Oris bracelet adjustment...

This started out as an exercise to adjust the bracelet on the Oris BC3 but ended up ....

The Oris BC3. This is from a long time ago... circa 1999/ 2000.

This version came with the metal bracelet. I had the one that came with the rubber strap. I prefer the metal bracelet actually.

The bracelet was a tad short and was fortunate that the watch came with the extra links. 

Getting the watch ready for the extra links. 

Out with the usual tools. But as luck would have it, I did not really need the tools. The watch is so old that the locking pins could just be pushed out. It was tight but it was not that tight. 

The metal bracelet removed from the watch and from the clasp. 

The locking pin.

The extra link. Observe the orientation of the locking pin and the arrow on the links for the correct orientation when installing the locking pins. 

All done. But wait...

Yeah finally it was decided that the watch be mounted on a leather strap. The strap is from ZRC and its hand made from France. It is from their aviation collection. Appropriate for the watch since the BC3 is from Oris Aviation Collection.

And we are all done. 

Lume shot...

Something old....

Oris BC3 reference 635 7500. It has been a long time....

Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III ...

The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is a high-performance diver’s watch and a symbol of Oris’s mission to clean up our oceans and bring change for the better. The Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III has been created in partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation, a non-profit social enterprise founded in 2016.

In partnership with the foundation, Oris has created the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III, a diver’s watch based on the legendary Oris Aquis. The new model, limited to 2,000 pieces, has a gradient blue dial and an aqua blue ceramic insert in its uni-directional rotating diver’s bezel, recalling the colours of the reef waters. 

Inside its 43.50 mm stainless steel case is an automatic movement that provides it with a small seconds and a circular date window. It’s water-resistant to 30 bar (300 metres).

Photographs: Oris

The watch is priced at CHF 2,450

For more information:

Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III

Oris LIMA Limited Edition Watch

I had the opportunity to be involved in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (LIMA) when I was working. I was involved for a number of times and I have to say it is a fun event to both attend and exhibit. 

However this is the first time I have seen a watch company being one of the sponsors of the event. And I have to say it is great that Oris (a brand I like very much) is the Official Timekeeper of the event.

LIMA will be held from the 26th to 30th March at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC) and Resorts World, Langkawi. 

From the Oris...

As the Official Timekeeper of the 15th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (LIMA), Oris is proud to introduce the Oris LIMA Limited Edition, a high-performance pilot's watch. It's based on the independent Swiss company's flagship pilot's watch, the Oris Big Crown ProPilot, and has been designed to be as functional and legible as possible.

It's 45mm stainless steel case, oversized crown and signature fluted bezel are coated in gunmetal grey PVD, a hardwearing matte finish designed to offset cockpit glare. The LIMA logo sits at 9 o'clock, signaling the partnership between Oris and the exhibition. The colour of the tip of the central seconds hand matches LIMA's colour.

The Oris LIMA Limited Edition is limited to 500 pieces.

Ref Number: 01 752 7698 4224-07 3 22 01GFC

Retail selling price: RM 8,800 limited to 500 pieces.

For more information:

Oris Lima Limited Edition Watch

Photographs: Oris

Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition

Oris is extremely honoured to introduce its first bronze watch remembering the extraordinary life of Carl Brashear, the U.S. Navy’s first African American master diver.

The Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition is based on Oris’s hugely successful Divers Sixty-Five and celebrates a man who conquered not only challenges of race, but also of disability. 

Brashear joined the Navy in 1948 as a 17-year-old, and despite facing discrimination on account of his race he graduated from the Navy’s diving programme in 1954. In 1966, he lost the lower part of his left leg in an accident during a mission to salvage a hydrogen bomb. After an exhausting period of rehabilitation, he became the U.S. Navy’s first amputee diver in 1968, and then qualified as a Master Diver in 1970, the first African American to do so.

