At the end of the last year, a Swiss manufacturer, Oris, proudly presented its new timepiece that pays tribute to one of the most talented musicians of all time. The Chet Baker Limited Edition watch has been inspired by Baker’s jazzy tunes and his song “My Funny Valentine” which he became intimately associated with for the rest of his career. This timepiece is produced in the limited quantity of 1929 pieces. Symbolically, this limited edition number stands for the year of Chet Baker’s birth.
Oris Chet Baker Limited Edition Watch
The beautiful timepiece with the referent number 733 7591 4084 boasts a perfectly formed stainless steel case. The front side of the watch is shielded by a double curved sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating on the inside. The round, mid-sized case with the diameter of 40 mm incorporates a polished fixed bezel and a screw down crown set traditionally on its right side. The water-resistance of its case is assured down to 30 meters (100 feet). The case is accessorized with a black crocodile-pattern leather strap, terminating in a steel folding clasp.
Oris Chet Baker Limited Edition Watch in a Box
The new Oris timepiece immediately catches the glance by a few original details on its dial. Underneath the front sapphire glass lies the black dial which comprises applied hour-markers and Superluminova-coated polished hands. At the 12 o’clock position, there is a gorgeous treble clef, while “My Funny Valentine” musical stave printed under the dial flange provides a smooth backdrop for the hour indexes. The double bar line at the 8 o’clock position represents the first eight bars of the song which have to be repeated. The exact date is available at the 6 o’clock position through a small date window.
The Chet Baker’s signature appears on the central part of the dial, while his silhouette is engraved on the case back, together with the engraved limited number of the watch.
Oris Chet Baker Limited Edition Watch Case Back
The mechanism that animates the hours, minutes, seconds and date function is Oris Caliber 733 automatic movement which is based on Sellita SW 200.
An American jazz trumpeter, a flugelhornist and a singer, Chet Baker had a career spanning from the early ‘50s up to his death in 1988 when he fell from a hotel window in Amsterdam. Although he struggled with drug addiction his whole career, he had an unmistakable sound and phrasing that is still celebrated and enjoyed throughout the world.
Chet Baker - a self-taught singer and musician
This tribute to the musical talent of Baker will be available at Watches of Switzerland from this March, and it will be presented in a unique box with a mechanically driven metronome. I guess that that the retail price will be below $2,000.
The Swiss watchmaker, Oris, has a history of crafting watch tributes to musical greats. Before the Chet Baker’s timepiece, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie all have had their own limited editions.
