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Two New Watches From Oris Showcase the Brand’s Ethos
The Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition and the ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition couldn't be more different, though both carry the brand's DNA Everything about Oris is a little alternative. The independent …
The Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition and the ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition couldn't be more different, though both carry the brand's DNA
Two New Watches From Oris Showcase the Brand’s Ethos
The Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition and the ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition couldn’t be more different, though both carry the brand’s DNA
Everything about Oris is a little alternative. The independent watchmaker from Hölstein that believes Swiss watchmaking is for everyone, pioneered the smaller, more sustainable watch box, gained a foothold in the country music scene (like Florida-Georgia Line’s Tyler Hybbard and Lainey Wilson) not through paid partnerships but enthusiasts of the brand’s product and ethos – “Go Your Own Way” – all the while holding its own at the largest watch trade show, Watches & Wonders Geneva. The factory has long been painted shades of pastel pink, and their annual press preview is held in Vail, because Co-CEO Rolf Studer likes to ski there every January and “why not bring industry friends?”
During this year’s Vail preview Studer debuted a duo of watches that couldn’t be more different: the Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition and the ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition. We sat down with the Co-CEO to discuss the Oris aesthetic, the power of the color pink, and how to stay relevant with a product “no one needs.”
CH: The Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition is a heritage design that pays homage to Oris’ first dive watch. The ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition is the second collaboration with The Muppets, and features a baguette diamond, bright pink face and a mirror-polished case back. How can these two watches come from the same company?
RS: They both have very different roots, but they both make people smile. That’s it. We like to make watches that make people happy.
CH: That can’t possibly be all there is to it…
RS: True, that would be a very short interview. It’s a very fine line to walk, right? Our task as a watch producer is to stay relevant with a product that nobody needs. How do you make it relevant so people pay several thousands of dollars for it? How do you bring these decades of watchmaking into that new product and make it attractive for today and tomorrow? That’s how we start, and that’s what we try to do. And with the Divers, it was relatively simple, because we have these inverse numerals that are very characteristic. And that’s how we started the line when we did it for the 50th birthday in 2015 and that’s what we brought back now for the 60th birthday in 2025.
CH: And it’s correct to call this the last Divers Sixty-Five?
RS: Yes. But I don’t even have to focus so much on that, because it’s always an evolution of things. This will close that chapter of the Divers Sixty-Five in a very nice way. The new watch has a different aesthetic, it has a ceramic topper, and it’s waterproof to 20 meters; it has different indices, has new proportions, a new bracelets, it’s more classic and less vintage.
CH: Let’s pivot to Miss Piggy
RS: The collaboration with Kermit was a big success for us. Kermit resonates very well with the public, because, as I”ve said before, people understood and felt that the watch wasn’t just a merchandise product, that was that is about a shared philosophy. We both are in the business of making people smile, and we are grateful to have Kermit on the team to help us. A lot of people, very early, asked about Miss Piggy.
CH: And you kept everyone waiting for two years!
RS: Not everybody has the best opinion about Miss Piggy. However, she’s a very contemporary, strong and independent woman. She fits great into the Oris brand, and she stands for many things that we stand for.
CH: How so?
RS: It’s interesting that 40 years ago or so, when she was created, she already had these contemporary values. It’s the generation of our mothers, right? And only now do we come to the point and say, yes, she rightfully does so. This I find quite interesting. So we wanted to make Miss Piggy a very contemporary, modern, strong piece. The ProPilot X is the perfect surrounding, the perfect case for her, because it is bold, it is self-confident, but it’s also elegant. To see Miss Piggy through this lens of who women are these days—it’s a watch that let’s you reflect. It’s a nice piece of jewelry that should remind its wearer of being a strong, independent person of value. Miss Piggy takes confidence and self-value from herself and not from others. And this is also very much Oris, right? Go your own way. It’s not left or right, but you go your way. Miss Piggy does that 100%.
CH: Let’s talk about the mirrored case back.
RS: The polished case back is reminder that there’s also some vanity with Miss Piggy. And then you turn the watch, and you have that mirror looking at yourself, and hopefully you start to think about these things. And then Miss Piggy looks at you even more so. And the position of Miss Piggy, as she is on the rotor, was a given to some extent. Then we just chose the location that made it look best.
CH: Obviously the watch had to be pink. How did you choose the shade of pink?
RS: There is a set color code for each of these Muppets figures, and then you take it from there. Also with Kermit. It was two of these greens that are already clearly defined. However, it depends then very much on the surface they are on. That same Pantone code can look completely different if it’s on a polished dial. We wanted it to be bold, and we wanted to find the right mix between a little bit of flashiness and a bold, self-confident watch, and not just bling.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
