Geneva Watch Days 2025: Spacig - Oris x Bamford Watch Department

At relatively short notice, Oris had briefly invited attendees to a press conference in a side street near the luxury hotels on Lake Geneva, where many watch manufacturers were hosting the Geneva Watch Days in early September. Nevertheless, the turnout was large, as was the astonishment.

The basis is the "ProPilot Altimeter," the world's only watch to combine a mechanical Swiss automatic movement with a mechanical altimeter. After calibration to the local air pressure, which is indicated by a red arrow at 6 o'clock, it can display altitudes up to 19,700 feet (approx. 6,000 m).

These are displayed on a scale on the outer ring of the dial. A conversion table from feet to meters is engraved on the caseback.

Through the collaboration with Bamford, the pilot's watch has now been given a colorful, spacey touch.

"We're particularly proud of the 'ProPilot Altimeter.' It clearly demonstrates our love for mechanical watches," explains Rolf Studer, Co-CEO of Oris. "When George approached us with a vision for the 'ProPilot Altimeter,' we didn't have to think twice. We simply said, 'Let's go!'"

The desired coolness was achieved, among other things, with bright colors. "I wanted an '80s sneaker look with bright colors. The side effect is that the watch will also be super legible. You'll recognize this watch from space," says George Bamford.

And this coolness has now been combined with the traditional Swiss watchmaking expertise of the Oris brand, founded in 1904. In 2014, this resulted in the "Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter" with an automatic movement and a mechanical altimeter. Until then, all those who had attempted this combination had been thwarted by the rotating rotor used to generate energy. Another special feature of this watch is the second dial below the movement, which separated the altimeter from the mechanical automatic movement.

The latter is the automatic caliber 793 from Oris (based on the Sellita SW300) with the functions hours, minutes, seconds, stop-seconds and date as well as 56 hours of power reserve.

It is operated via the grey, PVD-coated titanium screw-down crown at 2 o'clock, as well as the also grey, PVD-coated titanium screw-down crown for the altimeter at 4 o'clock.

New edition with new housing material

Two years ago, after three years of development, the "Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter" was reissued with an even higher degree of innovation. Oris expanded the measuring range of the watch's signature function and increased the power reserve to 56 hours. The impressive 47-millimeter case, water-resistant to 10 bar, is now made of a carbon fiber composite using a technology previously unused in watches.

For this, Oris turned to the high-tech engineering company 9T Labs, a spin-off of the renowned ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), which specializes in "climate-neutral mobility of the future." Its environmentally friendly materials are used in airplanes, satellites, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and surgical instruments, but before the collaboration with Oris, they had never been used in the watch industry.

It is extremely mechanically, thermally, and chemically resistant and is also characterized by its low weight, high rigidity, and great strength. It is complemented by the titanium bezel and screw-down caseback.

The “Oris x Bamford Watch Department ProPilot Altimeter Mission Control” is worn on a black textile strap, lined with yellow and green leather and equipped with a grey PVD-coated titanium folding clasp with fine adjustment.

George Bamford calls the Koop watch "pure watchmaking enthusiasm." "Wild innovation, high-level functionality, and playful design in a single watch. How I love it."

(RRP €6,700)