Among everything shown at Watches and Wonders 2026, Oris slipped in with something a little quieter than most. No new in-house movement with six complications, no collaboration with a Formula 1 team. Instead: a well-designed dress watch with a moon-phase display and a 24-year-old designer at the helm. In a way that is more interesting.
A classic that has really been reworked
The Artelier Complication is a return for one of Oris’s classic models, but this is no nostalgia kick. Designer Lena Huwiler, who joined Oris straight after her industrial-design degree in Basel, has taken the old concept and genuinely reworked it. The most concrete change is that she went from four sub-dials down to two — moon phase at 12 o’clock and a second time zone at 6 o’clock. Out with everything that is not needed, keeping what actually adds something.
The dial — three colours, one smart problem solved
You see it on the dial. It has three zones — a textured centre, a smooth outer edge, and the two sub-dials — and comes in three colours: ivory, midnight blue, and chestnut. The chestnut is probably the one that stands out most, with darker sub-dial rings that really lift the complications. The traditionally slightly clumsy half-moon window of the moon-phase display is a well-known problem in the category, but Huwiler has solved it elegantly by matching the window’s background to the dial’s starry sky — the result is that the opening blends into the whole instead of shouting for attention.
Calibre 782 — just enough is best
Under the hood sits the new Calibre 782, a modification of the earlier 781 where the now-removed hands also took their gear trains with them. A 41-hour power reserve, automatic winding. Nothing spectacular on paper, but enough for what this is — a mechanical watch for everyday and then some. A practical bonus of the revised architecture is easier setting: the complications adjust through the crown and a single corrector discreetly integrated into the case flank between 4 and 5 o’clock.
Dimensions and price
Size-wise it lands at 39.5 mm with a lug-to-lug of 45.5 mm and a thickness of 11.8 mm. A sensible dress-watch profile without feeling like a hangover from the 1990s macro-watch trend. Domed sapphire crystal on both sides, water resistance of 3 bar.
Price on the strap lands at CHF 2,300 (€2,300 / $2,950), on the bracelet CHF 2,500 (€2,500 / $3,150). Available from May. It is not a watch that bangs its fist on the table. But it is a thoughtful product where the design choices are actually justified, and that is always a little more fun to write about than yet another titanium-dial diver. If you like Oris’s heritage side, see our piece on the Oris Star Edition too.
What changed on the 2026 Artelier Complication?
Designer Lena Huwiler simplified the dial from four sub-dials to two — a moon phase at 12 o’clock and a 24-hour second time zone at 6 o’clock — with a starry-sky background that lets the moon-phase window blend in rather than stand out.
What movement and size does it have?
The new automatic Calibre 782 (derived from the 781) with a 41-hour power reserve, in a 39.5 mm steel case 11.8 mm thick with 45.5 mm lug-to-lug and domed sapphire crystal.
What does the Artelier Complication cost?
CHF 2,300 / €2,300 / $2,950 on the leather strap and CHF 2,500 / €2,500 / $3,150 on the steel bracelet, available from May 2026 in ivory, midnight blue, and chestnut.
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