Oris Honours Its Founding with the Sixth Hölstein Edition ProPilot

Watch brands seem to be leaning into nostalgia. Honouring hometowns, founding cities, and iconic landscapes that have shaped their identities, watchmakers are crafting exclusive novelties that wear their heritage on their dials. Thus, through locally sourced materials, historic colour palettes, engraved casebacks, and subtle design cues, each model becomes a love letter to its birthplace. Among these brands is Oris, which has, since 2020, celebrated each summer with a special release honouring its roots in Hölstein, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1904. This tradition continues in 2025 as the new Hölstein Edition reimagines the tough Big Crown ProPilot, incorporating unexpected, whimsical aspects. It remains a tool watch at heart though — dependable, legible, and durable.

Located in the district of Waldenburg, within the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland, Hölstein, a charming municipality, provides a peaceful retreat for those seeking natural beauty and cultural diversity. This lovely community, surrounded by undulating hills, lush forests, and meandering rivers, is ideal for adventure enthusiasts. Hikers and cyclists can follow scenic paths to sights such as the Belchenflue top, Tüfels Gorge, and the Gempenturm viewing tower, all of which provide stunning views of the Jura Mountains.  Visitors can also marvel at ancient buildings, such as the Reformed Church and traditional Swiss farmhouses.

Oris was founded in 1904 by two watchmakers who relocated from the French-speaking village of Le Locle to Basel in the Swiss German-speaking region. The company was named after a nearby creek. Paying homage to the brand’s Hölstein/Basel roots, the new 2025 model, limited to 250 pieces, has a 41 mm multi-piece stainless steel case with black DLC plating. 

The model is configured in a monochromatic black-and-white palette that ensures a ‘brooding’ look. There is a fluted bezel, along with a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock. The story of the watch truly emerges in the dial. For the first time in the ProPilot family, a full-lume dial makes its debut. In daylight, it appears in white Super-LumiNova®, but in the dark, it glows green, revealing the Oris Bear’s silhouette at 3:30. Invisible in daylight, this detail preserves the tool-watch aesthetic of the sleek, stealthy timepiece. The dial features matte black applied Arabic hour markers, along with blackened hour, minute, and seconds hands, plus a matching minutes scale. As with previous Hölstein editions, there is no date window. It also bears the signature inscription: ‘5 Days’. 

The watch is powered by Calibre 400, Oris’s proprietary automatic movement. It delivers a five-day (120-hour) power reserve via twin barrels. Turning the watch showcases the stainless steel matte black DLC-coated caseback, circled by a Super-LumiNova® ring with the inscription, ‘Hölstein Edition 2025’. Each watch is numbered 001/250, as engraved on the caseback. The model is finished on a textile strap with an Oris-developed folding ‘LIFT’ clasp, sporting black DLC plating, lined with leather.