Capturing The Spirit Of The 1990s With The Oris Hölstein Edition 2022
Two years ago, Oris introduced the Hölstein Edition 2020 to celebrate the brand’s 116th birthday. I had the chance to try out the full-bronze edition of the Divers Sixty-Five, and it was one of the most fun watches I’d worn in a long time. Last year, Oris introduced the Hölstein Edition 2021, a celebratory version of the Big Crown pilot’s watch with a movement from the brand’s 400-series. This year, the brand decided to bring back the Oris Full Steel Worldtimer that debuted in 1998. Time to bring back the style of the 1990s with this special timepiece.
What do you think of the design language of the ’90s? Within the world of watches specifically, it sparked a certain style that I’m not always a fan of. In the world of design, people always tend to classify the 1980s as the decade of questionable style. Personally, however, I have completely embraced the 1980s for what they were. I grew up in the 1980s, and that decade holds a lot of special memories for me. That makes it a lot easier to appreciate the style of the decade despite the thick layer of questionable style choices. But what about the decade that followed?
The Oris Worldtimer from 1998
Style and design move in cycles. As we all know, watch brands love to get inspiration from the past for their new timepieces. But we haven’t seen a lot of re-issues of 1990s timepieces yet. Usually, you will see designs inspired by the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. We have also slowly found a collective appreciation for the design of the ’80s. But the ’90s is an era that not too many brands touch upon. Part of that is obviously because it wasn’t that long ago. The second part is whether people are ready to see the beauty of ’90s design. Oris, however, is not afraid to go into its ’90s archives and bring out one of its most important watches from that era. And I love that!
The new Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 is a re-issue of the Oris Full Steel Worldtimer. Back in 1998, Oris brought out this watch which featured a unique curved case design. The watch also housed the Oris caliber 690, the first movement of its kind for timezone-hopping travelers. The movement introduced two plus/minus pushers located at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock. The pushers would let the wearer adjust the centrally displayed local time forward or backward in one-hour increments. The date would change when it passed midnight (both forward and backward), and the home time occupied the smaller sub-dial at 3 o’clock.
The new Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 re-issue
Besides the movement being remarkably convenient, the design of the watch also stands out. Oris decided to honor the design of the Full Steel Worldtimer and faithfully recreate it for this year’s special edition. Therefore the new Hölstein Edition 2022 features a 36.5mm polished stainless steel case that is 11.7mm high and has a lug-to-lug of 43.6mm. The watch is water-resistant to 50 meters. The round case design is characterized by its curves and looks solid and thick. In particular, the curvaceous right side of the case is as much of a style element as it is a crown guard. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet, hence the Full Steel Worldtimer name.
It also features a beautiful dark blue dial with several contrasting elements. As mentioned, the home time is displayed at 3 o’clock with small seconds at 9 o’clock with a bright red hand. Both sub-dials are executed with a sunburst finish in what seems to be a slightly different shade of blue than the main dial. The luminous Arabic numerals add a light shade of green, while the plus/minus indications are placed in bright red triangles. Lastly, there is a date window at 6 o’clock with the date printed in white on a black disc.
A limited-production run
If you turn the watch around, you are greeted by the charming Oris bear that is engraved into the screw-down case back. This friendly character graces all the case backs of the Hölstein Editions and is a great reminder of the special watch that you are wearing. Underneath the case back, Oris equipped the watch with the aforementioned caliber 690. The automatic movement has an ETA 2836-2 base with an additional in-house Oris module for adjusting the local time. The movement operates at 28,800vph and has a 38-hour power reserve. Oris currently also uses the same movement for the Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer.
Oris will produce 250 pieces of the Hölstein Edition 2022. The limited-edition number of each watch can also be found on the case back. The Hölstein Edition 2022 comes in a special wooden box and will be available starting today for CHF 4,000. I personally would love to take one of the 250 pieces for a spin. I had my doubts at first, but after getting used to it and putting it in perspective, I am intrigued. The ’90s were an important time for the brand from Hölstein as it was getting back into the swing of things after the quartz era. This new Oris Hölstein Edition 2022 is a great reminder of that. I have no doubt that all 250 pieces will go fast. The original Cal 690 Worldtimer is quite rare and the Hölstein Editions are very popular. So, if you want one, you’d better move fast!
For more information, visit the official Oris website. And let us know in the comment section whether you are ready for a ’90s revival!
