Something has been pulling me toward simple, smaller, white dial watches on leather lately. I can’t fully explain it, but when I saw the new Oris Star Edition announced for Watches and Wonders 2026, it felt like someone had been reading my mind. Oris isn’t a brand I’d accuse of leaning on reissues as a crutch. Even with the annual Hölstein Editions and the occasional heritage callback, the brand tends to push forward. So when Oris does reach into its archives, you can usually trust that the model it’s pulling out actually means something.
In 1966, Oris released the Star, its first in-house lever escapement watch. The new Oris Star Edition marks 60 years since that milestone, and it’s hard to think of a better candidate for a faithful recreation.
At first glance, Oris has done an excellent job keeping this true to the original. The stainless steel case is still 35mm, with a 41.5mm lug-to-lug and a tonneau shape that should wear nicely on most wrists. At 11.1mm thick, I’d wager it’s a bit chunkier than the 1966 version, though I could be wrong. The top of the case features sunray brushing while the broad chamfer and the slim ring around the crystal are polished. And here’s a detail I wasn’t expecting: Oris went with a plexiglass crystal. That’s a charmingly accurate choice for a watch at this price point, and it tells you the brand is serious about the recreation. Water resistance is rated to 50m, and the solid caseback carries a vintage Oris Shield engraving that matches the original.
The dial continues the spot-on approach. Applied double indices mark most hours, while the cardinal positions get wider single batons with black strips running down their length. Hands are polished with matching striping and Super-LumiNova, which also appears in small pips at each hour. The reticle and the trapezoidal date window are both carried over. Oris did shift “automatic” to the lower half of the dial and added “26 jewels,” but those are minor adjustments. Powering the watch is the Oris Calibre 733, based on the Sellita SW200-1, delivering a 41-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph.
I’ll be honest, this has to be one of my favorite Oris releases in a long time. It’s a highly accurate recreation of a watch that actually carries weight in the brand’s history, and there aren’t many companies that can say that about their reissues. The 35mm case also arrives at a moment when smaller watches are genuinely trending, which gives Oris an opportunity that wouldn’t have landed the same way five years ago. That said, I’m curious to see how the tonneau shape and the plexiglass crystal play out in person. Those are the kinds of details that tend to either win people over completely or not. The Oris Star Edition is priced at $2,300. You can learn more on the Oris website.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.