Thirty-five years after its return to independence, Oris is well established as a maker of inventive watches at agreeable prices. As it rides high on the success of the Divers Sixty-Five, we find that a dose of good design and personality has made all the difference.

By Chris Hall

Some superlatives attract journalists like wasps to a picnic. Most complicated. Biggest. Smallest. Most expensive. Others are less headline-grabbing, especially in the luxury watch world. Best value, for example, or most sensible.
Oris has built its name on watches in the latter categories, and as CEO Rolf Studer (left) acknowledges wryly, ?to make sense, and to be useful, can in some ways be contradictory in the luxury market?.
Oris has always placed its emphasis on a blend of functionality and fair pricing, and with good, honest, sensible pilot?s watches and good, honest, sensible dive watches at the heart of its collection, it is easy to understand how it could at times find itself out of the limelight. Studer, who took over as CEO at the start of 2016, after a decade in the company?s sales and marketing teams, is aware of the issue. ?Making a good mechanical watch with functions that make sense, for prices that make sense ? that has always been our brand message. Now that can be boring, or that can be very exciting.?
The good news for him, and for anyone shopping for a good watch on a moderate budget, is that recently, Oris has become quite exciting indeed.
If you know the bran...