Oris and Fratello Team Up for a Limited Edition Pointer Date in Stunning Red and Bronze

Perfectly timed for the holidays, Oris and Fratello, the online watch magazine, have introduced their first ever collaboration, a new version of the classic Big Crown Pointer Date in a dial color and case material with an entirely seasonally appropriate color palette. This limited edition has a few key nods to Oris’s long history, and has a handsome appearance that I think is likely to please even after the Christmas season. Let’s take a look at the new limited edition Big Crown Pointer Date collab between Oris and Fratello. 

The Big Crown Pointer Date has proven to be a fairly versatile format for Oris over these last few years. We’ve seen a number of dial variants, and even a recent limited edition version that gave the watch a completely different look. The watch itself, and specifically the pointer date complication, has a classic feel to it that allows for a great deal of experimentation – as long as you don’t change the bones of the watch, it’s going to come out looking great. We already knew the Pointer Date looks great with a red dial, and the pairing with a bronze case here for this collaborative edition makes us wonder why this hadn’t been done before now. 

As the story goes, the idea for this watch originated at Baselworld 2018, when Oris showed their new pointer date with an Oxblood dial, linked above. It was Fratello editor Mike Stockton who thought that the dial would look great with a bronze case, and the rest, as they say, is history. A key distinction between this red dial and the one found in the previously issued pointer date is the addition here of gilt accents throughout, including the minute track and Oris signature. The gold tones match perfectly with the bronze case, and give this watch the appearance of something that’s something that’s been crafted from a precious metal. This is an approach that Oris has taken with other bronze watches – elevating them to something that reminds the wearer of gold. It’s a different take than the more tool focused bronze divers that have become popular in recent years, and Oris deserves credit for making the most out of this material. 

Another fun detail on this watch is the use of the word “Anti-Shock” on the dial rather than “Automatic.” This is an homage to vintage Oris watches that the Fratello team was able to observe while touring their museum in Hölstein. It’s a subtle, insider’s Easter egg, but once you know it’s there it makes the watch feel just a bit more special and old-fashioned. 

Other than the unique case and dial combination, this is a fairly standard Big Crown Pointer Date, sized at 40mm in diameter and powered by the familiar Sellita based Oris 754 movement. While it would be easy to dismiss this 300 piece limited edition as a mashup of two previously issued Oris watches (they introduced a bronze pointer date about one year ago), there are just enough small changes here to give this one a personality of its own. Watches, after all, are all about the small details, so we shouldn’t brush aside a watch that’s basically just a few small notes away from something else in the catalog. Besides, when something works, it works, and here the bronze and red coming together is a predictable but still extremely appealing layout. 

This new limited edition is available now through Fratello’s shop at a price of €1,950. A total of 250 will be allocated to Fratello, with the remaining 50 being sold through Oris boutiques. Oris