The action was so frantic in the middle that you might not have noticed the scrolling advertising for Oris on digital billboards around the boundaries at Lord’s, the global home of cricket.
England snatched victory on the fourth day of the first test match of the summer, and Oris celebrated with retailers and other guests because it was the first match of a three-year partnership between the watchmaker and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Lord’s.
Oris is the first Official Timekeeper in the history of the world-famous club, which was founded more than 230 years ago.
Lord’s is famous for its traditions, among which are the Honours Boards, which carry the names of every bowler who has taken five wickets in an innings and every batsman to have scored a century.
As part of the Oris partnership, every cricketer whose name goes up on the Honours Boards (there are boards in the home and away dressing rooms) will be given one of its watches.
From the first test against New Zealand over the Jubilee weekend, that meant new timepieces for Joe Root, who scored a match-winning 115 not out in the fourth innings in his first match after resigning as captain of England.
For the Kiwis, Daryl Mitchell snagged an Oris watch thanks to his 108 in New Zealand’s second innings.
Oris branding appeared on scoreboards and digital billboards and also on the clock tower that sits on the Mound Stand under the iconic Father Time weather vane, which was first installed in 1926 and is now one of the most familiar landmarks in world cricket.
“This is a watershed moment in the history of MCC, Lord’s and Oris. For cricket fans around the world, Lord’s is hallowed ground and the undisputed Home of Cricket. Lord’s brings people together and makes people smile, which is hugely important to us. So we’re thrilled to be partnering with MCC, which shares Oris’s values of excellence, forward-thinking tradition and doing the right thing. Like Oris, MCC is aligned with the United Nations’ Agenda for Sustainable Development. The MCC has been at the heart of the movement to grow the great game of cricket in the UK and globally for more than 230 years. We’re excited to see the Oris name associated with MCC and Lord’s and look forward to timing cricketing history this summer and beyond,” says Oris co-CEO Rolf Studer.
