FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Being ‘in the hangar’ with Oris and Wings of Hope really drove home the importance of their work
Zach BlassThis week I once again spent more time away and in airports. Normally on a press trip I travel for the launch or preview of a watch. This experience, however, was unique in that my trip to St. Louis with Oris was less about product and more about philanthropy.
My visit centred around Wings of Hope, a non-profit organisation that uses aviation to close the gap between patients and the care centres or medical supplies they sorely need. Wings of Hope is able to assuage one of the biggest problems in receiving healthcare: distance. Through their own hangar that houses various planes, Wings of Hope ensures patients are able to receive medication or specialised care, even if they’re a long way away.
The Wings of Hope name may sound familiar, as Oris launched two limited-edition Big Crown calibre 401 watches in partnership with the organisation earlier this year. But, the same way we encourage you to see watches in the metal to fully understand their offerings, visiting Wings of Hope “in the hangar” provided valuable context to the importance of their work.
What I witnessed during my visit was an example of one of their primary functions. As many know all too well, medical bills and transport costs can be exorbitantly high. And when patients are afflicted by rarer conditions that require them to travel to receive care, it can pose serious logistical and financial challenges. Medical air transport, in particular, can be wildly expensive with prices sometimes pushing into tens of thousands of dollars. But through Wings of Hope, patients are able to receive transport to get the specialised care they need totally free of charge. We greeted one such patient upon his arrival, and we may have infected him with the watch bug – as it was all smiles as he posed for his first-ever wrist-shot with Oris President of the Americas V.J. Geronimo and Wings of Hope pilot Ken.
It was really neat to catch Ken wearing his own personal Oris Aquis GMT he recently purchased. As a pilot constantly traversing across the country, and crossing timezones, it was cool to see a “tool watch” actually being used as intended. While he acknowledged it is a dive watch, he certainly appreciates the pilot’s functionality tucked within.
Throughout the day we heard from various volunteers, and the stories they told were at times heart-wrenching. To be honest, I never realised just how much distance could play a role in medical matters – whether flying a patient across state lines to a specialised hospital or transporting anti-venom to a jungle to treat a deadly snakebite. It was fantastic to hear Wings of Hope is growing stronger and stronger, ushering in a program for students and developing a drone program to increase their ability to bring care to remote regions at a lower cost. We actually got to try our hand at flying some drones, but it was immediately clear that we all had plenty of training to do before we could call ourselves “drone pilots”.
For more information on the Wings of Hope organisation you can click here, or to learn more about the watches Oris produced to support Wings of Hope you can head here.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
-Zach
Watch meme of the week: Take care of your gaskets
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The gaskets in a watch are a primary defence against moisture entering your watch. While service intervals have certainly lengthened in the modern era, always pressure check your watches at least once a year (for full certainty) if you plan on swimming with one. Trusted watchmakers will be fully capable of providing a partial service if needed, in which the movement is not worked on – just the gaskets in the case and crown replaced with fresh ones.
Wrist shot of the week: A wrist-roll on the HMS Queen Elizabeth
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At the end of last month, I teased an incoming drop from Bremont. During a special preview on the lead aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, a surreal experience in itself, Bremont revealed their new H1 Generation of watches that utilise their new in-house H1 Timing Standard certification. With the new Bremont Supernova, I had the pleasure of performing my first ever wrist-roll on an active military aircraft carrier. Bucket-list *tick*.
Time+Tide Shop select of the week: Tissot Telemeter 1938 (Black or White Dial)
The Tissot Telemeter 1938 has a rich story to tell with its handsome archive dial, complete with chronograph, telemeter and tachymeter scales. The Telemeter echoes the first Tissot used in sports timekeeping. First used in 1938 at an Alpine ski race, this began a sports timekeeping tradition that is alive and well at Tissot today, more than 80 years later. The Telemeter 1938’s pure design captures the spirit of that first timekeeper, backed up by a contemporary automatic mechanical movement with a 68-hour power reserve.
You can purchase the watch here in the Time+Tide Shop. Price: $3,100 AUD (in this instance available only to buyers in Australia)
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
HANDS-ON: Simpler and more compact – the NOMOS Club Sport neomatik 37
We’ve sung many praises for the unique way that NOMOS integrates their Bauhaus-driven design language even when creating tough, water-resistant watches like the Ahoi. The same can be said for the new NOMOS Club Sport neomatik 37, thus far only available in a date-equipped 42mm model. This new, downsized release houses the impressively thin neomatik calibre, with coloured sunburst dials reminiscent of the larger models, yet simplified by the exclusion of a date. Read the full hands-on review here.
INTRODUCING: The Hublot x Shepard Fairey Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph All Black
Hublot has made a habit of mastering the art of collaboration – art being the operative word. Their creations provide many artist with an inspiring and complex canvas on which to express themselves, whether through colour, texture or material. That creative fusion brought to life by the imagination of an artist continues with their latest collaboration, the Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph All Black Shepard Fairey Limited Edition. A full introduction review awaits you here.
INTRODUCING: The Ball Engineer III Outlier collection is a watch built for adventure
The Outlier is a perfect name for a Ball watch, as the brand themselves have always been somewhat of an eccentric addition to the list of historic watchmakers, despite significant contributions to horological advancement. Their story is interwoven with risk and adversity, pioneering standards of accuracy and reliability through the American railways and now with high-performance chronometers laden with bright tritium tubes. The Ball Engineer III Outlier is designed to be a watch for adventure with rugged specifications while retaining a robust sophistication. Now, the series has been expanded with new white and blue colours, and bezel materials. Head here for the full review.