In the world of horology, the term “in-house” is generally associated with high-end luxury timepieces which are often exorbitantly priced, and this makes owning one a distant dream for many watch aficionados out there. But in recent times, a few brands including Oris seem to have acknowledged the situation and aimed to bridge this gap by producing watches like the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 with in-house movements at relatively affordable prices.
Oris has been in the business of making timepieces since 1904, and the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 watch showcases the company’s continued growth in the field of research and technical innovation. It was in 2014 that Oris released their first modern in-house movement, the Calibre 110, which we went hands-on with here, and since then, the brand has been adding more functionality to this base calibre every year leading to the creation of their newest and fourth version, the Calibre 113.
The Calibre 113 is a hand-wound movement which operates at a frequency of 3Hz, and like the three calibers before it, this one also features a small seconds at 9 o’clock along with the massive 10-day power reserve, which I feel is a remarkable feat as it uses only a single barrel to do so. Additionally, the Calibre 113 also offers a complete calendar setup including the day, date, week, and month of the year. The Calibre 113 movement on the Oris Artelier Carlibre 113 can be admired in all its glory through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back. Although the movement is devoid of fancy decoration and has more of an industrial look, I like it for the fact that it holds true to the Oris philosophy, and that being “real watches for real people.”
Just reading the number of complications the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 watch features had me thinking that this is going to be one difficult dial to read, but having a look at the release photographs, I must say that Oris have done an admirable job of keeping the dial balanced and legible. The dial on the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 is cleverly laid out and shares its general design aesthetics – such as the finely applied hour markers, applied Arabic numerals at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, the subsidiary seconds dial at 9, and the power reserve indicator at 3 – with the previously released Oris Artelier Calibre 112 watch and the Oris Big Crown Pro Pilot 111 watch.
But what really sets the dial of the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 apart and gives the watch a distinctive look is the way Oris have implemented the calendar complications on this timepiece. To execute the calendar complications, the folks at Oris have made good use of the real estate available on the dial by pulling the hour indices slightly inwards, eventually freeing space to display the month and week of the year in the outer periphery of the dial. And to read these details, Oris has made use of a red-tipped pointer hand which simultaneously indicates the current month and week (hence Oris using the term “business calendar”) of the year. The date is shown via a neatly cut date window within the sub-seconds dial at 9 o’clock, and finally, to complete the calendar setup, the day of the week is displayed through a thoughtfully placed window just below the power reserve text. All the functions the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 offers are controlled via the single crown.
At 43mm, the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 is a somewhat large timepiece, especially for a more dress-oriented watch, but looking at the set of complications it offers, I feel it is aptly sized. The brand’s materials do not mention water-resistance, but we expect it to be in line with previous similar watches, at 30m. The Oris Artelier Calibre 113 will be officially launched at Baselworld 2017, and will be available to purchase in a couple of strap and dial options. One can either opt for the anthracite dial with a dark brown Louisiana crocodile leather strap or an opaline silver dial with a gray, black, or dark brown leather strap. Both the versions will also be optionally available on a steel bracelet. The Oris Artelier Calibre 113 watch will retail at a price of CHF 5,900. oris.ch
