In an industry often defined by precious metals and synthetic materials, a new collaboration brings a powerful message of natural sustainability and purpose to the forefront. Oris, a brand long celebrated for its independent spirit and mechanical-first philosophy, has once again partnered with the Swiss sustainable leather manufacturer Cervo Volante. The result of this meeting of minds is a new interpretation of an Oris icon, the Big Crown Pointer Date. This timepiece is a testament to shared values, a celebration of responsible craftsmanship, and an object of genuine beauty, rendered in warm, earthy tones that speak directly to its natural origins.
Oris has carved a unique niche for itself in the world of Swiss watchmaking. Founded in Hölstein in 1904, the brand has remained steadfastly independent, allowing it to chart its own course without answering to the directives of a large luxury conglomerate. This freedom is reflected in their "Go Your Own Way" slogan and their consistent focus on producing high-quality, Swiss Made mechanical watches that offer real-world value. A key part of their modern identity is the "Change for the Better" campaign, a series of initiatives and partnerships aimed at environmental conservation and social good. This commitment is not a marketing afterthought but a core tenet of the brand, making their partnership with Cervo Volante feel less like a collaboration and more like a natural friendship.
Courtesy of Oris
The foundation for this special edition is one of Oris’s most enduring and recognizable models: the Big Crown Pointer Date. First introduced in 1938, the watch was designed with aviators in mind. In an era of rudimentary cockpit instrumentation, a reliable and legible timepiece was a critical piece of equipment. The oversized crown, the watch's namesake, was a pragmatic feature allowing pilots to operate it even while wearing thick leather gloves. The other defining feature, the pointer date, provided a clear and intuitive way to read the date without cluttering the dial with a small, often hard-to-read aperture window.
The pointer date complication itself is a charming and distinctive piece of horological design. Instead of the date "snapping" into place in a window cut out of the dial, a fourth central hand gracefully sweeps across the dial, its tip indicating the date on a track printed along the dial's outermost edge. This method, a signature of Oris for decades, gives the watch a unique character and a more analog, deliberate feel. On this particular model, the pointer hand is tipped in a subtle, calming forest green, a nod to the Alpine forests central to the Cervo Volante story.
Cervo Volante’s story is as compelling as any in the world of sustainable enterprise. Founded in 2017 by Kadri Vunder Fontana and Conny Thiel-Egenter, the company was born from a desire to address a specific problem with a beautiful solution. Every year in Switzerland, a carefully managed and government-regulated cull of wild deer is undertaken. This is not sport hunting, but a necessary ecological measure to control the deer population and prevent overgrazing, which would damage the vital Alpine forests that protect against avalanches and landslides. This process, however, generated a significant number of deer hides that were often considered waste and simply incinerated.
Courtesy of Oris
Cervo Volante saw an opportunity to transform this "waste" into a resource. They began collecting these hides and turning them into high-quality, durable, and beautiful leather products. Their philosophy stands in stark contrast to mass-market leather production. They do not source from farms, and their process requires no chemical fertilizers or large-scale resource consumption associated with livestock. Furthermore, they embrace the story told by each hide, preserving the small imperfections, scars, and marks that are evidence of a wild animal's life, details that most industrial tanneries would discard.
The commitment to sustainability extends to the very process of tanning. Cervo Volante has partnered with Switzerland’s last two remaining tanneries, both of which utilize entirely vegetable-based tanning processes. This ancient method uses natural tannins from sources like bark and leaves, avoiding the chromium salts and heavy chemicals common in modern industrial tanning, which can have a devastating environmental impact. The result is a leather that is not only eco-friendly but also has a unique character, texture, and scent that develops a rich patina over time.
This rich narrative is expressed beautifully in the new Oris x Cervo Volante watch. The dial is the immediate focal point, presented in a gradient color described as burnt sunset orange or burnt maple. It radiates a deep, inviting warmth, shifting from a brighter, more vibrant shade at the center to a deeper, more muted tone at the periphery. The color evokes a sense of autumnal coziness, like embers in a hearth or the changing leaves of an Alpine forest. It provides a stunning backdrop for the crisp, white Arabic numerals, rendered in a clean, classic font that prioritizes legibility.
