Hölstein-based Oris has decided to celebrate its 118th birthday by revisiting the Oris Full Steel, a watch from its 1990s line-up. The new limited edition has been named the Oris Hölstein Edition 2022.
The Release
The 36.5mm case of the Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 is unapologetically 1990s and a faithful recreation of the Full Steel. It’s polished and rounded everywhere it can be. The pushers at 4 and 8—which jump the hour local time displayed by the central hands—are polished and round. The crown guards and the screwdown crown are polished and rounded. The bezel is polished and rounded. The lugs have a rounded silhouette, and they sure are polished on the side.
While the bracelet looks integrated, the lugs are in fact long extensions of the case with standard spring bars concealed at the termina. While the drilled lugs are crafted after the original, they are reminiscent of the more recent Tudor P01. The bracelet has polished center links with brushed flanks and features a folding push-button clasp with 5 microadjustement positions. The screwdown caseback features the Oris bear and edition numbering. The watch is powered by the Oris caliber 690, based on a substantially modified ETA 2836-2; it features a 38-hour power reserve, 30 jewels, and beats at 4hz.
The dial of the Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 is a near 1:1 reproduction of the original Oris Full Steel. The only changes are a blue instead of black dial and the “Full Steel” text at 6 o’clock, where the original proclaimed its 30 jewels. A slanted minute track surrounds the dial, and just inside is a circle of lume plots for the hours, which correspond to the Arabic numerals applied on a radial track. The track is interrupted by three items: the running seconds at 9, the beveled date window at 6 (with a black date wheel), and the home time display at 3 (with a day night indicator). To help remind users of the function of the pushers, flag symbols tell you which pusher sets the local hour forward and which sets it backward. There’s Super-LumiNova on both sets of hands, but not the running seconds.
Our Thoughts
I’m sure you’re like me and surprised that more brands don’t celebrate their 118th birthdays—it seems like such a natural anniversary. And what better way to celebrate than by looking into a brand’s past and choosing an ugly watch from the design travesty that is the 1990s? This is the third Hölstein Edition, preceded by a grey Big Crown Pointer Date and a solid bronze Divers Sixty-Five chrono. Those watches seemed modern, respectively capturing the increase in popularity of dress watches and the bronze craze. This, however, is a passion project for Co-CEO Rolf Studer, who claims the Full Steel was his favorite watch long before he worked at Oris.
One must commend the commitment to recreating a piece so faithfully, even when it might’ve been easy to update it for modern times. (In fact, the caliber 690 has been updated in the Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer, which uses a novel mechanism built into the bezel to adjust the hour hand.) While a keenness for funky watches may be enough, I think to love this watch you have to not just love Oris but accept historicity as a justification for design.
Availability
The Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 is limited to 250 pieces and is priced at $4,300. The watch can only be bought online, directly from Oris.