One of Oris’s iconic movements is the Caliber 110 – which celebrates its 110th anniversary in 2014. This is the perfect occasion to introduce the first in-house caliber since 1982 when the brand stopped producing full movement set to focus on technical modules.
All Oris watches are mechanical and meet legally protected “Swiss-Made” standards. For most of its watches, Oris adapts high-quality Swiss movements using modular components while adding their own innovations.
However, over the past decade, Oris has developed more of a movement entirely in-house. It designs these automatic movements independently and then manufactures them with the help of Swiss experts.
Some introduction about Oris
Perhaps watch experts are familiar with Oris. Over the years, Oris’s remarkable growth has been demonstrated by its mechanically intelligent and reasonably priced products. Hölstein-based Oris has held fast to its founding values: producing high-end watches and selling them at the best prices.
During the 1910s, the company had about a hundred employees, and by the 1930s, the number of employees had increased tenfold.
At that time, Oris was led by Jacques-David LeCoultre and thanks to its rapid growth, Oris opened workshops in various places around the country. During World War II, the company supplied several models to the RAF (Royal Air Force). The Oris Big Crown watch was successful because it allowed pilots to wind the watch while wearing gloves. By the 1950s, Oris was making 200,000 watches and clocks a year, and by 1970 – when it was acquired by ASUAG, which later became the Swatch Group – it made a breakthrough. with 1.2 million watches produced through the work of more than 800 employees. workers.
Manufactured by Oris in Switzerland
However, the brand went bankrupt in the late 1970s due to the quartz crisis. However, in contrast to many other companies that also went bankrupt, the board of directors (Dr. Rolf Portmann, director, and Ulrich W. Herzog, marketing director), sold the company and Oris became independent again. The new owner of Oris – a manufacturer that had produced no less than 229 Caliber movements – quickly decided to focus solely on mechanical watch production, going against the prevailing trend at the time.
What can be called a meaningful move aimed at creating collections that are today welcomed by all novice collectors who want to have access to a high-end Swiss made watch production is equipped with movements renowned for their durability and precision.
Oris production
More than thirty years after the quartz crisis, Oris introduced its first hand-wound mechanical movement. This 34 mm Caliber 110 movement has 177 components – including 40 rubies – operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour like a small wonder.
About the Caliber 110 movement
Oris celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2014 with its first in-house movement in 35 years, a highly praised innovation. Key features of the movement include an impressive ten-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator to indicate how much reserve is intact.
Caliber 110 movement
The Oris Caliber 110 provides the base movement that goes into Calibers 111, 112, 113, 114 and 115. These models adapt from the 110 to add various functions such as a second time zone or business calendar.
Oris caliber 110 is completely unadorned. The edges of the movement’s steel bridges are beveled and polished, but their surfaces are simply brushed. The only design point is the red ORIS name on the barrel.
Special features of Caliber 110
This is the first Oris movement designed and assembled in-house in 35 years (previously, the manufacturer developed the modules in-house and had ETA and Sellita assemble them together). And although it looks simple, the engineering behind it is quite special. This is a movement that took 10 years to develop with the help of L’École Téchnique Le Locle. Looking at the 177-part specification, you’ll quickly see why. The movement runs at 21,600vph (3hz), has a 10-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator. This is the first time these two functions appear in one watch.
Oris watch with Caliber 110 movement
To power a winding watch for 10 days, Oris needs to overcome three challenges.
First, the company had to create a 1.8m long mainspring. Then, choose a single barrel as a place to store the mainspring that won’t make your watch look like an antique marine chronograph. In this case, Oris managed to create a watch with a 1.8m long mainspring in a movement that is only 34mm in diameter. The case has a relatively modest size of 43mm. The barrel itself takes up about 1/3 of the movement’s area.
The third challenge is how to make the mainspring supply energy evenly to the movement throughout its 10-day life cycle. And that’s where the non-linear power indicator comes in. It is not called ‘non-linear’ because it is curved but because it displays the power reserve in a non-linear way. At the top of the scale, when the mainspring is fully wound, the power reserve indicator will be close together. Power reserve levels will be further apart at the bottom of the scale. So the hands move faster when the movement is at low power, giving a clear indication of the need to wind the watch.
And you can see everything through the watch’s clear sapphire crystal back.
The caliber is visible through the sapphire crystal
What Oris achieved to celebrate its 110th anniversary
Oris’s pride is not evident on the dial or case. What Oris achieved to celebrate its 110th anniversary was purely technical. Oris’ own team of watchmakers and designers, along with Swiss technical experts and L’École Téchnique Le Locle, took 10 years to create this movement, the first in-house produced movement. of the brand. It comes with a patented non-linear power reserve indicator (thanks to the screw-in power reserve gears) and boasts an impressive 10 days (or 240 hours) of power.
The use of a single mainspring barrel is quite impressive because most movements with comparable power reserves are equipped with at least two mainspring barrels. Inside this barrel is a mainspring that can stretch up to 1.8 meters. Typically, this type of mainspring is known for its outstanding amount of energy but is also less stable in delivering this energy. A strong mainspring will tend to supply more power to the gear train when fully wound than when it is near the end of its power reserve, and that affects the accuracy of the watch. However, Oris is aware of that and has solved this problem by adjusting the movement to an average level – which is also why the power reserve indicator is red in the last 1 bar.
Oris 110 Years Limited Edition
The finish is a deliberate combination of industrial and artisanal. The main movement is simply straight-grained while important parts, such as the hand-polished corners or the power reserve gears, are beautifully finished. The watch comes in a 43 mm case in steel and rose gold and is limited to 110 pieces of each.
The movement used for the Oris 110 Years Limited Edition watch is quite an interesting watch, combining an elegant and discreet appearance with a technically advanced movement. It may be a testament to Oris’s prowess in terms of watchmaking but is gentle and unobtrusive