Oris SA was founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christia in 1904 in the Swiss town of Hölstein, where the company is still based. The company name was named after a nearby brook, and started life as a manufacturer of pocket watches. In response to the growing wristwatch market, Oris began producing leather straps in 1925 that were specifically designed to secure an Oris pocket watch to the owner’s wrist. Today, Oris is one of the few remaining independently owned Swiss watch manufacturers.
Allan McNish
A two-year agreement with Allan McNish was announced ahead of the British driver’s Formula 1 debut with Toyota in 2002. In addition to the brand logo appearing on his helmet and racing suit, the Oris TT1 Allan McNish Limited Edition (ref. 635 7519 44 83) was also released at some point. Features included a left-hand crown, McNish’s name and helmet design on the dial, his driver logo on the case, and the Oris red rotor with a facsimile of his signature. The watch had a limited production run of 1,000 pieces, and came in a replica helmet presentation case.
With McNish only completing a single season in Formula 1, the exact length of the partnership is not well documented.
Williams Racing
Oris enjoyed a lengthy partnership with the Williams Racing F1 team from 2003 until 2018, resulting in a variety of team edition models starting with the first Williams F1 Team Chronograph that was released in 2004. Oris has also created limited edition watches linked with individual drivers such as Ralf Schumacher, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Kazuki Nakajima, Valtteri Bottas, and Robert Kubica.
F1-Inspired
While there appears to be no official licensing involved, other Formula 1-inspired limited edition releases have included the Oris TT3 Grand Prix (ref. 01 635 7589 7084-Set), and the Oris ChronOris Grand Prix ’70 (ref. 01 677 7619 4154-Set).
Related Pages
References
https://www.fratellowatches.com/oris-brand-history/
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/40997/1/timely-move-for-oris-and-mcnish
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/deep/oris-and-car-racing-racing-watches-racing-passion-part-1
https://www.righttime.com/rt/oris/635_7519_44_83_rs.htm
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/oris-tt1-allan-mcnish-linited-edition-161581637
https://wornandwound.com/watches-f1-oris-williams-f1/
https://monochrome-watches.com/watches-formula-1-episode-7-williams-f1-oris/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkiaPJz0tfk
https://masterhorologer.com/2018/07/17/oris-martini-racing-limited-edition-automatic-chronograph-44mm-stainless-steel-case-black-carbon-fibre-dial/
https://masterhorologer.com/2008/06/12/oris-williams-f1-team-chronograph-edition-2004/
https://masterhorologer.com/2009/01/15/oris-kazuki-nakajima-day-date-limited-edition-42mm-stainless-steel-case-automatic-movement-black-dial/
https://watchpaper.com/2009/01/28/unmistakably-oris-unmistakably-kazuki/
https://masterhorologer.com/2018/10/06/oris-robert-kubica-limited-edition-automatic-watch-stainless-steel-case-day-and-date-display/
https://www.horbiter.com/en/oris-williams-valtteri-bottas-limited-edition-watch-hands-on/
https://www.oris.ch/en-US/product/watch/williams/williams-valtteri-bottas-limited-edition/01-674-7725-8784-Set-42454FCTB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkiaPJz0tfk