Courtesy of Oris
The handset chosen for the watch is a pair of cathedral-style, or poire squelette, hands for the hours and minutes. These intricate, ornate hands are filled with Super-LumiNova, ensuring readability in low-light conditions, and are a classic feature often found on vintage pilot's watches, perfectly aligning with the Big Crown's heritage. A simple, slender stick hand serves for the running seconds, while the aforementioned pointer date hand, with its green crescent tip, adds a subtle and unique splash of contrasting color. The entire dial is protected by a sapphire crystal, domed on both sides to create gentle, pleasing distortions at the edges, reminiscent of vintage acrylic crystals but with modern scratch resistance. An anti-reflective coating on the inside of the crystal minimizes glare, ensuring the dial remains clear and legible from any angle.
The watch's case is a study in functional design. Forged from a multi-piece stainless steel construction, it measures a contemporary yet versatile 40.00 mm in diameter. The case features a mix of finishes, with finely brushed surfaces on the top of the lugs contrasting with the polished case sides, creating a dynamic play of light. The signature feature, the fluted bezel, adds a tactile and visual texture that frames the dial beautifully. This coin-edge detailing, paired with the large, easy-to-grip screw-down crown, anchors the watch firmly in its historical aviation roots.
Turning the watch over reveals a screwed, see-through mineral glass caseback. This exhibition window offers a view into the mechanical heart of the timepiece. The most prominent feature is the iconic Oris Red Rotor, a registered trademark and a symbol of the brand's purely mechanical approach to watchmaking since 2002. The vibrant red semi-circular oscillating weight spins with the motion of the wearer's wrist, winding the mainspring and powering the watch. Seeing this mechanism at work provides a constant connection to the intricate, living machine on the wrist.
Courtesy of Oris
Powering the Oris x Cervo Volante is the Oris Calibre 754. This reliable automatic movement is based on the robust Sellita SW 200-1 architecture, a workhorse of the Swiss watch industry known for its durability and serviceability. The movement operates at a modern frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, which allows for a smooth sweep of the seconds hand. It provides a power reserve of approximately 41 hours when fully wound. Its functions include the central hours, minutes, and seconds, along with the instantaneous date corrector, a fine timing device, and a stop-second mechanism, which allows the user to halt the seconds hand for precise time setting.
The strap is where the collaboration truly comes to life. It is crafted by Cervo Volante from their sustainably sourced deer leather in a rich mahogany brown. The strap has a supple, textured appearance and is finished with light-colored, minimal stitching near the lugs, giving it a clean and slightly rustic feel. It is soft and comfortable on the wrist from the very first wear and is designed to age gracefully, developing a unique patina that will tell the story of its owner's adventures. Embossed on the lower part of the strap is a small emblem, a subtle nod to the leather's unique origin.
The presentation of the watch further elevates the ownership experience. Each timepiece comes with a special box and includes a handsome travel pouch and cardholder, also crafted from Cervo Volante’s deep brown deer leather. This complete package reinforces the sustainable message and the special nature of the collaboration, making it clear that this is a product where every detail has been thoughtfully considered. It speaks to a holistic vision of luxury, where the story and the values embedded in an object are just as important as its physical attributes.
Courtesy of Oris
This timepiece is a harmonious blend of heritage and forward-thinking ethics. It takes a proven, historically significant design from the Oris archive and imbues it with a modern, urgent message about sustainability and conscious consumerism. The warm orange dial and rich brown leather strap create a visual language that is both rustic and sophisticated, making it suitable for a weekend hike or a casual evening out. It’s a watch that invites conversation, not just about its technical specifications, but about its story and the positive impact it represents.
The Oris x Cervo Volante carries the reference number 01 754 7785 4068-Set and is priced at $2,600 USD. It comes with a standard two-year manufacturer's warranty, which can be extended to three years for free by registering the watch on the MyOris platform. This offering positions the watch as an accessible piece of independent, sustainable Swiss watchmaking, ready to be worn and enjoyed by those who appreciate both classic design and a compelling story.
Case: Multi-piece stainless steel case, 40.00 mm diameter, 20 mm interhorn width. Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating inside. See-through mineral glass caseback. Water resistance 5 bar.
Movement: Oris Calibre 754, automatic winding. 41-hour power reserve, 28’800 A/h (4 Hz). Centre hands for hours, minutes, seconds, and pointer date. Stop-second function.
Dial: Red / burnt sunset gradient orange. Arabic numerals.
Strap: Mahogany brown sustainable deer leather strap from Cervo Volante.
Price: USD $2,600.00
Reference Number: 01 754 7785 4068-Set
Notes: A collaboration with Cervo Volante, a manufacturer of sustainable deer leather products. The strap is made from hides that result from a regulated deer cull in Switzerland. Comes with a special box and deer leather travel pouch.