Hello everyone. I would be grateful for some expert help. I saw this up for sale and think it looks interesting. I've never seen this version before, is it genuine or fake from what you can tell? Is £150 too much to pay for it?



Ps: I am new to the forum so let me know if this is posted in the wrong section.

Thank you
Markus

 

So while "vintage" Oris are typically a favorite of "refurbishers" (fakers) on ebay, this doesn't look like it's had that treatment, so it's probably real , but it is a brass case that has been chrome plated, which is why there is a gold color showing through on the bezel facet edges. It's kind of battered looking, but not terrible. I personally wouldn't buy it for $150 in current condition, let alone £150. This doesn't mean it isn't worth that - it just isn't worth that to me.

 

There was a time decades ago when a watch with Oris on the dial was basically a cheap watch. A cut above Timex, but they used low end movements. Without seeing the movement used in the watch, I would suggest that, with.the chrome plated case, this watch is not worth the asking price. Oris disappeared for decades in North America, and some opportunist decided to milk the name for what it was worth, and to re-introduce the Oris watch you see today. For that price, I suggest you steer clear.

Oris has been around for a century or so. If you Google the name today, no mention is made on the website of the cheap watches Oris used to produce. If you check the offerings of vintage Oris watches on eBay, you may gain a better idea of what prices should be. Nothing over $100.

 

I have a soft spot for Oris, but I agree with @Canuck about quality and price.

This one, which was in very good condition and runs very well, was only £45 on eBay last year

 

For an idea of the typical type of low end movements used in Oris watches before the company changed to the up-scale Oris of today, go to the Ranfft archive, and check out ORIS movements from that earlier era. Rocker bar style winding and pin lever escapements on many of the movements they used.

 

As I understand, they were under a government restriction that only allowed them to produce the cheap pin lever movements.

The current leadership acquired Oris in a management buy-out in the early 1980s, and things seem to get better from a quality perspective from 1990ish.

Earlier than that, my wallet would be very firmly staying in my pocket.