The new Oris collection takes off

In April, a team of Oris pilots began a mission to fly the brand’s new collection around the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

The Oris Aviators’ Basel Mission showcases the brand’s new watch collection - unveiled at Baselworld in March - at a number of locations across the region.

The three-man Oris Aviators’ Team has been put together by Karim Gerber, Oris’s Middle East Region Manager. Karim will fly the whole tour and will be joined in the Oris-branded two-seater Pilatus PC-7 for alternate legs by ex-Swiss Air Force pilot Paul Ruppeiner, and former Swissair pilot Simon Maurer.

All three are members of a select group of Switzerland’s licensed air-show pilots, and bring vast flying experience to the mission. Paul, who began his flying career four decades ago, is also the founder of the Oris-sponsored Fliegermuseum in Altenrhein. The Pilatus PC-7 once belonged to the Swiss Air Force and can reach speeds of up to 500 km/h.

The mission has 22 legs over a three-week period and will see the team spending 40 hours in the cockpit as they fly from their base in Switzerland to exotic destinations such as Thessaloniki, Cairo, Riyadh, Dubai, Bahrain and Kuwait. The team will present the new collection at exclusive events in each location and provide specialist training to local retailers.

April 23, 2015