Company (now known as Swatch Group) took over Oris in 1970. However, during the quartz crisis, the brand suffered a major blow. Sales were extremely low, and the brand was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1982, the Swatch Group decided to close Oris, but CEO Rolf Portman and marketing head Ulrich W. Herzog bought the brand. A few months later, in 1982, the company Oris SA was founded. While many brands want to be bought by a larger group in crisis, Oris fought for its independence.

Current hierarchy of Swatch Group brands

Oris took a long time to recover from the quartz crisis

As we have already mentioned, Oris was on the brink of collapse during the quartz crisis. Instead of going in the direction of producing the then-popular quartz watches, they did the opposite. Oris produced quartz watches during their days in the Swatch Group, but since gaining independence, they have stayed away from quartz. Today, Oris is one of the few brands that has existed for more than a century, is still completely independent, and focuses entirely on mechanical watches.

Oris was owned by a member of the LeCoultre family

Although it was not part of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand, Oris was once owned by an important member of the LeCoultre family. After the founder of Oris, Georges Christian, passed away in 1927, Jacques-David LeCoultre bought Oris and became chairman of the board. Jacques David was the grandson of Antoine LeCoultre, the person who founded the watchmaking company LeCoultre & Cie in 1866. It is not known how long Jacques-David owned Oris. Jacques-David LeCoultre was an important member of the LeCoultre family and was responsible for merging his family's company LeCoultre with the brand of Edmond Jaeger. The result is the brand you may have heard of: Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Hölstein, Oris watch factory

Oris is located in the same place where it originated

When Paul Cattin and Georges Christian founded Oris in 1904, they decided to start production in the Swiss town of Hölstein. They began operations in the Lohner & Co watch factory, which had just closed at that time. In its first year, Oris had 67 employees. Over the years, they grew and expanded production capacities. By 1911, Oris was the largest employer in Hölstein, so they even had to build houses and apartments for their staff, as they had become too large for the small Swiss village. Recognizable red rotor on Oris watches

You can recognize Oris by its characteristic red rotor

Oris prides itself on being one of the few independent Swiss watch manufacturers. The brand produces luxury watches that are both high-quality and affordable. They celebrated this success in 2002 by introducing their now iconic red rotor. This feature is considered the brand's trademark and is visible on many Oris watches through the transparent case back. We hope you enjoyed discovering these six interesting facts about Oris. We invite you to explore their impressive watch collection in person at Vlaška 13 or from the comfort of your own home through our web store. Find the watch that best reflects your style and become part of the ORIS story.