ORIS – Big Crown 1917 Edition

ORIS – Big Crown 1917 Steel 40mm Limited Edition

A lifetime in flight

Oris celebrates the discovery of its first pilot’s wristwatch with a special limited edition piece made in homage to the original

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Events of the past don’t change, but our understanding of them can. Until recently, Oris believed that its first pilot’s watch was the Big Crown of 1938, an iconic piece of design named after its oversized crown that still informs the company’s aviation-inspired watches today. But a recent discovery made it clear history had a different story to tell.

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Recent research in the company’s Hölstein archives (Oris has been on the same site since it was founded in 1904) revealed that Oris first made watches for pilots in the early 1910s. One catalogue featured a pocket watch with a Blériot airplane engraved on its case. Louis Blériot, the French pioneer aviator, successfully completed the first flight across the English Channel on July 25, 1909.

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Recent research uncovered an Oris pocket watch engraved with a Blériot airplane, thought to have been made in the early 1910s


The same research uncovered what appears to be Oris’s first pilot’s wristwatch, and also one of its first wristwatches. The round, brass-cased watch had a big crown, an aluminium dial and a pin-lever movement, and was essentially a pocket watch with wire loop lugs soldered to its case. This was common practice during the First World War as officers looked for practical ways of wearing watches and as aerial warfare developed.

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The first Oris pilot’s wristwatch, was made around 1917. It was a pocket watch with a big crown and wire loop lugs soldered to its case


Today, Oris is remembering that landmark wristwatch with the Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition. In design terms, the new watch is faithful to the original. It has the same onion-shaped big crown, the same early 20th century Arabic numerals, the same blued steel hands, and the same domed glass. Even the vintage Oris logo has been revived.

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Most memorably, Oris is introducing a new calibre into the watch, Calibre 732, which the company’s watchmakers have engineered so that the time can only be adjusted when the button at 2 o’clock is pushed down, in keeping with a quirk of the original.

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While the aesthetic is lifted from the early days of wristwatches, the Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition is every bit a 21st century watch, manufactured according to Oris’s exacting standards. The case is polished stainless steel and water-resistant to 5 bar, and set on a beautifully crafted brown leather cuff strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. The bubble-curved glass is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and the Arabic numerals and hands are finished with luminescent Super-LumiNova®.

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The Oris Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition has a number of additional special touches. The case back is embossed with the original ‘OWC’ trademark, which stood for ‘Oris Watch Company’ and was used as a ‘Poinçon de Maître’ quality stampon Oris’s 18-carat gold watches. The case back also carries the limited edition number – only 1,917 examples will be made. The final flourish is a travel pouch, which contains an additional leather strap with twin rivets, as per the original, and a stainless steel pin buckle.

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The Oris Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition is an historic watch and a charming reminder of Oris’s rich watchmaking heritage.

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It will be available in August, price CHF 2,400.

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Product Features

Model: Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition

Reference 01 732 7736 4081-Set LS

Case
Oris Big Crown, Stainless steel 40.00 mm, 1.575 inches
    Material Multi-piece stainless steel case
    Size 40.00 mm, 1.575 inches
    Interhorn Width 18 mm
    Top Glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
    Case Back Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings
    Operating Devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown
    Water Resistance 5 bar
 Movement
Automatic winding
    Number Oris 732, base SW 200-1
    Dimensions Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’
Functions 
    Centre hands for hours and minutes, fine timing device
    Winding Automatic winding, bi-directionally rotating red rotor
    Power-Reserve 38 hrs
    Vibrations 28’800 A/h, 4 Hz
    Jewels 26
 Dial
    Material Silver dial
    Luminous Material Numerals and hands Light Old Radium
Strap/Bracelet Leather
    Material Dark brown leather strap, stainless steel buckle

Extras
Special box, certificate, additional leather strap, limited to 1917 piece

Price  Swiss retail price CHF 2,400

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Press Release - 2017
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Jaeger-LeCoultre – Master Control line 25th Anniversary

Jaeger-LeCoultre – Master Control Line 25th Anniversary

Celebrating 25 years of the Master Control line 

with three new pieces

It has been 25 years since the Master Control collection was first unveiled in 1992. An embodiment of the sophisticated watchmaking tradition carefully cultivated by Jaeger-LeCoultre, it combines the classic aesthetics and technical performance that illustrate the quality of the Manufacture’s movements.

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Now on the collection’s 25th anniversary, the Manufacture is presenting a new expression of the line’s three emblematic functions, drawing on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s rich legacy of round watches to inspire the Master Control Date, the Master Chronograph, and the Master Geographic. The date, chronograph, and geographic complication constitute functions of everyday utility that have made the Master Control line into a resounding success, and they are pleasingly integrated into this latest incarnation.

