This Easy-Reading Take on an Iconic Pilot’s Watch Is Hiding Something

If you have ever wanted a luxury-quality version of a high-legibility entry-level watch like the Timex Easy Reader, Casio MQ24 or Swatch Once Again, Oris has you covered.

Every year since 2020, Oris has celebrated its June 1 birthday with the Hölstein Edition series, offering a unique twist on one of its core designs. This year brings a high-contrast daily watch with a secret hidden in plain sight.

Oris

The 2025 Hölstein Edition is a ProPilot with a matte black PVD-coated stainless steel case and a brilliant white full-lume dial. The monochromatic veneer is deceptive because a playful graphic is hidden within the lume.

When the Hölstein Edition 2025 is in low light, the full-lume dial glows, revealing a graphic of a bear’s head with a heart-shaped nose, which has a special meaning to Oris fans.

Oris

It is a pragmatic simplification of an iconic pilot’s watch with an impeccable reputation, hiding a fun little secret on the dial. Only 250 pieces are available, adding an alluring scarcity for Oris fans.

Pragmatic and powerful

Every affordable watch brand has a bare-bones, pragmatic model that tells the time, and maybe the date, in the most straightforward way possible.

Oris

For the Hölstein Edition 2025, Oris followed that easy-reading formula and applied it to the Big Crown ProPilot with no date. It was the obvious choice because it was already the most legible dial in the Swiss watchmaker’s catalog.

Where those pragmatic, affordable watches are often made with plastic cases and quartz movements, this luxurious interpretation has a 41mm stainless steel case with a matte black PVD coating and runs on the in-house caliber 400 automatic movement.

The caliber 400 has an impressive five-day power reserve and an accuracy of -3/+5 sec per day. Oris guarantees that it only needs to be serviced once every 10 years, saving owners money in the long run.

Oris

The movement is visible through an exhibition case back that has “Hölstein Edition 2025” printed on a lume-painted ring on the sapphire crystal. Each watch in the 250-piece run is numbered on the steel screw-down case back ring.

Glowing up

A black-and-white, pragmatic Big Crown ProPilot wouldn’t be special enough for the Hölstein Edition series without an outside-the-box flourish.

Oris

Oris hid a graphic of its little-known mascot, the Oris Bear, within the dial lume. It only appears when the lume is exposed in low-light conditions.

The Oris Bear was introduced in 2005 to represent the brand’s hometown of Hölstein, Switzerland. Consistent with the Oris Bear’s low profile, its sneaky presence on the watch makes for a special bit of fan service.

Those unfamiliar with the Oris Bear may write the dial graphic off as silly or a fault that ruins the watch, but true fans will appreciate an uncommon appearance by the elusive mascot.

Oris

The Hölstein Editon series is a love letter that Oris sends to its biggest fans each year, like a gift from the brand on its birthday. A discreet appearance by the Oris Bear makes the 2025 edition the most fan-oriented offering yet.

Availability and pricing

The Oris Hölstein Edition 2025 is available now from Oris for $5,000.

It is a limited edition of 250 pieces, and each watch is numbered on the case back ring.

Oris

Oris Hölstein Edition 2025

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Oris caliber 400 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $5,000 at Oris

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