Revival of a Classic with the Oris Star Edition

Oris rose to become one of Switzerland’s top ten watchmakers by the end of the 1960s, fuelled by automatic models like the Star and its early dive watches. Introduced in 1966 and inspired by the modernist spirit of the era, the Oris Star featured a tonneau-shaped case with seamlessly integrated lugs and was powered by the brand’s first in-house automatic movement featuring a lever escapement. Sixty years later, the Oris Star returns in a faithful re-edition powered by a contemporary automatic movement.

The original 1966 Oris Star marked a refreshing shift from classic round gold watches. Its distinct space-age 35mm barrel-shaped case and elongated silhouette captured the decade’s avant-garde spirit while representing a triumphant moment for the brand. With the help of Dr Rolf Portmann, Oris successfully overturned the restrictive 1934 Swiss Watch Statute, freeing the company from inferior pin-lever movements and enabling the adoption of higher-grade lever escapements – as featured in the 1966 Star.

A symbolic watch for Oris on many fronts, the faithful revival of the Oris Star can be appreciated in its 35mm x 11mm barrel-shaped stainless steel case with integrated lugs and a minimalist silver dial. The powerful arching lines of the case and its sweeping integrated lugs are highlighted by a pronounced vertical satin-brushed finish and wide polished bevels. Also polished, the round bezel framing the dial secures a vintage Plexi-crystal, a nod to the shatter-resistant, lightweight acrylic material used to protect the dial of the original.

With its compact 35mm diameter and lug-to-lug of 41.5mm, the watch sits comfortably on most wrists without overhanging. The screw-down crown and screwed caseback, engraved with a vintage Oris shield, ensure the 50m water-resistance.

The silver dial is also faithful to the 1966 Oris Star with a subtle crosshair in the centre, applied double-baton hour markers, square-tipped hour and minute hands and a modernist, trapezoidal date window at 3 o’clock. Plots of lume at the base of the hour makers and on the tips of the hour and minute hands enhance legibility. Like the original, the watch is paired with a black leather strap and steel pin buckle.

Inside is Oris calibre 733, a renamed Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, an alternative to the ETA 2824, with a frequency of 28,800vph, a 41-hour power reserve and hacking seconds. Available in May 2026, the Oris Star Edition retails for EUR 1,800. More information at oris.ch.