After a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy that lasted more than 30 years, Brashear retired in 1979. He died in 2006 aged 75. His extraordinary story was the inspiration for the 2000 film Men of Honour, in which Brashear was portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

The watch marking Brashear’s life and character is the first Oris watch to be made in bronze, a naturally aging material used in deep-sea diving helmets of the 1950s. It takes its aesthetic from the Oris Divers Sixty-Five, but at 42mm in diameter. Bronze is initially bright and shiny, and then darkens as its copper content reacts with carbon dioxide and moisture. This means each of the limited run of 2,000 pieces will develop a unique patina over time – and a unique relationship with their owner.

The Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition presents a unique opportunity to own Oris’s first bronze watch, but more importantly to pay tribute to a man whose convictions changed the course of history and to support the Carl Brashear Foundation. A man of honour.

Photographs: Oris

For more information:

Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition

Oris Exhibition in Malaysia

Oris is bringing its latest motorsport collection to 1 Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, including the all new Oris Audi Sport Limited Edition.

In racing as well as in watchmaking, a lot depends on precision and accuracy. Oris brings the two worlds together, through an iconic collection of motorsport-inspired watches and strong partnerships with leading drivers and racing teams such as Williams in Formula 1.

This year, Oris is adding another partnership with a famous motorsport brand, as it becomes the Official Watch Partner of Audi Sport.

And it sure was a great start. Not only did Audi Sport just win the Manufacturers’ Championship at the DTM series, they also finished the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race in June 2014 as the winning team.

To celebrate this new partnership, Oris has launched a very special Audi Sport Limited Edition watch, and you will have the opportunity to see it now at the exclusive Oris exhibition at 1 Utama shopping centre.

On top of this, you can discover the whole collection of motorsport watches. And you will have the chance to challenge your friends on our racing simulators.

See you at 1 Utama (Ground Floor Highstreet), until December 7th only.

More about the Audi Sport Limited Edition Watch can be found here...

Audi Sport Limited Edition Watch

Photographs: Oris

Oris World of Aviation at Mid Valley Mega Mall, Malaysia

In 1938 Oris introduced the Pointer Date, which started a whole new family of aviation watches. They were specifically made for aviators and easily recognizable by their clean design and their oversized crowns - which allowed pilots to adjust, the time even when wearing gloves. And it was also this particular feature that has given these watches their iconic name: Oris Big Crown.

Over the years, many innovative watches have joined the Big Crown family, developed together with aviation professionals to meet their needs up in the skies. Some of these iconic pieces will be on display at our exclusive exhibition at the centre court at Mid Valley Megamall, from 10th to 16th November 2014.

And not only this, you will also have the chance to see the new Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter as well as the whole ProPilot family for the first time in Malaysia.

The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter is the world’s first automatic mechanical altimeter watch. A highly innovative timepiece developed entirely by Oris for pilots and ambitious adventurers. This very special watch has just arrived in Malaysia and the very first pieces will be on display at Mid Valley.

Photographs: Oris

See you at Mid Valley Megamall, from 10th to 16th November 2014.

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter

More than 75 years after Oris made its first pilot’s watch, the company is proud to announce the launch of the most innovative pilot’s watch in its history – the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter, the world’s first automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter.

Aviation continues to play a significant role in the Oris line-up. In 2014, Oris introduced the Big Crown ProPilot collection, a series of mechanical watches designed to cope with life in the cockpit. Initially, there were three models – a date, a day/date, both with an enlarged font size, and a chronograph. Now, the Swiss watch company is unveiling the most complicated pilot’s watch it has ever made – the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. The new watch is an innovation pioneered by Oris in its Hölstein factory, and the world’s first and patented automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter.

It demonstrates Oris’s exceptional watchmaking know-how and horological ambition, both of which have been built up over 110 years of watchmaking history.

The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter has been developed entirely by Oris to serve as a high-performance instrument for pilots, mountaineers, explorers and research scientists, who work at altitude. Its sturdy 47mm multi-piece stainless steel case houses an Oris automatic movement, and a Swiss mechanical barometric altimeter and barometer movement.

The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter, the world’s first automatic mechanical altimeter watch developed for ambitious explorers.

Photographs: Oris