Top-5 Oris Limited Edition Dive Watches Connected To Life In The Water
The brand responsible for putting the biggest smile on my face recently when it comes to watches is Oris. But there is also a serious side to the brand. For a decade now the brand has been releasing a string of Aquis limited editions inspired by stories and organizations that are connected to taking care of our planet’s marine and aquatic life. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best of these Oris Aquis limited editions.
Just let me get back to my smile that was caused by the beautiful Oris Hölstein Edition 2020. In my review, I expressed my love for the vintage looks of the Diver Sixty-Five Chronograph. And when it comes to Oris I often tend to focus on its vintage-inspired pieces in the Diver Sixty-Five and the Big Crown collections. As do many watch enthusiasts because these pieces offer a great deal of retro appeal and incredible value for money.
Vintage vs. contemporary
But Oris is definitely about more than just the vintage-inspired pieces. Oris also produces a great number of contemporary pieces. Some of which have been creating waves recently. One of them is the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre that was released late last year. It showed a different very technical side to the brand that many of the Fratello team members love. As Andreas stated in his review of the watch, it is a great concept of a future pilot’s watch.
And it doesn’t stop there. Another contemporary piece that caught my eye is actually owned by one of our other team members. Ben explained in his 52Mondayz article why the Aquis Great Barrier Reef III was his only watch purchase in 2019. And whenever I see that watch pop up on his Instagram, I totally understand its great appeal. That turquoise dial is a stunner!
Multiple good causes
Ben’s watch is one of an extensive series of limited editions that Oris has released in a decade of supporting good causes. There have been quite a few and it can be hard to keep up. The reason is that Oris doesn’t limit itself to releasing one limited edition per year to support a good cause. This year Oris has already released two limited editions and last year the brand released three limited editions.
All of the projects that Oris supports are centered around water. Whether it is reef conservation, cleaning up the ocean, coral restoration, protecting the animals that live in our waters, or awareness of the overall importance of water. So it only makes sense that Oris uses its popular Aquis series of divers’ watches for these limited editions.
Oris Aquis Limited Editions
Over the years we have seen a great variety in Aquis models that have been used for the series. The recurring theme for the series is finding stunning new colors — often stunning shades of blue — and equipping the Aquis with new complications. Next to that, Oris uses the case back for engravings that tell for which cause the watch has been created. And for some, Oris has used colorful inlays connected to the cause it supports.
The 2017 update has made the Aquis more refined and contemporary.
Browsing through the releases of the last ten years, I quickly found myself liking quite a few of them. Especially the ones based on the latest Aquis model that was introduced in 2017. The update has made the Aquis more refined and contemporary. That’s why it’s no surprise that for this list of top picks of the Aquis limited editions, I picked some of the more recent limited editions. And it might just have sparked the idea of adding one to my collection…
1. Oris Source of Life Limited Edition
The first is the Oris Source of Life Limited Edition and it’s a bit of an odd one out because it does not back up a specific project or organization. The watch represents the whole idea of water being the source of life. The watch specifically celebrates the river Rhine that passes near Oris’s hometown of Hölstein as Robert-Jan explained here.
For the 43.5mm watch, Oris chose to create a stunning blue-gray dial that was inspired by the color of the water of the Tomasee — a lake in the Swiss Alps — where the Rhine rises. The intense color is truly stunning and combined with the grey rubber strap creates an almost understated aesthetic.
Another reason I picked this watch is because it takes me back to geography lessons in high school. The river Rhine also happens to be one of the main rivers crossing my country of The Netherlands. As part of our geography lessons in school, we had to learn about the river Rhine. Details like its length, the countries it crosses, where it enters The Netherlands, and where it starts were part of the lessons. And that’s why it is special to me.
It’s not often we see the Dutch language used for watches so that is what makes this my top pick.
What makes the watch even more special is that the embossed map of the river Rhine with its name in all the languages of the country it passes including Dutch. And it ends in the North Sea in my country, a name that is also mentioned in Dutch. It’s not often we see the Dutch language used for watches so that is what makes this my top pick.
2. Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition
The second watch on the list is the Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition. The watch is made in partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening that attempts to clean up the ocean with a floating platform that uses the plastic from the ocean to make sustainable products.
There is a center medallion actually made of recycled PET bottles
Part of the plastic from the ocean is used for the case back as there is a center medallion actually made of recycled PET bottles. It’s a colorful touch to the back of the watch that connects you directly to the cause.
Another reason I picked this is that the watch is actually the smaller 39.5mm version of the Aquis Date. Most of the Limited Editions are the bigger 43.5mm version but I like that Oris has chosen the smaller version of its Aquis for this one. It’s a smaller size but it still has a lot of wrist presence due to its beautiful turquoise dial. The same color that is used for Ben’s mentioned Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III.
That’s because it is part of a trilogy of watches that include Ben’s 43.5mm Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the 45.5mm chronograph Blue Whale Limited Edition. The last one was only made available as a part of the box set. The three watches come in a special PET plastic box matching the small medallion on the back of this Clean Ocean Limited Edition.
3. Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition
The third watch on the list is the Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition that was released only a couple of months ago. The watch was made in partnership with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF). Its mission is to reverse the damage done to the Florida Reef Tract. The watch is based on the Aquis GMT, the Aquis diver introduced in 2019 that features a GMT complication that can track up to three different time zones.
What I love about this watch is the combination of colors. There is a lot to discover because the dial is a beautiful intense blue color with contrasting orange details of the GMT function. Next to that, the two-tone bezel is a combination of black and dark blue. It also features a nice orange touch in the form of the orange triangle at 12 o’clock that houses the luminous dot. If you wear this with the orange rubber strap, this makes for a very nice summer watch.
4. Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III
Ben has made perfectly clear in his article why the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is such an awesome watch and it’s why it is on this list as well. The watch was made in partnership with the Australian Reef Restoration Foundation. It’s an organization that studies and collect data in the reef to develop a plan to limit human impact on the Great Barrier Reef.
The magic of the watch is in the turquoise color of the dial. As Ben explained, “The watch that caught my eye was the turquoise dial of the Aquis Great Barrier Reef III. I became infatuated with this watch and knew I had to experience it under natural light”. The dial has a gradient of deep blue that subtly fades into light turquoise, imitating the reefs which it’s named after.
The date complication is present without taking center stage.
Another nice feature is the circular date complication on the dial. It is present without taking center stage and lets you check the date in an easy-to-read way. The watch looks stunning on both the stainless steel bracelet as well as the blue rubber strap. A tough choice. Or maybe get both just like Ben did.
5. Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition
Closing out this list is the Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition that Ben wrote about here. The watch was made in partnership with the Lake Baikal Foundation. It’s an organization that monitors the health of the deepest freshwater lake on our planet. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake by volume. The Lake Baikal Foundation has been protecting this unique lake on the border of Russia and Mongolia for 75 years.
Once again the dial color of the watch is the big eye-catcher. The icy blue gradient reflects the color of the lake and it looks stunning. The 43.5mm date version of the Aquis rocks a clean and very crisp aesthetic. It makes it a great daily beater.
But as with all the limited editions, there are some artful touches indicating its special nature. The case back of the Lake Baikal has a medallion inspired by Lake Baikal when frozen during the harsh winters. It’s a great detail and exactly why I love this series.
Final Thoughts
While doing research on this series of limited editions, I really became more and more impressed with it. Oris has created a great series of watches featuring amazing dials and great details. And the best thing is that they are very affordable, normally coming in under €3,000.
I can’t wait to find out what will be the next release in the series. We did receive some information that Oris might drop the blue dials for the next version, which should be interesting. When we have all the info we will definitely share it with you.
In the meantime, if you want to know all the details about all the different limited editions Aquis models, you can check out the links in this article or visit the official Oris website here.
