Rolf studer oris ceo

WATCHPRO ORIGINALS: How the privately owned Oris is using its family values to stay connected

Oris’s independence makes it quick to react and has great relationships with its network of retailers around the world, says CEO Rolf Struder.

Oris is a true watch enthusiasts’ brand. 

It has been fiercely independent throughout its history, can trace its roots back to 1904 in  Holstein, Switzerland, and was one of the country’s biggest manufacturers in the 1960s.

The company’s greatest strength is the fact that it remains a privately owned enterprise without shareholders and bean counters slowing down decisions. The challenge in these unprecedented times is to emerge on the other side without the cash reserves that a major conglomerate or private equity-backed business has available.

Oris’s chief executive Rolf Struder tackles these issues head on in our WatchPro Originals interview today.

He looks forward to the end of the year when some normality should have returned, but accepts that attention needs to turn to 2021 before the industry might return to pre-crisis levels of business.

In the mean time, Oris is working through its offices worldwide to support retail partners. There will be fewer launches this year, and most of them will be limited or special editions that will drop throughout 2020.

Looking forward to 2021, Oris is talking to executives in Geneva about a move there. That would be yet another blow to Baselworld, a show that Mr Struder speaks about with great fondness.

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