Every year on June 1st Oris release their annual Hölstein Edition in commemoration of their anniversary. You can check out the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions here, which will show you that each year they tackle a completely different concept, style or collection. For the Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 (it’s their 120th anniversary) they’ve opted to dress the Divers Sixty-Five in a blacked-out livery.
A blacked-out watch is one that features a black case, a black dial and in extreme examples even black hands, indexes and inscriptions. The Oris Hölstein Edition 2024 certainly falls in alongside the most extreme blacked out watches such as the Omega ‘Black Black’, joining a family of timepieces that are so committed to the stealth aesthetic that readability and legibility are intentionally thrown out of the window in favour of style.
The 40mm stainless steel case has a Diamond-Like-Carbon (DLC) coating giving it a strong, matte black appearance, which also boosts its scratch resistance. The dial is then also black, as are the circle, rectangle and shield-shaped hour markers, the hands, the date wheel and the Oris logo. Of note, the hour markers and hands are still coated with Super-LumiNova, meaning that the watch is readable in low light conditions – arguably more so than normal.
I fully understand that full black watches like the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Hölstein Edition 2024 can be divisive among collectors. They’re impractical, they can feel a bit like a gimmick and sometimes the style just doesn’t appeal. However, they’re also slick, sleek, stealthy and probably some other S-word adjectives too. There’s a boldness to the design that has real impact on the wrist. I’m also of the opinion that the Divers Sixty-Five is one of the best-looking dive watches on the market thanks to its 60s skin diver influence and it looks amazing here.
To top it all off, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Hölstein Edition 2024 houses the Calibre 400, Oris’ top of the line in-house automatic movement with 120-hour power reserve and COSC chronometer certification. This is not the first time that the Calibre 400 has made its way into the Divers Sixty-Five as it was used in the 12H model, but it is the first time it’s been used in a version sporting the normal diving bezel (if you can call a full black one normal).
On the whole, I think this my favourite Oris Hölstein Edition since the 2021 Pointer Date. It’s also not impossible to get your hands on if you act quickly as it’s a limited edition of 250 pieces, priced at CHF 3,900 (approx. £3,400).
Price and Specs:
More details at Oris.
