Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Oris Ocean Trilogy, incl. the New Blue Whale Aquis Chronograph Limited Edition
Cleaning, protecting and restoring the oceans with a series of cool dive watches.
For several years now, Oris has been engaged on a mission to save and protect the oceans – which makes sense given the brand’s forte for dive watches. Following the recent introductions of the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition (both explained in this video), the brand now adds a third watch to the series, the new Chronograph Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition, part of a trilogy named the “Oris Ocean Trilogy” Box Set.
“The Oceans Project” and Oris
With these three watches, Oris covers the three pillars of the “Oceans Project”; restoring, cleaning and protecting. Each model is dedicated to a special mission. The Great Barrier Reef III is linked to the world’s largest and most diverse reef system. In order to improve the situation, Oris has partnered with a non-profit social enterprise set up in 2016, the Reef Restoration Foundation.
Second, the Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition is dedicated to cleaning up the oceans. The UN’s environmental arm estimates that 8 million tonnes of plastic reach the ocean every year and that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. To prevent this man-made catastrophe, Oris teams up with Pacific Garbage Screening, which has developed an innovative floating platform that acts like a giant sieve collecting plastic waste from rivers, estuaries and the ocean.
Last but not least, the goal of the new Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition is to protect the mighty blue whale, the world’s largest animal, whose future is threatened. Oris announces a partnership with the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation aimed at protecting these majestic creatures – there were once around 350,000 blue whales in our oceans, but it’s thought there are now only between 10,000 and 25,000 left.
The new Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition
The third watch in this Ocean protection project is still based on the much-loved Aquis collection, however, this time equipped with a chronograph function. Much like the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition, this new piece relies on the same visual codes, with an aqua-blue ceramic bezel and a gradient aqua-blue dial.
The case of this watch is the same as the non-limited editions of the Aquis Chronograph, with a 45.5mm stainless case water-resistant to 500m, a stainless steel 3-link bracelet with security folding clasp and extension. The main difference on this limited edition is the calibre, in this case, equipped with an automatic Swiss-made movement based on the Sellita SW-500 (Valjoux 7750) architecture, with a balanced 3-6-9 layout and a date at 4h30. The caseback carries an embossed blue whale and the limited edition number.
The “Oris Ocean Trilogy” Incl. the Clean Ocean and Great Barrier Reef III
This new Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition Chronograph will be the most limited edition watch of the trilogy. In fact, it will only be available as part of a box set, which includes the Clean Ocean and Great Barrier Reef III. Delivered in a special presentation box made of recycled PET plastic (the same material found on the caseback of the Oris Clean Ocean), only 200 pieces of this set will be offered to collectors.
All three watches feature some common traits, such as the gradient blue colour of their dials and the aqua-blue ceramic bezel, however, they differ in many ways. The Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition is a time-and-date piece, with a 39.5mm diameter and 300m water-resistance. The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is a more complex piece with small seconds and circular date indication, with a 43.5mm diameter and 300m water-resistance. The Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition, as mentioned, is a larger piece with chronograph function.
Price and availability
The Oris Ocean Trilogy is limited to 200 pieces as a set of watches, available as of June 2019. The box including these three watches will be priced at CHF 9,600. Part of the proceeds of the sales will be donated to the three associations/organisations mentioned above.
More details at oris.ch.
3 responses
This gets a huge thumbs-up from me. OK, they are probably to big for my wrist and I would have preferred to see less CGI shots, but we know we can trust Oris to produce serious cases and bracelets. I’d rather see a 45mm diver than a 43mm “dress watch”. For the right person, these will take pride-of-place in their watch corner.
I have been a tremendous fan of Oris for nearly two decades I just found another reason to remain enthusiastic about the brand. The chrono looks amazing without being ostentatious. While I would not typically wear a diver with a suit this piece looks clean enough to be on your wrist at formal and informal settings.
I would not go more formal than short-sleeved shirt/ no jacket with these. But the cherry on top is that micro-adjustable bracelet design. Hhhhmmm, is an Aquis in my future? I own a 2018 Williams F1 which I like very much. Interestingly (for myself at least), I have only ever bought >1 model from two brands.