Is Oris independant

[Mugio]

I am looking to get a new watch and I am interested in a few brands, one being Oris. Am I correct that Oris is still independant? By that I mean not owned by another company such as Swatch, LVMH. I understand they use modified ETA movements, etc, but the idea of buying from a smaller company interests me even if it is a few bucks more.

One problem I may have however is that I think a 42mm watch may be too big for my wrist and that is the only size they make of the one I like (Classic Date w/ steel bracelet). The couple of watches I own are all ~36mm and those seem "about right" to me size wise. In the near future I am going to go and try some 42mm watches on and see how they look and feel.

Thanks for any info about the Oris company or honestly if anyone knows of something similar to:

Oris Classic Date - 01 733 7594 4094-07 8 20 61 - Oris Classic - Oris - Purely mechanical Swiss watches.

In a 38mm from a smaller (independant) company I would appreciate it. Otherwise there is a nice Hamilton Valiant in a 40mm that is similar (and a bit cheaper) but I'd like to avoid Swatch, etc, if possible.

[Need_Help]

ASUAG (which became Swatch) once bought over Oris in 1970 (and started producing some cheap quartz watches), but the management has bought itself out and it's independent since 1982.

I think they use Sellita movements for their lower-range watches (eg. the Classic models), but these are as reliable as ETA movements.

Have you taken a look at this watch? It's almost the same, except that it uses indices instead of numbers but it's 37mm :
Oris Classic Date - 01 733 7578 4054-07 8 18 61 - Oris Classic - Oris - Purely mechanical Swiss watches.

PS : Most watches produced by Oris are >=42mm which, I think, are too big for me as well. I ended up getting myself an Artelier Date instead of Artix and I'm happy with it :)

[Watchbreath]

Last I heard they were, they were taken over by Swatch and later bought their way out.

[Mugio]

Thanks for the replies.

Have you taken a look at this watch? It's almost the same, except that it uses indices instead of numbers but it's 37mm :
Oris Classic Date - 01 733 7578 4054-07 8 18 61 - Oris Classic - Oris - Purely mechanical Swiss watches.

The browser Chrome doesn't work well with Oris' site apparently. It doesn't load all the watches, when I opened it in FF I could see the 37mm ones. I think I do like the numbers better but I may be able let that slide.

Where can I buy Oris online? Amazon has some, but not that one in particular. I have also looked at jomashop.com, I heard they were pretty good but they also don't carry the 37mm.

Also, thanks for mentioning the Sellita movement, I found this article:

Making Sense Of The Sellita SW200 Movement: Same As ETA 2824-2

That is where my confusion came from, so it is a Sellita but is basically an ETA.

Thanks again guys.

[Watchbreath]

Yep, and with an extra jewel!

Thanks for the replies.



The browser Chrome doesn't work well with Oris' site apparently. It doesn't load all the watches, when I opened it in FF I could see the 37mm ones. I think I do like the numbers better but I may be able let that slide.

Where can I buy Oris online? Amazon has some, but not that one in particular. I have also looked at jomashop.com, I heard they were pretty good but they also don't carry the 37mm.

Also, thanks for mentioning the Sellita movement, I found this article:

Making Sense Of The Sellita SW200 Movement: Same As ETA 2824-2

That is where my confusion came from, so it is a Sellita but is basically an ETA.

Thanks again guys.

[Archer]

Thanks for the replies.



The browser Chrome doesn't work well with Oris' site apparently. It doesn't load all the watches, when I opened it in FF I could see the 37mm ones. I think I do like the numbers better but I may be able let that slide.

Where can I buy Oris online? Amazon has some, but not that one in particular. I have also looked at jomashop.com, I heard they were pretty good but they also don't carry the 37mm.

Also, thanks for mentioning the Sellita movement, I found this article:

Making Sense Of The Sellita SW200 Movement: Same As ETA 2824-2

That is where my confusion came from, so it is a Sellita but is basically an ETA.

Thanks again guys.

Just one comment - the blog you linked to is in error - many parts are not interchangeable between the ETA and Sellita versions of the same movements. In some cases there are different methods of attaching bridges and plates, or different tooth forms on wheels.

I service lots of ETA movements, and yes a few Sellita movement have crossed my bench as well. The Sellitas appear to be decently built, and after they fixed the issues surrounding the ratchet wheel teeth shearing off in their initial design, they should be as reliable as the ETA movements are. I haven't service enough of them yet to tell if you if the accuracy is as good, or if they have more wear issues than ETA's do - simply not enough smaple size to draw any conclusions at this point.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Al