Pitch Perfect: Oris & Marylebone Cricket Club Match Up for a Limited Edition Bronze Big Crown Pointer Date

Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport that is wildly popular in Commonwealth countries (the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire). Its influence is so great that the game has set the scene for epic films such as 2001’s Academy Award-nominated Lagaan, and, from 2018 to 2022, legendary cricketer Imran Khan served as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
 

Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have referenced the game: “Cricket?! Nobody understands cricket. You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket,” said Rafael to the cricket bat-wielding Casey Jones in the original 1990 live-action movie.
 

And while the Swiss-based watchmaker Oris is not historically, geographically, or culturally associated with the former British Empire, Oris gets cricket and has a deep understanding of the importance fans of the game put on tradition and stewardship.

Luckily for non-Commonwealth-residing Oris fans, you don’t need to understand any of the rules of cricket to appreciate the sport’s penchant for tradition: Simply close your eyes and imagine players dressed in white, assembled on the village green, taking civilized tea breaks in between innings.
 

That is why we’re impressed by the new limited edition bronze version of the Big Crown Pointer Date borne of the collaboration between Oris and the venerable Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Most of cricket’s customs began in 1787 when Thomas Lord opened his first cricket ground on London’s Dorset Fields and founded the world-famous MCC.
 

At one end of the pitch at Lord’s Cricket Ground, there’s a big old clock topped by a weathervane. This tool lets players figure out which way the wind is blowing so they can adjust their batting and bowling accordingly.
 

Given to the club by architect Sir Herbert Baker in 1926, the weathervane – also known as Father Time – is also one of the most beloved images in the sport and inextricably linked with the placing the bails pre-match (or removing them after – there is some controversy about the timing). Thus, as a proud partner of MCC and the first Official Timekeeper of Lord’s Cricket Ground, Oris wanted to honor the history of the team while also recognizing MCC’s global outreach.

The result is the Father Time Limited Edition, a 40mm bronze watch that highlights both Oris’ formal connection to the club and these brands’ shared vision to bring “Change for the Better.”
 

As you can imagine, the symbol of Father Time is much more than a weathervane to cricket fans. Similarly, the Big Crown Pointer Date – a pilot’s watch that has been in constant production for over 80 years – is more than just a watch for Oris enthusiasts, making it the perfect medium for this collaboration.
 

The new Oris Father Time Limited Edition runs on an Oris 754 automatic movement (which is based on Sellita SW200-1), featuring 26 jewels, a gold-plated nickel balance, a Navarro hairspring, and a 38-hour power reserve.
 

This version is encased in a warm 40mm case made of bronze and has a stainless steel caseback engraved with an image of the Father Time weathervane and the limited-edition number.
 

The Father Time Limited Edition comes with a light brown Cervo Volante leather strap made from sustainably sourced deer leather and a fully articulated bronze bracelet and is presented in a special display box.
 

(Photography by Pierre Vogel)