(PRESS RELEASE) VENTURA, CA / HÖLSTEIN, SWITZERLAND — Collective Horology announces its ninth collaboration in partnership with independent Swiss Brand, Oris – a Divers Sixty-Five Calibre 400 reimagined as a child of the 1970s, and affectionately named the Divers “Seventy-Five.” Limited to 250 examples, the watch is available for pre-order exclusively at Collective Horology’s online shop.
Attracted by their accessible and reliable manufacturing of all-mechanical timepieces, nearly 120 years of heritage, and signature designs like the modern Aquis diver and Big Crown Pointer Date watches, Collective reached out to Oris in 2021 about working together.
Asher Rapkin, co-founder of Collective, notes, “Core to Collective’s beliefs is that watchmaking is a canvas for creativity regardless of price.” He continues, “For years we have wanted to create a more accessible collaboration, but finding a partner that can do that at scale and meet the demands of watch enthusiasts is extremely difficult. We found that partner in Oris – an independent brand beloved by watch enthusiasts of all stripes.”
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Collective on this Divers “Seventy-Five” release.” Says V.J. Geronimo, Oris CEO – The Americas. “Oris’ fierce independence and Go Your Own way spirit aligns perfectly with Collective’s core values. As a brand beloved by the enthusiast community, it only made sense to work with Gabe and Asher for this special release.”
“The decision over which product line to work on was never in discussion. It was clear from the start. The Divers Sixty-Five line is beloved by watch enthusiasts for its enduring design, historical connection and wearability.” Gabe Reilly, co-founder of Collective, explains, “My first Oris, and still my favorite, was the Divers Sixty-Five. From its svelte case profile to distinctive Arabic dial, it’s a watch that just oozes charm.”
With the C.04, Collective looked to 1970s California graphic design to draw out the elements they love most about the Oris and the Divers Sixty-Five – bringing back the original Arabic dial with no date in a fitting ‘70s color palette, embracing the brand’s unique bronze and steel bicolor format, and backing it all with the in-house Caliber 400. The result is a bit of historical fiction: While this design was never created by Oris in the 1970s, it very well could have been.
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Gabe Reilly explains the design, “It was important to us that this watch be as quintessentially Oris as possible. That’s why we went with the distinctive Arabic dial, in-house movement as well as the bi-color bracelet and case. The use of bronze in two-tone watches is a signature design element for Oris. While many brands use gold capping or PVD, Oris takes a more authentic and distinctive approach to two-tone with solid bronze. There’s no mistaking this watch for anything other than an Oris, and we just love that.”
V.J. Geronimo added, “From a design perspective, we’re taking everything that’s great about Oris’ design language, but with an authentically Californian twist. Our ever-popular Divers Sixty-Five model is transported into its next logical decade, and with power being provided by our groundbreaking Calibre 400 movement, the watch is just as modern as it is retro.”
Because the 40mm Divers “Seventy-Five” comes equipped with the in-house Oris Calibre 400, the watch features a five-day power reserve (120 hours), is highly resistant to magnetism (due to 30 non-ferrous and anti-magnetic components including a silicon escape wheel and a silicon anchor), and comes with 10-year recommended service intervals, and a 10-year warranty.
The Oris Divers “Seventy-Five” Calibre 400 C.04 for Collective is limited to 250 pieces and priced at $4500 USD, with an exclusive pre-order price of $4150 USD. Watches are currently in production, and will ship December 2023. Pre-orders are open now exclusively at collectivehorology.com.
About Oris
Founded in Hölstein, Switzerland in 1904, the independent brand Oris are makers of all-mechanical timepieces. Oris is one of a small handful of Swiss watch brands that makes only mechanical watches. A mechanical watch is a thing of beauty, designed according to principles that have been around for generations and will continue long into the future. Oris is constantly striving to make better watches that offer beautiful, innovative functions and advanced performance levels. For example, the in-house developed Calibre 400 Series of Swiss Made automatics promises a five-day power reserve, anti-magnetism, and a 10-year warranty and 10-year recommended service intervals.
About Collective Horology
Collective Horology creates collaborative watches for enthusiasts, and retails independent brands with limited distribution in the US. Since its founding in 2018, Collective has produced watches together with brands including IWC Schaffhausen, Czapek, URWERK, H. Moser & Cie., Zenith, Armin Strom, Montblanc and J.N. Shapiro. Collective Shop is an authorized retailer for Arcanaut, Czapek, Fears, Formex, Nicholas Hacko, James Lamb, Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker, Speake-Marin, Zeitwinkel as well as J.N. Shapiro rings and watches. For more information and to purchase a watch, visit collectivehorology.com.
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