The Southern California sun set on the charming Oris Airstream as watch collectors gathered at the Marconi Automotive Museum to enjoy an evening of fine Whisky tasting, buzzworthy watches, and one-of-a-kind cars. We were joined by the CEO of the Americas for Oris, VJ Geronimo, for an exclusive Q&A that touched on the Oris brand’s history, embracing the pre-owned market, their groundbreaking relationship with Bob’s Watches, and, of course, the smash hit – ProPilot X Kermit.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the attendance of local watch enthusiasts, including members of OC Chrono, RedBar Group, and fellow industry professionals. Our friend Morgan King (you might recognize him from our YouTube channel) attended the event and dazzled us with his Rowing Blazers Tudor Black Bay 58 and magical prowess. Also in attendance was Andrey Hickes with the one and only Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 on his wrist. There was no shortage of phenomenal watches at the event.
Inside the Airstream was a thoughtfully curated collection of certified pre-owned Oris watches from the Bob’s Watches inventory, all of which were available for purchase. If you missed the event, you can shop the watches from the Oris Airstream and many more in our online inventory at Bob’s Watches. Attendees were then welcomed by a bar hosted by Dalmore, where the luxury whisky purveyor served up expertly crafted cocktails.
Heading further into the event, attendees were greeted by the Bob’s Watches team and given the red carpet treatment with a Bob’s Watches photo op and wrist shot station. Attendees were also encouraged to share their watch stories for our YouTube series Watch Talk – keep an eye out for that episode to hear all the fascinating stories watch collectors shared with us that evening.
Attendees then had full reign of the museum’s main hall, which was packed from wall to wall with collector cars, including a cherry red 1995 Ferrari F50, a 1996 Ferrari 456 Spider, KITT from Knight Rider, and the original Batmobile from the films Batman and Batman Returns starring none other than Michael Keaton. Many watch collectors at the event took advantage of the opportunity to get the perfect wrist shot in front of the impressive, rare automobile collection.
Memorable Watches from the Event
Andrey Hickes stopped by the Watch Talk booth to share the story of his coveted Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711.
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711.
Founder of the OC Chrono, Michael Haymond, was sporting a Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award” 50th-anniversary Omega on his wrist.
The bronze Bell & Ross Diver.
There was no shortage of magnificent Oris watches at the event. Here we see the Big Crown Pointer Date and a vintage Chronoris.
Pictured here counterclockwise from the bottom: Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, women’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual 176200, Vintage Tudor Ranger, women’s gold Cartier Santos de Cartier W25014B9, Christopher Ward C65 Trident Diver, white gold Rolex Submariner 116619, Pepsi Rolex GMT Master II, Rolex Daytona 116500, and Rolex Datejust 36.
Overview of our Q&A with Oris’ CEO of the Americas, VJ Geronimo
Chief Commercial Officer at Bob’s Watches, Douglas Kaplan, sat down with Oris CEO of the Americas, VJ Geronimo, to host an open Q&A that covered topics such as pivotal points in the brand’s history and the pre-owned market. Oris has been in business for over a century and is one of the last mainstream independent Swiss watch manufacturers and one of the few watchmaking companies operating today without the restraints of a corporate structure.
One interesting topic during the Q&A was the Diver’s 65, which VJ credits for putting the brand on the map with the true die-hard watch enthusiasts – like many collectors in attendance that evening. The irresistible neo-vintage collection brought renewed attention to the brand when it came to market in 2015.
VJ also spoke on Oris and their unique relationship with Bob’s Watches. Working directly with a Swiss brand is groundbreaking for a pre-owned platform. VJ explained that Oris chose Bob’s Watches over other companies because we are reputable and treat the Oris brand correctly. Many readers might also be surprised to learn that Oris includes a limited warranty with every Oris watch you buy from Bob’s.
Lastly, the mic was given to the audience, who had some very intriguing questions for VJ, such as how did the popular 2023 Oris ProPilot X Kermit come to be? We were not surprised to learn that the cheeky green watch was not born out of necessity but rather as a way to make people smile, entertain them, and make them happy.
The Watches, Wheels, and Whiskey event was certainly one for the books. After all, you rarely see the Batmobile and the prized Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus in the same room. Hope to see you all at the next Bob’s Watches event!
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