Oris Starts The Year With It’s First Hand-Wound In-House Caliber : The Big Crown Caliber 473
5 min read
Let’s transport you to the Alps - snow-capped mountains, clear blue skies and just the right companion on your wrist, encompassing these feelings. Oris sure knows how to embrace the winter vibes with its new Big Crown Caliber 473.
Oris Movement Creation Programme
A facet of Oris culture that had been dormant since the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s was reawakened when they launched the Oris Movement Creation Programme in the late 2000s.
More than 270 different calibers have been produced by Oris since the company's founding in 1904. They pride themselves on being the creators of new and unique watch mechanisms. The purpose of the initiative was very obvious from the start. The Oris' actions had to look like the Oris. What, exactly, did that mean? Swiss-made and entirely mechanical, with special features and top-notch performance at pricing any global citizen can appreciate. Their mission is to continue developing novel, purpose-driven mechanical movements that will bring pleasure to watch enthusiasts.
With the introduction of their eleventh in-house caliber, Oris is carrying on a long tradition of fine mechanical watchmaking that began in 1904.
The first of the Caliber 100 Series of hand-wound movements, Caliber 110, debuted in 2014. These exquisite calibers typically featured handy extras like a business calendar or a second time zone in addition to their impressive 10-day power reserves from a single barrel and innovative non-linear power reserve indicators.
The Caliber 400 Series, their first in-house produced range of automatics in over 40 years, followed in 2020. These were the New Standard in Swiss Made Automatics, with a 5-day power reserve, increased levels of anti-magnetism, 10-year warranties, and 10-year servicing intervals. The positive reception has inspired them to keep pushing the envelope.
And now, Caliber 473 is a new high-performance hand-wound movement, announced by Oris to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the brand's renewed Movement Creation Programme.
Big Crown Caliber 473
Here we have the Big Crown Caliber 473, a watch with a brand-new, ground-up designed by Oris watchmakers hand-wound mechanical movement.
There's no denying the fact that this is a unique timepiece. Why? Mainstay of the Oris collection since 1938, the Big Crown Pointer Date is given a fresh new look. It has the first Oris hand-wound in-house caliber, the Caliber 473, in decades. That, my friend, is a truly miraculous occurrence.
Caliber 473's backstory is that it's based on the same platform as the Oris automatic watch, the Caliber 403. The Big Crown Caliber 473 brings back one of Oris's most recognisable designs, complete with hour, minute, tiny seconds, and pointer date hands.
The watch's power reserve indicator may be viewed via the transparent sapphire case back. In keeping with their concept of movement creation, the watchmakers at Oris made it to be both easy to build and assemble, as well as highly durable. A patent application has been submitted. Each watch equipped with a Calibre 473 movement will come with a 10-year guarantee and 10-year recommended servicing intervals, just as the 400 Series movements it is based on. Absolute happiness.
120-HOUR POWER RESERVE INDICATOR
The precise stopping time of a manually wound watch is often unknown. To help you keep track of when you need to wind the five-day reserve, Oris added a 120-hour power reserve indicator to the back of the Caliber 473. Improved high performance.
USEFUL, EASY, AND LONG-LASTING FOR CONSTANT USE
Oris Caliber 473 stays true to their ethos by being extremely durable, precise, and low-maintenance. All Caliber 473 watches come with 10-year warranties and suggested service intervals because of how simple and long-lasting the power reserve indicator is. There is now a 120-hour power reserve indicator on the back of the movement, indicating that the watch has enough juice to last for five days. For Oris, the completion of Caliber 473 represents the culmination of four years of work.
In an industry that sometimes overlooks the fact that many individuals would like to buy a mechanical watch but still have to work hard for their money, Oris provides serious mechanical timepieces at fair pricing.
Ulrich W. Herzog has been with Oris for more than four decades. He took control of the business in 1982 as part of a management buyout and remained there for the next 35 years. He is now the Chairman of Oris, yet his love for mechanical timepieces has not diminished.
What to expect from the brand in the future? He says, “We’re constantly working on new ideas for attractive in-house movements. But it’s too early to tell you about them…” And on that note, Oris and mechanical watches are an endless affair. We look forward to what’s next.
