Swiss watch brand Oris pays tribute to the legendary baseball player Roberto Clemente and the humanitarian work of the Roberto Clemente Foundation with a limited edition watch.
This special edition watch was launched on 09 September 2020. The launch of the watch coincides with Roberto Clemente Day, which celebrates his story and legacy.
With this special edition collection, Oris has also kickstarted a new partnership with the Roberto Clemente Foundation, a humanitarian organisation named in honour of baseball’s Roberto Clemente and run by his family.
Roberto Clemente
Born in Puerto Rico in 1934, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker would go on to become one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. He was also a passionate humanitarian and activist and lived to serve others by bringing real change in his home country and his local community.
From humble beginnings, Roberto’s life changed quickly. At 17, he began his career in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League and a year later moved to the U.S. to join the Brooklyn Dodgers organisation.
In the years that followed, he would overcome discrimination because of the colour of his skin, and become a baseball legend. In 1955, he made his Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he would stay for 18 seasons.
He was an exceptional athlete, with a mighty throwing arm. He won two World Series with the Pirates and became a 12-time winner of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, before reaching 3,000 hits with the last hit of his career in September 1972, making him the first Latin American player to reach the mark.
During the following winter, Nicaragua was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, leaving as many as 11,000 people dead and 300,000 without a home. Roberto, who had been involved in community work throughout his career, sent aid, but discovered his shipments had gone missing in the chaos, almost certainly diverted by corrupt local officials.
He insisted on accompanying the next shipment to make sure it reached the people who needed it most, and on December 31, he boarded a plane. It would never reach its destination. Roberto Clemente died, serving others, aged just 38. The plane crashed into the sea and his body was never found.
But his name lived on. In 1973, Roberto was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The same year, the Commissioner’s Award, awarded annually to a Major League player for their work in the community, was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award. And Roberto’s number 21 was retired by the Pirates.
In 1993, the Roberto Clemente Foundation was established with a mission to ‘Build Nations of Good’. Headed by his widow Vera and now his son Luis Clemente, it continues his proud legacy of bringing real change.
Oris Roberto Clemente Limited Edition
The Roberto Clemente limited edition watch is based on the Big Crown Pointer Date model from the brand’s Aviation family. It features a 40 mm diameter stainless steel case with special engravings on the solid screwed case-back.
The dial featuring white with black and gold detailing takes inspiration from Roberto Clemente’s uniform. The hands and indices are coated with Super-LumiNova®. The automatic movement that drives this timepiece has a power reserve of 38 hours.
The watch comes with a light brown leather strap with double stitching inspired by a baseball glove. Inside the special box of this timepiece, you can also find an additional black, gold and white NATO strap with buckle, and a strap change tool.
Limited to 3,000 pieces to represent his career hits and with the date at 21 in gold, the Oris Roberto Clemente watch is a glorious tribute to an extraordinary man.
Technical details
Model: Oris Roberto Clemente Limited Edition
Reference: 754 7741 4081-Set
Case
Multi-piece stainless steel case
Size: 40.00 mm (1.575 inches)
Top glass: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
Case back: Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings
Operating devices: Stainless steel screw-in security crown
Water resistance: 5 bar
Dial
White with black and gold detailing inspired by Roberto Clemente’s uniform
Hands and indices with Super-LumiNova®
Movement
Number Oris 754
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 38 hours
Functions
Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date centre hand, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
Strap
Light brown leather strap with double stitching inspired by a baseball glove, stainless steel buckle
Limited edition
Limited to 3,000 pieces
Other features
Special box, certificate, additional black, gold and white NATO strap with buckle, strap change tool
Swiss retail price
CHF 1,850
Available from
September 2020
