Watch Alert: Oris Hölstein Edition 2022

Hölstein is a municipality in the Basel-Country in Switzerland. It is famous for its cows. The black and white Hölstein. If you’re not a dairy farmer it’s also the home of Oris. Oris are a favourite of watch enthusiasts. Their mascot the “Oris Bear” has a global fanbase which is almost as big as the fanbase for their watches. To celebrate their birthday on June 1st, Oris have released the Hölstein Edition 2022.

 

Design & Watch Specifications

Sporty, fun, unique, 1990s

316L Steel, 36.5mm, sapphire crystal, closed case back engraved with the Oris Bear, 50m water resistant, Stainless steel bracelet

The 2022 Holstein is the third edition in the Hölstein series. It is inspired by the Full Steel watch which was originally launched in 1998. It features two sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock with a date window at 6 o’clock. The case is 36.5mm in diameter and Oris has packed a lot of things on the dial. This is not a chronograph though. The larger sub-dial at 3 o’clock is a 12 hour counter with a day/night indicator. The smaller sub-dial at 9 o’clock is a running seconds indicator. At 4:30 and 7:30 there are red triangles. At 4:30 the red triangle is marked by a “+” sign while the 7:30 has a “-” sign. These little markers hint at the watches’ true function. It can jump the hours forward or backwards with the press of one of the buttons on the case at 4:30 and 7:30. 

Scottish Watches and TOCKR Watches

Peeking around the markers and sub-dials are lumed arabics. The rehaut has five minute markers. It makes for a very busy dial which is exacerbated by the small size of the watch. It is a strikingly different dial though. The caseback shows Oris’ sense of humour and love of the Oris Bear. It is engraved with a fetching picture of a grinning Oris Bear. This is a fun touch that makes the watch unusual in the Oris range. There’s no red rotor but the picture of the bear more than makes up for this.

Movement

Oris 690, 38 hour power reserve, instantaneous date, automatic winding

The movement is the real star. It uses two pushers to move the time forward or backwards. If the date should change it will change instantaneously if the time is adjusted forwards or backwards. It’s great to see Oris reviving such a sophisticated movement.

Price & Availability

CHF 4,000 (50% on pre-order), Limited edition of 250 pieces, Starting delivery in June 2022

Concluding Thoughts

This is the watch that Oris have chosen to celebrate their 118th birthday. Oris have looked in their back catalogue and chose a unique, very special movement and unusual watch. The “Full Steel of 1998 has been faithfully recreated in 2022. The small case fits into the modern zeitgeist but results in a busy dial that may not be to everyone’s taste. Oris are known for their sense of humour and the use of the Oris Bear on the caseback is another example of this. As a limited edition of 250 pieces it is certain to sell out quickly. We can only look forward to seeing this rare piece and what Oris produces for their 119th birthday in 2023.

One Reply to “Watch Alert: Oris Hölstein Edition 2022”

  1. HOLSTEIN (or Friesian/Holstein) cattle DO NOT ORIGINATE IN SWITZERLAND.
    Origins are the NETHERLANDS and Schleswig-Holstein (Denmark/N Germany)
    If you can’t get this right for probably the most popular and well known dairy cow in the world, how can we believe you about the watches.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *