While the Aquis, Divers Sixty-Five, Big Crown and ProPilot dominate 98% of Oris’ catalogue (I did the maths, that’s the genuine figure), tucked away in that last 2% are some of their most interesting and underexplored creations like the Artelier: a lovely, minimalist dress watch. However, at Watches & Wonders 2026 Oris are shining a spotlight on this lesser known section of their catalogue with the launch of a new Artelier Complication series as well as the revival of the Oris Star Edition.
Oris Star Edition
The history of the Oris Star is tied to one of the lesser-known crises of the watch industry in the second half of the 20th century. While everyone is familiar with the quartz crisis of the seventies, there was another major obstacle that had to be overcome in the decades preceding it: the Swiss Watch Statute. This was a draconian law introduced in the 1930s in the wake of the Great Depression but by the 1950s was seen as too restrictive on growth and innovation. Swiss brands were forced to continue using outdated technology like pin lever escapements instead of the more accurate Swiss lever escapement.
In 1956 Oris hired Dr Rolf Portmann, a young lawyer, who they tasked with getting the statute overturned. In 1965, after almost a decade of legal battles, he succeeded. A year later in 1966 Oris introduced their first lever escapement watch, the Oris Star. It’s seen as such a pivotal moment in not just the brand’s history but the history of the entirety of Swiss watchmaking that Dr Portmann remains the Oris Honorary Chairman to this day, now in his nineties.
If you check that date, 1966, then you’ll realise why 2026 has been chosen as the year to revive this historic model. It’s the 60th anniversary of its introduction. The revival makes use of period accurate shapes and proportions, measuring 35mm in a sleek tonneau shape that simply drips with 1960s modernist style.
The dial is also accurate to the vintage style with a silver colour and vertically brushed finish that matches past adverts . The same is true of the asymmetrical date window, double baton hour markers and square-tipped hands. It also has the same cross hair motif across its centre and a plexi-crystal. The design falls into that 1960s dress watch counterculture that aimed to prove that steel watches with unusual shapes could be just as elegant as the circular gold dress watches of years past.
Inside is the Oris calibre 733 automatic, base Sellita SW200-1 a, with 41-hour power reserve. It’s one of their workhorse movements, which helps keep the watch in a reasonably accessible price bracket at £1,750, similar to the entry-level watches in the Big Crown line. It’s also a permanent addition to the range, not a limited edition.
Price and Specs:
Oris Artelier Complication
The Artelier is Oris’ answer to elegant dress watches. It was updated with time only models in 2023 but now the range is expanding with the introduction of the Artelier Complication. This trio of watches, available in ivory, midnight blue and chestnut, introduces a moonphase and 24-hour second time zone to the display. It’s the project of Oris’ new Product Design Engineer Lena Huwiler.
The new display is very minimalist and structural in its layout. There’s a curved outer ring with stepped hour markers that overlap the central textured disk that holds the twin subdials for the complications. The moonphase display has the same star pattern across its cover and rotating disk so that the cover appears to blend into the complication and be less obtrusive. They’ve also adopted a new sans-serif typeface for the name Artelier and Swiss Made, which pairs nicely with the Oris logo.
Inside is the Oris calibre 782, which is an updated version of the calibre 781. The 782 removes the date and day of the week subdials from the 781 to create this sleeker bicompax display. It has a 41-hour power reserve. I really enjoy Oris’ less mainstream collections and the Artelier Complication ticks all the boxes. It’s priced at £2,250 on strap and £2,400 on bracelet. As a note, Oris also has plans to release a date edition of the Artelier Complication at £1,700 – £1,900.
Price and Specs:
More details at Oris.
