We’ve seen brands release special edition watches for all manner of reasons. One of the best, in our opinion, is when they’re doing it to bring awareness (and funding) to a specific cause. Oris has done this most memorably for reef preservation (with the Carysfort editions), but now they’re turning their attention to another oceanic inhabitant with the Oris Aquis GMT Whale Shark.
To be fair, Oris is just calling the watch “Whale Shark”, but I rather like that it’s based on their Aquis GMT, which I reviewed here. It gives you all the capabilities of a GMT, with the Oris “propeller” handset that I dig, wrapped into a package that can easily go for a swim. So, what makes this edition so special?
As opposed to our review, the main thing is the texture on the dial. This has a stippled, or bumpy, look to it, and it’s inspired by the patterns found on the skin of the whale shark. It’s a clever way to incorporate the “gentle giant” into the watch (aside from the engraving on the caseback), giving the watch a subtle – but very identifiable – look.
There is one other thing to note – as opposed to the non-limited edition, this Oris Aquis GMT Whale Shark does command a premium, with pricing coming in at $3,200, similar to their other limited models for special causes. The watch was just released today, so if you want to pick up one of the 2,016 pieces they’re offering, head on over to oris.ch
Tech Specs from Oris
- Case Multi-piece stainless steel case, bi-directional rotating blue and black (day/ night) ceramic bezel with GMT scale
- Size 43.50 mm (1.713 inches)
- Dial Blue, with special engraved pattern inspired by whale shark skin
- Luminous material Hands and indices with Super-LumiNova®
- Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Case back Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings
- Operating devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown
- Strap Stainless steel metal bracelet with stainless steel security folding clasp with extension
- Water resistance 30 bar (300 metres)
- Movement
- Number Oris 798
- Functions Centre hands for hours, minutes, seconds and 24 hours, date window, instantaneous date, date and 24-hour corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
- Winding Automatic
- Power reserve 42 hour
- Limited edition Special box, certificate, limited to 2,016 pieces
- Swiss retail price CHF 2,800 ($3,200 USD / $4,000 CAD)
- Available February 2021
