Oris With Another Jazzy Tribute

Like many of you, when I think of Oris, I tend to think of dive watches, and not being a die hard fan of the brand that’s about all I thought.  But I was doing a bit of research for this article, and wouldn’t you know it seems that Oris is the King of Jazz Watches!  First let me confess that I am far from an expert on Jazz musicians, but I do enjoy my fair share of John Coltrane and other tunes by some of the fellas noted below….so indulge me, will you? 

In 2010, it will be the Oscar Peterson watch from Oris.  Among other nicknames, Oscar Peterson is known as the “Maharaja of the Keyboard” – that’s a piano, for all you musical neophytes out there. Of the many “jazzy” tribute watches Oris has done, the Oscar Peterson watch is probably the best looking one yet.  Note the subtle but tastefully incorporated “piano key” designed hour markers.  Not quite as bold (or pricey) as something like the Audemars Piguet Quincy Jones piano-inspired watch, but still a nice take on the piano theme.  The plated Roman numeral “VIII” is a nod to Peterson’s eight well deserved Grammy awards.  And although I’m not sure it is intentional, the center of the dial looks to me a lot like an old vinyl record – and not just any record but one that would play some good ragtime or big band:

cool, caseback, too – the Lion being a symbol representing the king of the keyboard

But did you know this is just the tip of the iceberg for Oris and jazz?   2010 will in fact be the 10th Jazz tribute watch in a long history that dates back to 1996 when Oris first sponsored the London Jazz Fair and rolled out the Andy Sheppard tribute watch!  Here’s a quick look at history:

1996 – Andy Sheppard 1997 – McCoy Tyner

1998 – John McLaughlin 1999 – Lionel Hampton

2000 – Louis Armstrong 2001 – Miles Davis

2002 -Duke Ellington 2003 – Charlie Parker

2007 – Dizzy Gillespie

(Note:  In 2004 it was Frank Sinatra and 2007 Bob Dylan – neither are really known as Jazz artists, so I did not include them on the list.)

So there you have it!  I encourage you to read more about each of these watches here, on the Oris website – you might learn a thing or two about jazz music!

First announced at Baselworld 2009, the Oris ProDiver 51mm is looking like it could be a big hit for both Oris fans and dive watch fans in general.  While this is not a watch I personally reviewed, I think that the review you will see below offers a good look at “the” new watch to have from Oris.

The two gents in the review have some affiliation with the popular Oris fan/commerce website, FriendsOfOris.com, and when it comes to Oris watches they know their stuff!  Thanks for the look at this great new watch, guys!

My one comment on the video would be this:  less of Smithy and Warren, and more of the watch!  Haha – nothing personal guys!  Anyway, enjoy the review:

Movement: Oris Caliber 674, automatic, 25 jewels
Complications: Date, chronograph
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case material: Titanium
Case size: 51 mm
Case height: 22 mm
Dial: Black, with Oris trademark wave pattern
Water resistance: 1000 m
Strap: Titanium bracelet or rubber strap
Crystal: Sapphire, domed, interior antireflective coating

Tokyo Watch Fair Opens Aug 20th to Aug 25th, 2009

Several leading prestigious brands will be in attendance at the Tokyo Watch Fair which begins tomorrow (or today, depending on where you live), August 20th in Tokyo, Japan.  The event will take place at the Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro, one of Tokyo’s largest department stores.  Most brands will be using this show as an opportunity to show off their new models announced at Baselworld 2009, many of which are appearing in stores now.   A sampling of the brands expected to be in attendance include:   Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Boucheron, Bovet, Breitling, Bulgari, Carl F. Bucherer, Cartier, Girard Perregaux, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Oris, Perrelet, Piaget, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and more!

Among the many, many fine watches sure to be on display at the show, here are a few of my favorites:

Glashütte Original Senator Sixties Square Chronograph

Patek Philippe 5960 Annual Calendar

(Shown: Platinum/Rose Gold)

A. Lange & Söhne 1815

Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer

Breguet Tradition 7027

Advantage? You decide (leave a comment below)

Check it out – a Rolex DEEPSEA, and the new Oris ProDiver, both at work in the North Sea! I am pretty sure these are two separate occasions, or else we might have seen the clash of these 2 titans unfold before our very eyes

First, here is a video of what purports to be “The First Rolex deepsea to undergo an operational commercial saturation dive. 2000 hrs gmt 25 Nov 2008 from dive support vessel Technip Wellservicer working for British Petroleum. Working depth 125 Meters North Sea”  WARNING: aside from having a Rolex DEEPSEA in it, this movie is extremely boring. Even the footage in which the diver shows off his Rolex (I think that is an official “Rolex #1” diver’s hand signal, right?) is rather lackluster – so just watch between minutes 1:00 and 2:00 - And use your imagination people, this is the North Sea they’re in!

Next we have the new Oris Pro Diver, as worn by Oris “Ambassador” (a perfectly fitting description of this rugged looking fellow) Roman Frischknecht. In these few pictures, Roman is 200km of the north east coast of Scotland – in the 10 degree North Sea – at work as an underwater welder. You can see the massive size of the ProDiver -51mm- but it is probably surprisingly light as it is made of Titanium metal.

There is also a video by Oris – a bit more interesting than the Rolex production above, but you’ll have to visit the Oris website to view it (click here to watch).

Tale of the Tape