Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition

Bronze makes a noteworthy entrance into the Oris collection with this commemorative model that pays tribute to Carl Brashear, the U.S. Navy’s first African-American master diver. Brashear joined the Navy in 1948 as a 17-year-old, and, despite facing discrimination, graduated from the Navy’s diving program in 1954. In 1966, he lost the lower part of his left leg in an accident during a mission to salvage a hydrogen bomb. After rehabilitation, he became the U.S. Navy’s first amputee diver in 1968, and then qualified as a Master Diver in 1970, the first African American to do so. His story was the subject of the film, Men of Honor starring Cuba Gooding Jr.

Historically only used as a case material by a few watchmakers, bronze is notably distinguished by its oxidation, which leaves a unique patina on each piece. Initially bright and shiny, the case and the unidirectional rotating bezel gradually darken over time, according to its owner’s habits, thereby making each timepiece in the Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition truly unique. Clearly referencing the history of deep-sea diving, this eminently legible and functional model – a nod to the deep-sea diving helmets from the 1950s – is ideal for underwater exploration, since the 2,000-piece limited edition is water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters.

About Oris
In 1904 at Hölstein Paul Cattin and Georges Christian established the Oris watch factory. Both come from the watch making capital Le Locle in the Swiss Jurassic region. Starting with just 24 workmen, they took over the recently closed down watch firm Lohner & Co. Oris’ namesake is the name of a brook and a valley close to Hölstein in the north-western part of Switzerland.