When it comes right down to it, there are two things (besides watches) that I just can’t get enough of: trains, and words that are really fun to say. Maybe that’s a strange way to lead into this new release from Oris, but I have to be my authentic self as I consider this new watch. And let me tell you, it checks a few boxes that I frankly didn’t even know existed.
The new Waldenburgerbahn Limited Edition (see, I told you it was going to be fun to say) is a jet black edition of their popular pointer date complication made in celebration of the railroad that allowed Oris to flourish in the Waldenburg Valley in the watchmaker’s earliest days. The WB, as it’s known, opened in 1880 and connected small Swiss villages in the valley (like Hölstein, Oris’s hometown) with one another and larger industrial centers like Basel. The railway allowed not just Oris but many other companies involved in watchmaking and engineering to grow at a rate that would have been impossible without the train connecting them to the rest of the world. The Waldenburgerbahn recently received an upgrade to modernize it a bit, and Oris has taken the opportunity to release a commemorative watch on a platform that is directly linked to their long history.
Making a watch in honor of a historically important train might seem like a stretch, but as someone who has become something of a train enthusiast in the last few years, regularly taking the Acela to Worn & Wound’s offices in New York, I can say that it makes a lot of sense. Trains are amazing. They’re affordable, efficient, comfortable, and do a great job of connecting people. Compare the train experience – where you simply step onboard and sit in a comfortable seat where you can relax for a few hours – with the experience of flying in a commercial plane (which is, well, not that) and you start to see why people like me get a little romantic about riding the rail.
For the Waldenburgerbahn Limited Edition, Oris has taken their popular Big Crown Pointer Date and given it a black dial with white accents for some nice crisp contrast, which I think fits in nicely with the railroading theme. Legibility, after all, is an essential feature of the watches historically associated with railroad use, and it doesn’t get much more legible than white numerals and markers against a black background.
The Waldenburgerbahn’s stainless steel case measures 40mm and the watch runs on the Oris 754 movement, a Sellita caliber modified to accommodate the pointer date complication. The limited edition package is quite nice as these things go – Oris has paid attention to small details to make this edition stand out. The watch is mounted to a dark brown Cervo Volante deer leather strap, and the package included a matching leather travel pouch as well as a cleaning cloth equipped with a map highlighting the Waldenburgerbahn’s route. You’ll also find an engraving on the caseback of train resembling those that might have traverses the railroad a century ago.
The Waldenburgerbahn Limited Edition will be profiled in a run of 1,000 pieces. The retail price is $2,300. Oris
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