Watch companies do this a lot. Make an interesting watch that is closely connected with someone well known - at least well known to some people. I would say that 95% of the time I have never even heard of the person they are making the watch "in honor of." While it is true that I am not a big sports enthusiast, I should have at least heard of the people right? Popular choices for these watches are race car drivers, golfers, soccer players, etc... In the US these people are mostly unknown - at least in pop culture terms. Take for instance Darryl O'Young that this Oris watch is based on. Clearly from the images he is some type of race drive - but aside from the fact that Oris points out he drives a Porsche, I have no idea who he is, and why I should care.
So am I the wrong audience for this stuff? Or do watch companies just like to connect with people that are unknown in the US. I mean I assume someone out there knows and cares who this guy is. There are always press releases from watch brands talking about how they awarded one of their watches to some person, or made a limited edition for some other person - and I am like; "the hell I am going to write about that!" Cause I don't know who the people are, and I don't care. Maybe if I ended up with one of the watches I would proactively learn about who the person the watch is based on, but it would have to go in that order - which is not ideal.
Though you do know what I care about - the watch. A brand could make a Stalin themed timepiece and I would be all over it if the watch was cool. This Oris Darryl O'Young watch is cool without the racer connection. Other watches are simply a colorized refresh with an engraving on the back to celebrate some soccer player I've never heard of. The chances me of getting excited about one of those is zilch.
At the same time, I admit that if and when brands make watches that celebrate people I do care about, I would probably be into those. Such as famous American actors and such. Make me a cool Harrison Ford "lifetime achievement award" watch and I would seriously consider it. Crazy watch done to celebrate the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers? I might very well buy into the gimmick. Looks like European watch companies are totally clueless as to the types of people American's want connected with watches (as a selling point). The good thing is that people famous in America are typically famous also outside of America - but the opposite is usually not the case.
So Mr. O'Young, you PCCA Double Class A Champion (whatever that is), keep up the good work, Oris made a nice watch in honor of you, and I will likely never hear about you again. So ignoring that, let's chat about what the watch is. The Oris Darryl O'Young limited editions are based on the TT3 Oris watch collection - one of the cool motor sports themed Oris watches out there. There are actually two models in this limited edition. The differences? One is 41mm wide, the other is 43.5mm wide. Each model is limited to 997 pieces - in honor of the Porsche Type 997 cars. Though the watch is visually based on a bit on Porsche 911 GT3 cars (versions made for the track, err, I mean MORE for the track).
The slightly oblong case is coated with black DLC (diamond like carbon), which is good. The lugs where the rubber strap is attached to flex so that they can wrap around one's wrist better. On the side of the case is the series number of the watch in the limited edition. Case is nice, and very Oris like is stature and design. The dial is really where this watch is set apart. The skeletonized case is make to look like a Porsche racing wheel - in black with spoke and all. Underneath this is a skeletonized view of the automatic movement and the date disc. The little red arrow at 4 o'clock is wear you read the date. Lots of SuperLumiNova is placed on the hands and hour indicators to help with reading the watch. As a skeletonized dial with lots of visual things going on, the dial is still pretty legible. I also really like the look of the wheel on the face.
Not totally sure what movement is inside the watch. Likely an ETA 2824-2 automatic (or Sellita SW200). The rear of the watch has a sapphire crystal exhibition window with a view into the movement where you can see Oris's signature red toned rotor. Overall it is a cool looking technical watch with a gimmicky, but nevertheless well designed face. Too bad I don't know or care about the guy who the watch is named for, and that it will likely be a bit more expensive than it should. Look for both of the limited editions (of 997 pieces each) available soon.
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