Like many Swiss watch manufacturers in the early 1980s, Oris teetered on the brink of closure in the face of the unforgiving quartz barrage. But a corner was turned after Honorary Chairman Dr Rolf Portmann and Chairman Ulrich W. Herzog—then Managing Director and Head of Marketing respectively—took over the Hölstein-based company in 1982 as part of a management buyout.
Soon after, the newly formed and independent Oris SA elected to abandon quartz and produce solely mechanical
