As we’ve seen, recycled ocean plastic is the hot material of the year, at least in the world of watches. We’ve seen it most prominently used in watch straps, and that makes sense. When you recycle plastics, turning it into fibers to weave into a textile strap is an easy jump. We have seen it used in watch cases (and also here), and now we’ve got a brand braving a new world – the Oris Aquis Date Upcycle uses the material for the dial.
In my book, it’s used on the dial to very great effect. The Oris Aquis Date Upcycle has a very abstract art look to it, giving a wild variety of color, which allows you to see whatever it is you want to see. It also means that, from watch to watch, there should be some variability.
In practical terms, putting the #tide materials inside of the case is clever – and practical. While straps are just fine, using the recycled plastic on a case could be dicey. Just as with any plastic, it could crack or be otherwise damaged. Here, on the dial, it’s well-protected from anything that might harm it. And hey, you could always pick up a #tide strap from somewhere too if you wanted to swap one in, with all the colors to try and match from the dial.
In terms of the rest of the watch, the Oris Aquis Date Upcycle is just like the one that came before it (aside from the dial), which we talked about here (though it doesn’t have the fancier Caliber 400 movement in it like this one). The nice thing here is that pricing hasn’t really changed on this new model, staying at CHF 2,100 (just a hair under $2,300), in two sizes: 41.5mm and 36.5mm. In my book, this is a great use of the recycled ocean plastic, and can’t wait to see it show up in more places altogether. oris.ch
Tech Specs from Oris
- Case
- Material Multi-piece stainless steel case, uni-directional rotating bezel with grey ceramic insert
- Size 41.50 mm, 1.634 inches / 36.50 mm, 1.437 inches
- Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Case back Stainless steel, screwed, see-through mineral glass
- Operating devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown
- Water resistance 30 bar (300 m)
- Interhorn width 22 mm / 18 mm
- Movement
- Number Oris 733
- Dimensions Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’
- Functions Hours, minutes and central sweep seconds hands, date with quick setting, stop second device, date window at 6 o’clock
- Winding Automatic
- Power reserve 38 hours
- Vibrations 4 Hz (28’800 A/h)
- Jewels 26
- Dial
- Design made of recycled PET plastic, each unique
- Luminous material Super-LumiNova®
- Indices Applied
- Strap Multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet with folding clasp with extension
- Presentation box: special box made of upcycled #tide ocean plastic
- Swiss retail price CHF 2,100
