| ORIS DIZZY GILLESPIE LIMITED EDITION | |
| He wore black, horn-rimmed spectacles and a beret. He used an odd, bent trumpet for his gigs, and his puffy cheeks morphed into strange, unimaginable shapes whenever he played bebop. His name was John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, and he’s bopping wrists with Oris for 2007. | |
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Jazz legend John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie inspired Oris’s Dizzy Gillespie Limited Edition timepiece. His portrait is seen on its caseback. |
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A GIFTED, EXCEPTIONAL TRUMPET PLAYER noted for his adept improvisational skills, Dizzy built on the style of Roy Eldridge and embellished it with a level of complexity previously unheard of in jazz. His compositions like “Groovin’ High,” “Salt Peanuts,” and “Anthropology” deviated from the swing music dominant at the time, challenging conventions and unsettling jazz purists there and about. It took years of persistence, commitment, and dedication before the public—who were more partial to Louis Armstrong’s swing music—to accept and eventually embrace Dizzy’s hyper, foot-thumping rhythm. His brand of music came to be identified with bebop: jazz known for its manic tempo and remarkable, mind-blowing improvisation. Seventy-two years after Dizzy first played his bent trumpet, America is still bopping. ORIS JOINS IN THE FUN. The Swiss company ushers in the New Year with its new release, the Oris Dizzy Gillespie Limited Edition timepiece. Made in tribute to America’s music virtuoso, the watch is, in every way, as jazzy as Dizzy. Its rich, dark brown dial has a polished sunray effect. Underneath are faint, diagonal lines, giving the otherwise smooth surface, texture and dimension. And just like Dizzy, the Gillespie Limited Edition timepiece improvises, combining luminous Arabic numerals with cylindrical hour indexes—all imprinted in a unique, casual, jazzy style. Inspired by the 1970 Oris Junior timepiece, the rectangular stainless steel case is every bit as retro as its predecessor. Off the wrist, it looks unwieldy and cumbersome. Worn on the wrist, however, it’s unbelievably appealing: its straight, geometrical lines working well with the dial’s bohemian charm. For skeptics looking for a more palpable confirmation of Dizzy’s influence on the timepiece, Oris engraved the latter’s portrait (with his bent trumpet, of course) right beside the watch’s serial number. The Oris Dizzy Gillespie L.E. is limited to the latter’s birth year. Only 1917 pieces will be made available. |
Oris Dizzy Gillespie “Seventy-two years after Dizzy first played his bent trumpet, America is still bopping. Oris joins in the fun.” |