Oris, the independent Swiss watch company has been supporting and championing ocean conservation programs for years, most recently through The Oceans Project, which raises awareness and funds for pioneering agencies with game-changing visions. The latest expression of the brand’s mission is the Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition, the third and final piece in the Oris Ocean Trilogy, a trio of watches based on the Oris Aquis diver’s watch.
The new watch is limited to 200 pieces and will only be available as part of a set delivered in a unique presentation case made of recycled PET plastic bottles (right).
The first two pieces in the Oris Blue Whale trilogy were announced at Baselworld this year. The Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the Clean Ocean Limited Edition have been made in partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation and Pacific Garbage Screening respectively. While those watches focused on restoring coral reefs and cleaning the world’s waters, the Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition turns to the plight of whales, and in particular to protecting the world’s largest animal.
Even after decades of campaigning and greater protection, six out of 13 great whale species are classified as endangered. Over 1,000 whales are killed every year for commercial purposes, despite a moratorium on commercial whaling and a ban on international trade of whale products. It’s thought that there are now as few as 10,000 blue whales left in our oceans. These magnificent creatures sit at the top of the food chain, eat four tons of krill a day, and can measure up to 30 meters (100 feet) in length and weigh up to 200 tons, equivalent to 33 elephants. Their hearts pump 5,300 liters of blood around their bodies and their songs have been recorded at 188 decibels, more than 40 decibels louder than a jet engine.
Oris’s Oceans Project to bring change for the better aims to clean, protect and restore our oceans through a series of limited edition watches. The Oris Ocean Trilogy is made up of three limited edition watches, each created to shine a light on a pioneering organization and the vital work it’s doing to either clean, protect or restore the world’s oceans and the source of all life – water.
The newly launched Blue Whale Limited Edition follows two watches already released: the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the Clean Ocean Limited Edition. All three are based on the high-performance Oris Aquis diver’s watch. The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is the third watch made in support of work to conserve the world’s largest reef system.
The Great Barrier Reef has been badly affected by two coral bleaching events in recent years, caused by hot summers that warm the ocean waters to levels that mean corals expel the algae inside them that provides them with food and color. Unless water temperatures cool, the coral will die. Through the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III, Oris supports the Reef Restoration Foundation, a non-profit running coral planting programs using coral that has survived the bleaching events.
The Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition marks a partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening, which is working on a concept to capture plastic waste in rivers and estuaries before it reaches the ocean and turn it into energy using a spectacular floating platform. The Oris Ocean Trilogy supports a trio of projects vital to the health of our oceans. It’s limited to 200 pieces and is presented in a special box made using recycled PET plastic.
