Oris Aquis Hölstein Edition 2023

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For the first time, Oris turns to the evergreen Aquis to express a special annual tradition: the creation of a 250-piece limited edition to celebrate the story of Oris and its community

For the love of watches

The Hölstein Edition 2023 captures a story that began more than a century ago and that has never felt more relevant than it does today

If you’ve been following the Oris story these past few years, you’ll know that the company was registered on 1 June, 1904. And more, that on 1 June each year, we release a 250-piece limited edition watch called the Hölstein Edition, named after the beautiful village in the Swiss Jura mountains that we’ve called home for 119 years.

This year, we’re delighted to continue the tradition with the release of the Hölstein Edition 2023, which for the first time introduces our best-selling line, the Aquis diver’s watch, into this ultra-special family of designs. As before, only 250 pieces will be made, and sold on a firstcome basis. Everyone’s invited.

While there’s no doubting the character of the watch – and we’ll explore the colourways and the “no date” Aquis story over the page – what’s more fundamental is the spirit behind it.

On that founding date in 1904, a set of values was established that continues to motivate how Oris thinks and operates. Our founders wanted to create high-quality watches for the citoyen of the day. In other words, to make beautiful, highfunctioning, highly reliable pieces that weren’t decorated beyond their core purpose to a point that made them inaccessible and exclusive. Now, we talk about making watches “for today’s world citizen”. The thinking behind this and our current collection is the same as 119 years ago.

Not that everything’s the same as back then, of course. Today, no one needs a mechanical watch. At least, not to tell the time. But what we do need is joy. It’s part of the human condition that we can feel and express joy, and high-quality Swiss Made mechanical watches have become a vehicle for that emotion. They make us smile. This is the brief behind an Oris watch. And it’s one we feel proud and fortunate to fulfil.

Those same values are at the heart of the new Hölstein Edition 2023. It’s a beautiful, highfunctioning watch created for today’s world citizen, and that’s also made to celebrate the joy of mechanics and put a smile on people’s faces.
Just wait till you see the case back…

Another way of thinking

Introducing the Hölstein Edition 2023, the first no-date Aquis and the first with a purple dial

Behind the freedom we have to express our values is a vital attribute: independence. Oris was founded to be independent, and it remains independent today. It’s this characteristic that means we can go our own way and produce watches our customers want and love.

The Hölstein Edition series is in some way the ultimate expression of our independence. Each of the previous three editions has been a bit “off the wall”, the sort of watch that brings out the most playful, independent side of our character, and that we create for passionate Oris fans who “get it”. These watches are for our community.

This year, our fourth Hölstein Edition continues this story. It’s the first based on the evergreen Aquis diver’s watch. And it has a few twists.

First is the dial colour: deep purple. The Oris community has been asking when we’d do a purple dial, and this is the answer.

Next is in the movement. The watch is powered by Calibre 400, our game-changing five-day automatic. As before, this delivers elevated anti-magnetism, better than chronometer accuracy (-3/+5 seconds a day) and the promise of 10-year service intervals and a 10-year warranty. But there’s one key difference: no date. This is the first-ever “no-date” Aquis, a response to another request fielded from the Oris community.

And then there’s the case back. It’s engraved with the limited-edition number and printed with an illustration of the Oris Bear, diving in his scuba gear (see page 12). Why? Because why not. It’s fun and it made us smile. And to be literal for a moment, because it shows this is still a diver’s watch water-resistant to 30 bar (300 metres).

Each of the 250 pieces tells our story in a unique way, and for one time only. It’s a watch for independent thinkers, a gift for Oris fans.