What We Know
The idea of a ‘Seaweed’ dive watch isn’t new—in fact, I used to own a diver that carried that nickname from collectors. But today, Oris offers a much more literal take on that idea with the Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition. No, Oris did not make a dial out of literal kelp. But the overall aesthetic is strongly inspired by underwater nature, thanks to an idea from Francis Pérez, an award-winning underwater photographer and Oris ambassador.
© Francis Pérez
It’s another of Oris’s sustainability-focused designs, as the brand continues to raise awareness for various environmental efforts. Think Oris’ Bracenet Aquis, with a dial made from melted recycled fishing nets, or its Yangtze Jiangtun Limited Edition introduced this spring. Some of these editions will see a contribution of proceeds to a specific organization. Others, like this Kelp Forest edition, are meant to be conversation starters, giving purpose and meaning to a design beyond purely aesthetic goals. It’s something Oris has done for many years, and this one continues that trend.
Specifically, the story of this watch focuses on raising awareness of the deforestation of underwater kelp forests—which absorb carbon and provide shelter and food for a wide range of marine wildlife. While most people have probably thought about global overfishing and rising sea temperatures at some point in their lives, I think this issue gets much less talked about, if at all.
This marketing story leads to an unsurprisingly green Aquis diver, set in a smaller 41.5mm case with a 12.9mm thickness and a 49 mm lug-to-lug. The main focus is the new dial, featuring a unique green finish with a 3D-printed geometric texture and an interesting green-to-gold color shift. It features applied indices, a gold handset, and a green ceramic bezel insert to top it all off.
Inside the watch is the Sellita-based Oris Calibre 733 automatic caliber, with a power reserve of 41 hours. This Aquis gets a solid caseback, with artwork and engravings centered around the Kelp Forest theme as well as the number of the 1000-piece limited edition. The Oris Aquis Kelp Forest Limited Edition is priced at $2,950.
What We Think
Of course, the guy who loves green-dial watches—yours truly—will be the one checking this out. Right off the bat, I already like it more than the standard sunray-brushed emerald green of the regular Aquis line. However, I’m not sure I would want the more obvious light patches that outline a kelp forest to be constantly on the dial—those swoops of light green-gold among the darker green hues aren’t products of light reflection, but part of the base coloring. I got a brief look at the new Kelp Forest edition last week at WatchTime. In person, the surface texture is slightly iridescent, with a tiny touch of metallic sheen in the final dial texture achieved through 3D printing. The folks at Oris told me that each dial will have a slightly different mix of brighter swoops of light gold-green, also thanks to the process.
Oris has typically done very well with experimentation in these special editions—this year’s Yangtze Jiangtun dial, with its mother-of-pearl waves, was awesome, as are the New York Harbor dials. While this one feels a bit more on the nose than the others I’ve mentioned, and I wouldn’t have minded if it was just a touch more abstract, it’s still a very lighthearted take on a dive watch, and I’ll certainly be very interested to see it on the wrist of someone taking it into the ocean sometime soon.
The Basics
Brand: Oris
Model: Aquis 41.5 Kelp Forest Limited Edition
Reference Number: 733 7787 4187-Set
Diameter: 41.5mm
Thickness: 12.9mm
Case Material: Steel
Dial Color: Green and gold
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes, Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Bracelet with quick change and quick-adjust
The Movement
Caliber: Calibre 733
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power Reserve: 41 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 VpH
Jewels: 26
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: $2,950
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 1000 pieces.
For more, click here.
