What We Know
Oh hey. It’s me, your resident Muppets enthusiast here at the ‘Dink. I’m a proud owner of the first collaboration between Oris and The Muppets, the ProPilot X Kermit Edition, and last year, I covered the follow-up ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition, which took the creative exercise in a very different direction. In all honesty, I thought that might have been the end of the partnership between Oris and Disney regarding the Muppets, but it looks like they’re not quite done yet. Today, Oris announces its Muppets hat trick with the new ProPilot X Gonzo Edition.
Gonzo in his peppery shirt. © Disney.
The third entry continues to see an iconic Muppets character introduced and incorporated into a different model within the ProPilot X line. Kermit showed his face on the date window of the 39mm ProPilot X Cal. 400 in titanium, and Miss Piggy hid on the winding rotor of the 34mm ProPilot X in steel. For the third entry in the Muppets series, Oris has taken “go big or go home” in a much more literal sense by pairing the Great Gonzo, the death-defying stuntmuppet, with the largest watch in the ProPilot X line, the ProPilot X Calibre 115.
The titanium case of this grade 2 titanium ProPilot X has a diameter of 44mm, a thickness of 12.6mm, and an expansive lug-to-lug measurement of 52mm. But the case is large because the movement is very large, with the manually wound Calibre 115 inside featuring a giant mainspring barrel that gives the watch a whopping ten days of power reserve. All of this remains unchanged from the standard Calibre 115 ProPilot X editions.
The dial, however, has certainly been Gonzoified. The Great Gonzo himself is certainly known for a touch of flamboyance in his outfits, and that vibe has essentially translated itself onto the skeletonized dial. The main lines of the openworked frame of the dial are given a gradient of blue, red, and yellow to reflect the Muppet’s classic color palette, while the hand of the 10-day power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock is replaced with a chili pepper—a motif that can be spotted on one of Gonzo’s iconic shirts. Instead of “10 Days,” the power reserve indicator is marked “10 Great Days.” For another touch of flashiness, the outer dial ring surrounding the minutes track is treated with an iridescent metallic sheen, subtly changing color at every angle in the light.
The mainspring fully-wound. Photo courtesy Oris.
But… where’s Gonzo? I’ll admit—in the brief time I had with the watch, I couldn’t find him anywhere on the dial or caseback. And unfortunately, I only found out afterward where Gonzo was hidden during this watch. His face is actually laser-engraved onto the side of the mainspring itself, meaning he only appears when the ProPilot X is fully wound, with the spring tightened all the way to form the image.
The new ProPilot X Gonzo Edition is available now and priced at $10,500.
What We Think
When I first caught wind that another Muppets edition might be happening with Oris, I was admittedly very surprised. I think it’s safe to say that many folks, like me, imagined that the Kermit edition might have been a one-and-done. But the Miss Piggy edition came out of left field, and a third collaboration with the franchise this year definitely feels that way, too. Focusing on the execution, I think the oddball and slightly extravagant saturation of this edition makes a lot of sense. The past two Oris Muppet editions certainly didn’t shy away from bright colors, and this one carries on the idea. The iridescent ring is actually a great touch, and looks fantastic in person. It’s a detail that I think would look quite at home in other ProPilot X watches, and gives you just enough color in the light without going overboard.
© Disney
But for the Muppet lovers out there (me), I really wish there was just a little more of Gonzo, a little more of the time. Whenever I wear my Kermit edition, I always just set the date window to the 1st so I can see Kermit, and here, you’ll only be able to properly see Gonzo when the watch is fully wound. Not as difficult a thing to maintain compared to one date on a date ring, but it means that taking advantage of such a long power reserve comes at the cost of seeing Gonzo’s face on the dial. But it’s not all that serious on a playful release like this, and I suppose I do respect the Oris team for trying to offer a bit of restraint for these editions.
The more interesting conversation relates to market positioning. The original Kermit ProPilot X, for such a lighthearted watch, already felt quite expensive relative to what you might imagine someone spending on a watch tied to a Muppet (save for the die-hard Muppets fans who pulled the trigger). This Gonzo edition is now a Muppets-themed Oris that is both significantly larger in case size and also over $10,000 retail. Aside from something like a grand feu enamel Fozzie Bear dial, a Muppets watch over ten grand just doesn’t seem all that congruent, ruling out many more enthusiasts who might otherwise enjoy seeing their favorite Muppet on a watch dial. All that considered, perhaps this is the brand’s way of drumming up some more attention to the admittedly quite cool but large movement, by way of the Muppets, and a play to the larger-wristed (and extremely committed) Muppets fans instead.
The Basics
Brand: Oris
Model: ProPilot X Gonzo Edition
Reference Number: 01 115 7759 7180-Set
Diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 12.6mm
Case Material: Titanium
Dial Color: Gradient
Indexes: Printed
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Titanium bracelet with “Lift” clasp
The Movement
Caliber: Oris Calibre 115
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, non-linear power reserve indicator
Diameter: 34mm
Power Reserve: 10 days (240 hours)
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21,600 VpH (3 Hz)
Jewels: 38
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: $10,500
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
