It is a long and wonderful journey that has led to the birth of Locman’s new Montecristo OISA 1937. A voyage represented by a sailing ship that sets sail against the backdrop of the two-worlds planisphere and that recalls the crossings of the brave and daring Italian explorers of the 15th century as well as those of Italian watchmakers from the time of Galileo Galilei. An Italian story of passion and courage, born and raised between Locman, a historic watchmaker from Elba, and OISA 1937, another historic maker of Italian-made products.
The OISA 1937 manual mechanical movement – the result of years of research – finds its place in the Locman Montecristo model with the aim of a new challenge: to revive mechanical Made in Italy watchmaking.
The Project
OISA 1937 is the historical brand founded in Milan in 1937 by Domenico Morezzi. “Don’t be afraid of not having courage” was Morezzi’s motto when he opened the laboratory of OISA. Here Morezzi and his staff were able to produce 10,000 mechanical movements per month, all original calibres for watchmaking houses in Italy and around the world.
OISA represented a unique experience for the Italian watchmaking industry, but in 1978, with the arrival of quartz movements on the market, the Morezzi family decided to stop the activity. In 2017, Morezzi’s grandson and heir, Carlo Boggio Ferraris, together with other renowned names in Italian business, decided to resume production. Today, after years of preparation, OISA 1937 presents its first movement mounted on a Locman watch.
The Movement
The mechanical hand-wound OISA Calibre 29-50 Cinque Ponti movement has a handmade Côtes de Genève finish on the bridges enclosing the gear train and a handmade Perlage finish on the mainplate. It has a diameter of 29.5 mm and a height of 3.5 mm. The size of the OISA movement is 13”’ – 13 lines which is a unit of measurement used in antiquity to indicate the diameter of movements and where one line (‘) is equivalent to 2.255 mm.
The OISA 1937 29-50 movement is equipped with 19 rubies located on the five bridges, on the mainplate and on the crown. The rubies located on the five bridges, on the mainplate in relation to the wheel pivots which deliver a frequency of 25,200 vibrations or 3.5 Hrz (Hertz, the International System of Frequency unit), where the balance pivots work with a “Kif” type incabloc (shock proofing system), on the barrel, on the crown wheel, on the lever and on the balance plateau.
The time regulation of this movement is of the “Masselottes” type, i.e. it is carried out by means of counterweights placed on the handwheel of the balance, instead of the classic regulation racket located on the bridge of the balance. The winding autonomy is guaranteed to be 60 hours, with a daily chronometric tolerance of +/- 10 seconds.
The Case
With a diameter of 42 mm, the case of the Montecristo OISA 1937 features dynamic and ergonomic shapes with side openings that emphasize the uniqueness of the design and contribute to the watch’s optimal weight and wearability. Available in a Limited Edition in AISI 316L stainless steel with a biocompatible titanium back or in a more precious version in 18k gold, this case is made of three parts: an external structure embracing the two central bodies, which are attached to the strap by means of three-bar lugs, the distinctive feature and identifying code of the Montecristo collection. A screw-down crown, with a triple internal o-ring seal, guarantees water-resistance to 10 atmospheres (100 metres). The crystal window on the caseback shows the mechanical movement with manual winding OISA 1937 calibre 29-50 Cinque Ponti that can be admired in all its beauty.
The Dial
The enamelled dial of the Montecristo OISA 1937 is bordered by a flange on which the hour and hour markers are printed in Roman numerals and bears the design of a planisphere of the two worlds, East and West, crossed by an ancient sailing ship, a symbolism that evokes travel as an instrument and means of knowledge, a daring adventure through different eras and cultures. The dial is surmounted by a sapphire crystal ensuring maximum transparency and readability and excellent scratch resistance.
The Italian character of the design is underlined by the presence of the Italian flag at 6 o’clock and the words “Made in Italy”.
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