OISA 1937 is an Italian watch manufacture founded in Milan in 1937 by Domenico Morezzi — a master watchmaker born in 1897 who had spent 20 years at Swiss manufacturers, qualifying in Bienne, before returning to Italy to establish what would become one of the country's most significant horological enterprises. The name OISA stands for Orologeria Italiana Società Azionaria. Under Morezzi's direction, the company specialised in patented mechanical movements, eventually reaching a monthly production of 10,000 movements and a total of over 4 million watches sold.
During wartime, operations relocated temporarily outside Milan before settling permanently at Corso Como 10 in 1955. Production continued until the late 1970s, when the quartz revolution disrupted the mechanical watch market — a disruption that followed Morezzi's death in 1968 and eventually brought the original company to a close.
OISA 1937 has since been revived, with CEO Benedetto Perrotta and technical consultant Fausto Berizzi — who brings over 30 years of experience from manufactures including Frédéric Piguet, Hublot, and Vaucher — leading the project at a new facility in Albuzzano, Pavia. The revived manufacture occupies approximately 500 square metres and currently produces around 2,500 movements annually, with a long-term target of 10,000. All movements are designed in 3D CAD, machined from brass bar to tolerances in the order of microns, individually decorated, assembled, tested on a timing machine, and laser-engraved with a unique data matrix for full traceability.
"The only, true, Made in Italy" — OISA 1937 positions itself as the standard-bearer for a genuine return of in-house movement manufacturing on Italian soil.
