To celebrate the registration of the company in its hometown of Hölstein, Switzerland on June 1, 1904, Oris has made a tradition of releasing a Hölstein Edition watch each year on the first day of June, and this has been something that the brand has adhered to for the past five years. Created as limited editions, the Oris Hölstein Edition models are dedicated to fans and enthusiasts, and they are designed to be unique offerings that provide collectors with something different from what can be found in the rest of the brand’s catalog. This June ushers in a new Hölstein Edition timepiece, although it also marks the company’s 120th anniversary, and celebrate the occasion, we now have the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024, which is a blacked-out 40mm Divers Sixty-Five that is powered by the brand’s Caliber 400 movement.

Admittedly, a blacked-out dive watch is hardly the most creative concept, although the new Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 (ref. 400 7794 4784-Set) represents the first time that the Swiss brand has produced a completely black-on-black timepiece. Not only are the case, dial, and bezel finished black, but you also get black hands, black lume, black surrounds for the hour markers, black text, and a black rubber strap with black-plated hardware. Basically, every visible component on the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 (except its crystal) is finished black, with the one exception being the printing on the date disc, which appears in a dark shade of gray for visibility purposes. The black finish on the exterior is achieved using a DLC coating, while black Super-LumiNova is used for the hands and hour markers, and unlike the existing 40mm Divers Sixty-Five Cal. 400 models with 12-hour bezels, the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 has a 60-minute timing scale with its markings in relief, and this has also been given a black DLC coating to match the rest of the case.

By this point, the Divers Sixty-Five has become a rather familiar offering, and the DLC-coated stainless steel case of the new Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 measures 40mm diameter with a domed sapphire crystal above its dial, a signed screw-down crown at 3 o’clock, and a fairly standard 100 meters of water resistance. Aside from its black DLC finish and 60-minute timing bezel, one other key difference between the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 and the standard 40mm Caliber 400 Divers Sixty-Five watches is that this limited-edition anniversary model is fitted with a solid screw-down caseback that features an engraving of the Oris Bear wearing sunglasses and floral swim trunks, along with each watch’s number out of 250 total examples. A black tropic-style rubber strap connects to the 20mm lugs with integrated quick-release springbars, and completing the Hölstein Edition 2024 is a signed stainless steel buckle that has been given a black DLC finish to match the rest of the watch.

The new Oris Divers Sixty-Five Hölstein Edition 2024 is powered by the Caliber 400 automatic movement, the brand’s flagship in-house offering that provides significantly better performance metrics than the Sellita-based movements used inside the brand’s entry-level models. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a five-day power reserve (120 hours), the Oris Cal. 400 includes more than 30 antimagnetic parts to exceed ISO 764 standards for magnetic-resistant watches, and it is also regulated to -3/+5 seconds per day, which is more stringent than what is required to achieve COSC chronometer certification. While nearly everyone can agree that the Cal. 400 offers tangible performance benefits over its Sellita-based counterparts, it is also accompanied by a significant increase in price compared to what most people have come to expect from Oris as a brand.

Oris Hölstein Edition watches have historically stood out as unique offerings, and previous examples have included the bronze Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph from 2020, the Full Steel travel-time model from 2022, and the purple dial Aquis from 2023. While the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five Hölstein Edition 2024 technically represents uncharted territory for the brand, the fundamental concept of a blacked-out dive watch is the definition of a familiar aesthetic, and this year’s 120th-anniversary piece simply doesn’t offer the same degree of novelty as previous Hölstein Edition watches. Despite feeling somewhat generic and uninspired, it is undeniable that the new Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 is one of the more aesthetically versatile models from this limited-edition series, as vintage-inspired dive watches and the color black are two of the most universally accepted styles among wristwatches.

Due to its DLC coating, the new Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 costs slightly more than the standard-production Caliber 400 Divers Sixty-Five watches, and it has an official retail price of $4,200 USD. Additionally, just like previous Hölstein Edition models, the new Divers Sixty-Five Hölstein Edition 2024 will be produced as a limited edition of 250 examples, with each watch featuring its unique number engraved upon its caseback. As one of the most expensive offerings in the current Divers Sixty-Five collection, the new Hölstein Edition 2024 finds itself in a highly competitive space with some of the biggest names in the industry, and it is less than a thousand dollars away from the price of a Tudor Black Bay Ceramic, which features a METAS-certified movement and a black ceramic case. While the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 carries on the tradition of being different from the brand’s standard offerings, it undeniably feels slightly less special than other Hölstein Edition models when you consider the number of other all-black watches that exist throughout the industry. For more information on the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024, please visit the brand’s website.