Interview — ORIS Co-CEO Rolf Studer And Momotaro’s Katsu Manabe

In this interview with Rolf Studer (Oris co-CEO) and Katsu Manabe (Momotaro), we talk about their new collaboration watch. The Oris Divers 65 Momotaro, with its turquoise dial and denim strap, is the product of these two independent players.

The bi-color (steel and bronze) Oris Divers 65 × Momotaro watch is not a limited edition, but an addition to Oris’s regular collection. We talk to Rolf Studer about doing special edition watches like these, and how these collaborations come to life. Katsu Manabe talks about the denim culture in Japan and how he got in touch with Oris. Both are completely down-to-Earth people as you will discover in our video interview and open to discuss any questions. With that in mind, I prepared my interview and tried to make it as casual as possible. The fact that it was performed from home, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, helped to keep it relaxed and informal.

Oris Divers 65 Momotaro

The conversation with Oris and Momotaro gives you insights into how the collaboration piece came to life, including the choice for the turquoise dial. Studer — a denim fan himself — explains how he met Manabe in Japan and how they came to this execution of the Divers 65. We also touch the topics of doing special editions (and how the Oris community responds to them). Normally, I would have taken a plane to Switzerland to visit Oris in Hölstein to do the interview. Covid-19 prevents me from doing so, so I will excuse myself for the image quality of the video (using Zoom). However, I hope you will enjoy this video regardless.

You will soon find a hands-on review of the Oris Divers 65 × Momotaro watch here on Fratello. Meanwhile, all specifications of the watch can be found in the table below.

More information via Oris online. More about Momotaro can be found here.