Oris was founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian in Hölstein, Switzerland, in 1904. The company bought the recently closed Lohner & Co watch factory, and on June 1, 1904 the founders entered into a contract with the local mayor. By 1911, Oris was Hölstein’s largest employer, and the history page lists expansion to factories in Holderbank, Como, Courgenay, Herbetswil, and Ziefen. After Georges Christian died in 1927, Oscar Herzog became General Manager in 1928 and held the role for 43 years.
The brand history page states that Oris joined ASUAG in 1970, and that a management buyout in 1982 restored its independence. The same history page credits Oris with several technical milestones, including the first Big Crown pilot’s watch in 1938, the patented Worldtimer in 1997, the patented Rotation Safety System for the ProDiver in 2009, the patented Aquis Depth Gauge in 2013, and the Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter in 2014, which Oris describes as the world’s first automatic mechanical watch with a mechanical altimeter. Oris also says Calibre 400 was independently conceived by the company and has a five-day power reserve, high resistance to magnetism, 10-year recommended service intervals, and a 10-year warranty on registered watches.
Oris product pages show collections such as Artelier, Heritage, Big Crown, Aquis, Divers, ProPilot X, and ProPilot. Those pages also show models including Big Crown Pointer Date, Big Crown Calibre 113, Artelier Calibre 113, and Aquis Date.
Oris lists its address as Ribigasse 1, 4434 Hölstein. The history page says that in 2024, its 120th anniversary year, the company remained fully independent and fully mechanical. The same page also states that Oris announced Maison Oris, its first boutique in Switzerland, in 2016.
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