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A vintage-inspired design

The classicism that characterises the collection is augmented by the vintage charm of these pieces, driven by automatic movements and enhanced with touches of blue. This navy shade echoes across the dial like a leitmotif, in the skeletonised baton hands and the blued stainless steel central seconds, as well as in the complications and the minute circle. As an elegant accompaniment to these three new faces, a strap of alligator leather takes up the shade of blue, intensifying it to a deeper hue.

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A subtle play of light weaves across the surface of these models. The polished finish on the bezel and lugs forms a sophisticated contrast with the satin-brushed case-band, imbuing the case with additional charm. On the face of each watch, a circular satin-brushed finish in the outer section sets off the opaline finish at the heart of the dial. This makes light bounce off it at different angles, ensuring the indications are easier to read. The contrast is further heightened by black hour-markers at the centre of the watch.

Master Control Date

This watch exudes a genuine charm. Its clean, rounded lines reflect the essence of the Master Control collection, with its emblematic numerals 6, 9, and 12 retained, and the 3 making way for a date indication. This simple function remains a “must” in watchmaking.

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With its automatic movement housed in a 39 mm case, this model is an elegant and reassuring presence on the wrist, ideal for active men who want a watch that looks just as fitting during the working day as for more dressed-up occasions. To prolong the pleasure of discovery, a sapphire crystal case-back reveals the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899/1 with its 22-carat gold oscillating weight.

Master Chronograph

This chronograph watch follows the Master Control collection’s distinctive aesthetic lines, featuring a contemporary design inspired by vintage styling. Its "casual chic" look will appeal to aficionados of this emblematic complication, seeking an original model. The two push-pieces housed on the case-band make the chronograph easy to use, with its two counters indicating hours and minutes set out harmoniously on the dial.

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Their invigorating blue colour is echoed in the blued stainless steel hands and the tachometer that runs discreetly around the outer perimeter. It is useful for measuring the speed of travel from one point to another with ease. There is a sporty feel to this automatic watch, and its 40-mm diameter case adds a real sense of distinction to the wrist.

Master Geographic

The Master Geographic is the emblematic model of the Master Control collection, providing travellers with a novel way of reading the second time zone. The aperture in the lower section of the dial displays the names of 24 world cities, representing all the time zones. A crown set at 10 o’clock on the case makes adjusting the indicator of this second time zone simplicity itself.

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Patterned in a circular guilloché that catches light from a different slant, the indicator contrasts elegantly with the other finishes on the dial.

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With its signature blue colour, the design brings a fresh feel to this watch, without taking away from its classic sobriety.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Master Control Date

Ref. Q1548530

MOVEMENT
•    Automatic mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899/1
•    28,800 vibrations per hour
•    38-hour power reserve
•    219 parts
•    3.30 mm in height
FUNCTION
•    Hour, minute, central seconds
•    Date
CASE
•    Stainless steel
•    39 mm in diameter
•    Height: 8.5 mm
•    Sapphire crystal case-back
•    Water resistance: 5 bar
DIAL
•    Finish is opaline in the centre and circular satin-brushed around the perimeter
HANDS
•    Skeletonised baton hands
STRAP
•    Blue alligator leather
•    Pin buckle in stainless steel

REFERENCE
•    Q1548530

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Master Chronograph

Ref. Q1538530

MOVEMENT
•    Automatic mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 751G
•    28,800 vibrations per hour
•    65-hour power reserve
•    235 parts
•    5.72 mm in height
FUNCTION
•    Hour, minute, central seconds
•    2-counter chronograph
•    Tachometer
CASE
•    Stainless steel
•    40 mm in diameter
•    Height: 11.7 mm
•    Water resistance: 5 bar
DIAL
•    Finish is opaline in the centre and circular satin-brushed around the perimeter
•    Circular guilloché on the counters
HANDS
•    Skeletonised baton hands
STRAP
•    Blue alligator leather
•    Pin buckle in stainless steel

REFERENCE
•    Q1538530

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Master Geographic

Ref. Q1428530

MOVEMENT
•    Automatic mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 939B/1
•    28,800 vibrations per hour
•    43-hour power reserve
FUNCTION
•    Hour, minute, central seconds
•    Second time zone
•    24-city disc
•       24-hour indication
CASE
•    Stainless steel
•    39 mm in diameter
•    Height: 11.7 mm
•    Sapphire crystal case-back
•    Water resistance: 5 bar
DIAL
•    Finish is opaline in the centre and circular satin-brushed around the perimeter
•    Circular guilloché on the second time zone counter
HANDS
•    Skeletonised baton hands
STRAP
•    Blue alligator leather
•    Pin buckle in stainless steel

REFERENCE
•    Q1428530


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