An icon is backThe Oris Chronoris returns in a revised version
Oris’s archive is full of landmark timepieces and iconic designs, but few stir the soul quite like the Chronoris. In 2017, Oris is reintroducing the Chronoris in response to demand from collectors and friends of the brand all over the world.
Introduced in 1970, the original Chronoris was Oris’s debut stop-seconds chronograph. Its name was a portmanteau of the word ‘chronograph’ and the company name. It had a streamlined case in keeping with the tastes of the period, and was powered by the company’s first in-house chronograph calibre. The watch had an orange seconds track that ran three quarters of the way around the dial and an orange central seconds hand that gave it a bold, racy look. It marked Oris’s first foray into motorsport watches and began a rich tradition that continues today.
The 2017 Chronoris becomes the first new Chronoris since 2005, when Oris introduced a replica. For the 2017 model, the company’s designers, engineers and watchmakers have reinterpreted those early 1970s models to create a stylish, retro-looking piece for the current generation of watch buyers.
Leading the line is the new Chronoris Date, a 39mm stainless steel piece that takes its cues directly from the 1970s, an experimental era of design. In place therefore are the streamlined case, the orange hour markers and central seconds hand, and the multi-tone, sporty look of the dial’s design.
Standout feature: The timer function
But the standout feature of the new watch is its inner rotating bezel’s timer function. Operated by a separate crown at 4 o’clock, it allows the wearer to time seconds, minutes or hours, depending on which hand the orange triangle is aligned to zero with.
The Chronoris Date comes on a brown or black leather strap, or on a black rubber strap, or a grey NATO textile strap. For the stainless steel bracelet option, Oris’s designers returned again to an original design, an articulated bracelet with 15 links across. Oris’s engineers then worked to bring the design up to date and to manufacture it so that it conforms to the exacting standards the company makes of every watch in its collection. The new design is thinner than the original, a slender, supple bracelet that shapes elegantly to the wearer’s wrist.
‘We’re very excited to reintroduce the Chronoris,’ said Oris Chairman Ulrich W. Herzog. ‘It’s one of the most iconic watches in Oris history and it has a huge following, particularly among collectors. Those same collectors asked us what Chronoris would look like today – the answer is that you don’t play around with an icon! The new Chronoris Date is a faithful update of the original and a wonderful addition to the current Oris collection.’