Jewellery & Watch News
For their latest collaborative release, Swiss watch manufacturer Oris partners with Wings of Hope, a US-based aeronautical humanitarian organisation to launch a pair of Oris Big Crown Wings of Hope Limited Editions. One in steel and another in gold, the watches feature the brand’s in-house calibre 401 movement with its impressive 5-day power reserve.
Whether it’s raising awareness on endangered marine species, raising funds for the conservation of polluted waters or bringing attention to deserving charities, Oris’ Change for the Better campaign has become an emblem for generosity in the luxury watch world. For their latest mission, Oris wish to celebrate an aeronautical humanitarian organisation known as Wings of Hope. The charity of was established over 60 years ago by Mike Stimac who after travelling to Kenya realised that efforts hindered by poor transport links could be drastically improved through the use of aviation. Since its founding, Wings of Hope have helped around 65,000 people a year by bringing medical support to remote and vulnerable communities in more than 50 countries. Like so many organisations like this, Wings of Hope rely heavily on donations and volunteers and so to help and spread their mission across the world, Oris have launched two Wings of Hope Limited Edition watches.
“I am incredibly grateful and honoured to be working with one of the world’s leading watchmaking companies. Ours is a close and committed partnership to change the world. And I believe there is much more to come… What impresses me most about Oris is its commitment to making the world a better place. Our brand identity is very important to us, and working with such a highly respected brand that is so perfectly aligned with our mission is a very special gift to us and hopefully to the world.” – Wings of Hope CEO, Bret Heinrich.
Based on Oris’ signature Big Crown pilot’s watch, the new Wings of Hope Limited Editions come in two case metals: stainless steel and 18ct gold. The stainless steel Oris Wings of Hope watch measures to 40mm in diameter and features an off-white, silver accented dial and is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces. Meanwhile, the 18ct yellow gold Oris Wings of Hope watch comes in smaller at 38mm and features an off-white display with golden hardware and is a rarer limited edition of only 100 pieces.
Both Oris Big Crown Wings of Hope Limited Edition watches feature all the characteristics of the iconic Big Crown watch including a small knurled crown at 3 o’clock, a fix, unadorned bezel and domed sapphire crystal glass. We’re also welcomed to a 50 metre water resistant rating, luminous hands for the hours and minutes and printed Arabic numerals. At 6 o’clock, the dial’s present a bold red small seconds dial, a trait of the Oris Calibre 401 movement.
The in-house Calibre 401 automatic winding movement came as part of the brand’s Calibre 400 series launched last year. While the standard Calibre 400 opts for classic hours, minutes and seconds at the centre, the Calibre 401 places the seconds in its own subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock. Like entire manufacture series, were promised a power reserve of 120 hours, high levels of anti-magnetism, an accuracy of -3/+5 seconds a day and a warranty which can be extended to 10 years when you sign up with MyOris. You can enjoy the classic Swiss decorations of the movement through the exhibition case back.
Completing both Oris Big Crown Wings of Hope watches is a special strap developed by Cervo Volante. We saw the Swiss watch brand partner with Cervo Volante, a sustainable deer leather manufacturer, back in 2022 on a range of Big Crown Pointer Date watches. The same material makes up the straps for the new Wings of Hope Limited Editions which have been manufactured in one of the last two remaining tanneries in the whole of Switzerland, practising 100% vegetable tanning processes. The straps are completed by classic pin buckles engineered in their corresponding case material.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Oris Big Crown Wings of Hope Limited Edition watches and shop them for yourself, head over to the C W Sellors website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
