Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Oris · Artelier
Oris Artelier 44 mm Salmon 18k
Reference 98118OR.72
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Oris
- Collection
- Artelier
- Model
- Oris Artelier 44 mm Salmon 18k
- Reference number
- 98118OR.72
- Year / era
- 1959 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 59A — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1959 – 1964
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Oris Artelier 44 mm Salmon 18k sits within Oris's Artelier line, introduced in 1959. It carries the house codes established since 1904 — 18k white gold case, salmon dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Oris
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1904
- Founder
- Paul Cattin & Georges Christian
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Aquis, Big Crown, Divers Sixty-Five, ProPilot, Artelier
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Composite and ceramic case materials · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · High-beat automatic · Automatic chronograph · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Oris Aquis 40 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic (1986) · Oris Aquis 38 mm Skeletonised Ceramic (1956) · Oris Aquis 39 mm Blue 18k (1951) · Oris Aquis 43 mm Skeletonised 18k (1985)
Brand history
Oris has spent more than 122 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Aquis, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Paul Cattin & Georges Christian established Oris in 1904, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Oris calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1904
Paul Cattin & Georges Christian founds Oris in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Oris to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Oris enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Oris continues to produce Aquis, Big Crown, Divers Sixty-Five and other icons in limited numbers.