Oris x Momotaro Jeans Divers Sixty-Five

Oris teams up with cult Japanese jeans producer Momotaro for its latest collaboration watch, a special edition Divers Sixty-Five. This steel and bronze watch bears all the hallmark Oris traits but now comes with a special hard-wearing indigo Momotaro denim strap with the signature white ‘battle stripes’ of the brand. Doing things the Japanese way, Momotaro hasn’t merely strived to create cool denim jeans, it is determined to create the best jeans in the world relying on traditional Japanese craftsmanship.  

‘Made by Hand, Without Compromise’

The most famous jeans company in Japan is Momotaro, a cult brand renowned for its high-quality jeans with the insignia white stripes on the back pocket. Founded in 2006 by Hisao Manabe as the offshoot of his former textile company called Collect, Momotaro jeans are handmade by artisans in the coastal town of Kojima, dyed, woven, sewn and washed to produce what are probably the highest quality jeans on the market today. Momotaro jeans use cotton from Zimbabwe and are woven on vintage shuttle looms and stitched on vintage sewing machines. Fans of the brand are familiar with the countless handmade details that characterise these top-quality jeans. The name Momotaro or Peach Boy was taken from a Japanese folk tale in which an old couple regain their youth by eating a peach and have a son called Momotaro.

Today, the overseas development of Momotaro is in the hands of the founder’s son Katsu Manabe. Asked what the differences between Japanese, American and European jeans are, Manabe replies: “In the USA, jeans have a simple but strong image and the focus is on fit. In Europe, the story is around design and styling, In Japan, we focus on details and quality.” Extremely unusual in today’s mass-produced casual garment industry, Manabe explains the ‘no compromise’ component of his brand’s mantra: “We don’t compromise on any aspect of the manufacturing process. The original material has to be long-staple, high-quality cotton; we only use deep indigo rope dye for a beautiful fade; we use old vintage shuttle looms to create a hand-made feel to our textiles, and details are carefully hand-sewn. In short, no compromise on quality. We always exceed global standards.”

Oris x Momotaro ’65

The Divers Sixty-Five is Oris’ interpretation of a retro dive watch and was inspired by an Oris diver of 1965. With a water-resistance of just 100m, it might not qualify as a professional diver but its mission is more land-based as a robust, everyday watch with a splash of nostalgia. Released in countless variations since its launch in 2015, and in two case sizes (36mm and 40mm), this 40mm Sixty-Five has a notched bronze outer ring surrounding the black aluminium rotating bezel and a contrasting brushed steel case.

The gradient green dial – very much in vogue – is lighter in the centre and darkens towards the periphery. The indices and hands have been treated with beige Super-LumiNova® (to be specific: Light Old Radium) and in a departure from the former models, there is no date window.  The Oris x Momotaro model is fitted with the Oris Calibre 733, an automatic movement based on a Sellita SW200-1. Powering the hours, minutes and seconds functions, the movement beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers a power reserve of 38 hours. The caseback is screwed down so you won’t be able to see Oris’ trademark red rotor.

The novel indigo Momotaro denim strap with the two battle stripes is secured to the wrist by means of a stainless steel buckle. This special edition model (no figure supplied by Oris as to how many) is presented in a denim travel pouch and will be available from May 2020 at a price of CHF 2,100.

For more information on the Oris x Momotaro, please visit oris.ch.