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Oris is the rare Swiss watch brand that has managed to be both accessible and respected. It does not compete on exclusivity, does not restrict supply to create waitlists, and does not price its watches beyond the reach of someone buying their first serious mechanical timepiece. A new Oris dive watch starts around $2,000. A new Oris pilot’s watch starts around $1,800. These are prices that would be unremarkable for a fashion brand but are extraordinary for a 120-year-old independent Swiss watchmaker that has recently developed its own in-house movements.
Oris has achieved something that many brands attempt and few accomplish: it is taken seriously by collectors who own watches costing ten or twenty times as much, while remaining genuinely accessible to buyers who are just entering the mechanical watch world. The Aquis, the Big Crown, and the Divers Sixty-Five are watches that appear in collections alongside Rolex, Omega, and Tudor, not as placeholders but as pieces that earn their place on the strength of their design, build quality, and the values the brand represents.
Origins
Oris was founded in 1904 in Hölstein, in the Swiss Jura. For most of the twentieth century, the brand was a mid-market Swiss watchmaker producing reliable mechanical and later quartz watches. Like many Swiss brands, Oris was swept up in the industry’s consolidation during and after the Quartz Crisis. In 1982, the brand’s management completed a buyout, making Oris one of the few Swiss watchmakers to regain its independence during a period when most were being absorbed into larger groups.
That independence has defined the brand’s modern identity. Oris is not part of the Swatch Group, Richemont, LVMH, or any other conglomerate. It makes its own strategic decisions, sets its own prices, and doesn’t answer to external shareholders. The brand has used this freedom to focus on mechanical watches exclusively (Oris stopped making quartz watches in the late 1990s) and to invest in environmental causes, particularly ocean conservation, that align with its product portfolio and customer values.
Caliber 400 and In-House Movements
For most of its history, Oris used Sellita-based movements (the SW200 and SW220, Swiss automatic workhorses that power watches from dozens of brands). These movements are reliable and well-proven, but they are not exclusive to Oris. The major development of Oris’s recent history was the introduction of the Caliber 400, the brand’s first fully proprietary automatic movement, in 2020.
The Caliber 400 is a genuinely impressive piece of engineering for the price point. It delivers a five-day (120-hour) power reserve, anti-magnetic resistance exceeding the requirements of the METAS standard (the same standard used to certify Omega Master Chronometers), and a ten-year warranty. The movement features a proprietary Oris rotor with a specially designed bearing, and its timekeeping accuracy is certified to within COSC-equivalent tolerances. For a watch that retails in the $2,500 to $3,500 range, the Caliber 400 offers movement specifications that compete with watches costing two to three times as much.
Oris has since expanded its in-house caliber family with the Caliber 401 (with date), the Caliber 414 (with pointer date), the Caliber 461 (time-only, thinner), and the Caliber 422 (GMT). The brand continues to offer Sellita-powered models at lower price points, maintaining its commitment to accessibility while building out its proprietary movement portfolio.
The Collections
The Aquis is Oris’s flagship dive watch, available in sizes from 36.5mm to 43.5mm with 300-meter water resistance. The Aquis Date is the core model, offered with both Sellita (from approximately $2,000) and Caliber 400 (from approximately $3,000) movements. The Aquis has become one of the most recommended dive watches in the collector community, praised for its build quality, rotating bezel action, and the distinctive case shape with integrated bracelet lugs. Limited editions tied to ocean conservation projects (coral reef restoration, freshwater preservation, marine habitat protection) have become a hallmark of the Aquis line.
The Divers Sixty-Five is a vintage-inspired dive watch based on Oris’s 1965 model. Its domed sapphire crystal, slim profile, and retro dial design have made it one of the most popular watches in the sub-$3,000 segment. Available in steel and bronze, with sizes from 36mm to 40mm, the Sixty-Five appeals to buyers who want a dive watch with character rather than pure tool-watch functionality.
The Big Crown and Big Crown ProPilot are Oris’s aviation collections, featuring oversized crowns (a nod to pilot’s watches designed to be operated with gloved hands), clean dial layouts, and prices starting around $1,800. The ProPilot X offers a more modern, skeletonized interpretation of the pilot’s watch concept with an in-house movement.
Sustainability and Purpose
Oris has made environmental sustainability a core part of its brand identity, not as a marketing overlay but as an operational commitment. The brand’s “Change for the Better” philosophy connects specific watch models to specific conservation projects. Aquis limited editions have supported organizations including the Coral Restoration Foundation, the Clean Ocean Project, and various freshwater conservation initiatives. The brand produces watches using recycled steel and has introduced models with straps made from recycled ocean plastic.
This environmental positioning is more than virtue signaling. It gives Oris a brand identity that resonates with a younger, value-driven buyer who might otherwise default to a fashion watch or a smartwatch. For a mechanical watch brand trying to attract new customers, offering a compelling product tied to a purpose that the buyer cares about is a meaningful differentiator.
Buying Oris Today
Oris watches are widely available at authorized retailers, Oris boutiques, and online. There are no waitlists for any current production model. Retail prices range from approximately $1,800 for a Big Crown ProPilot with Sellita movement to $2,000 for an Aquis Date (Sellita) to $3,000 to $3,500 for Caliber 400-equipped models.
On the secondary market, Oris depreciates 25 to 40% from retail, which places many references in the $1,200 to $2,200 range pre-owned. An Aquis Date for $1,200 to $1,600. A Divers Sixty-Five for $1,000 to $1,400. A Caliber 400 Aquis for $2,000 to $2,500. At these prices, Oris offers Swiss-made mechanical watches from an independent manufacturer with over a century of history, a growing family of in-house movements, and a brand identity built on substance rather than status. For the buyer who values what a watch is over what it signals, Oris is difficult to beat.
Browse Oris listings on Tempo, where every transaction is escrow-protected and both buyers and sellers pay zero fees. Visit tempo-watches.com.
This article is for informational purposes only. Prices, secondary market values, and specifications are approximate and based on market conditions as of early 2026. Oris is a registered trademark of Oris SA. Tempo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Oris.