Back in 2009, the Swiss watchmakers started selling their elegant Rectangular Bob Dylan edition watch.
In 2012, the company offered us yet another limited edition model that paid homage to a less fortunate (but still one of the best) musician of the 20th century. The new self-winding Oris Chet Baker Edition (Ref. 733 7591 4084) is named after the famous American jazz trumpeter and singer who was born in 1929, became a star in the 1950s, but later succumbed to heavy drugs and died in 1988 at the age of 58.
Since Mr. Baker was mostly famous for his version of the famous “My Funny Valentine” tune that was written in the late 1930s by American composer Richard Rodgers, the new watch, too, features the first 12 twelve bars from the song.
The fragment starts with a nicely executed treble clef, which is painted at 12 hours. Since the first eight bars must be repeated, there is also a double bar line at 8 o’clock.
Although the rectangular date window at 6 o’clock cuts into the staff, the notes (a quarter G and a whole F) are still visible enough for the fragment to be played (although it could have been a better idea to download the notes from the internet.)
Painted matt black, the dial, too, does a good job serving as a background for the polished stainless steel hands. By the way, the hour and minute hands, as well as the dots above the stick-shaped hour markers, are covered with luminous paint that makes reading the watch in total darkness especially easy.
Like many other models from Oris, the new Chet Baker Limited Edition is powered by their Oris 733 self-winding caliber, which is based on the well-known Sellita SW200 ebauche (the same that powers their recent ProDiver Kittiwake diver.)
The device is reliable but offers only 38 hours of guaranteed power reserve, on the other hand, is more than reasonable, since the Chet Baker Edition was designed as an everyday timekeeper that will only be put off the wrist for a night.
Another nice thing about this timekeeper is its modest size. According to official specs, the polished stainless steel body is only 40 millimeters in diameter. Since the lugs are also short, the watch will look good even on a thinner wrist.
As the Swiss watchmaking brand puts it in its press release, the watch will be introduced as a limited edition model with a total run of 1929 pieces. Ah, and it is also said that the watch will be sold with a miniature metronome that will be included in the gift box. How nice!
See also: Oris RAID 2011 Alarm (Ref. 908 7607 4094)
Photos: Oris
Oris Chet Baker Edition (Ref. 733 7591 4084) specification
Price: CHF 1750 (around $1950)
Movement: Automatic, Caliber Oris 733, base Sellita SW200, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 26
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power reserve: 38 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 40.00 mm
Case height: 11.00 mm
Lug width: 20 mm
Dial: Matt black
Hour markers: Applied, accompanied by luminous dots
Hands: Polished steel, luminous
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Black crocodile-pattern leather strap with steel folding clasp
Crystal: Sapphire, cambered, antireflective on the inside
Back: Engraved with the silhouette of Chet Baker and individual serial number