The Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef IV Limited Edition Watch – Answering Nature’s Call

Oris continues its pledge to make a change with a new Great Barrier Reef watch in partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation.

The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is one of the world’s greatest biospheres. Visible from outer space, it’s the largest structure made by living organisms on the planet. UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage site, and Australia has taken steps to ensure that the three-thousand-mile reef remains protected from fishing and other human activities. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Protection from direct human actions is a good start, but the gradual poisoning of the world’s oceans - an effect of humanity’s Industrial Revolution - poses an even greater challenge. Such a fight requires massive changes to education and production and a nearly limitless amount of funds.

If you regularly follow the work of Oris, you’ll know that it has put considerable focus on ocean conservation over the last few years and has been supporting Australia’s Great Berrier Reef for 15 years. In 2022, the brand’s first sustainability report showed that its goal was to reduce its global emissions by 10% per year and just a year before that, it became climate neutral – all things to be proud of. As part of its Change for the Better campaign, the Swiss watchmaker, known for its red rotor hallmark and legendary Aquis watch line, has invested in several conservation and sustainability projects. Very few Swiss watch brands have come close to achieving climate-neutral status, marking a significant feat for Oris.

The brand pledges to make eco-friendly choices in all that it does. That includes nurturing partnerships with environmental charities and helping to fund similar-minded organisations with the profits made from some of its most popular designs. Oris ensures it creates no unnecessary waste and has developed a dial made from recyclable plastic, as well as invested in straps made from deer leather from Cervo Volante. The brand also uses sustainable PET straps and some of its watch boxes are made of algae. Additionally, 60% of the brand’s electricity is now generated from solar panels and the brand can lay claim to popular models that underpin values of sustainability, like the Oris Aquis Date Upcycle, the Limited Edition Carysfort Reef Bracelet watch, and the Okavango Air Rescue model. As Oris moves forward with this future-thinking mindset, it releases yet another timepiece to add to its collection of sustainable watches. Meet the Great Barrier Reef IV watch.

Oris and the Reef Restoration Foundation

Pioneering non-profit Reef Restoration Foundation (RRF) works to counteract the devastation caused to the world’s beautiful reefs by coral bleaching. Oris has worked with the company since 2018 as part of its Change for the Better Campaign, where it sponsored a coral reef nursery and produced several limited edition watches – all of which were well received by like-minded watch enthusiasts. The Limited Edition IV Great Barrier Reef watch is the fourth of the series. But the beautiful design of the watch is only half of the story, which makes Oris’ role in ocean conservation even more interesting. Genuinely, Oris wants to make a difference and has committed to financially supporting the RRF’s coral-tree-planting mission going forward. The money made in profits from the new Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef IV watch will go towards employing a team to take care of the reef nursery.

The New Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef IV Watch

As you may have noticed from its name, the new Great Barrier Reef watch from Oris is based on the DNA of the trusty Aquis watch. One of the most striking elements of the watch is its breathtakingly beautiful aquamarine-blue dial, which reflects the tones of the sea via a gradient effect. Usually, Oris watches showcasing the gradient dial feature a lighter centre, merging into a darker outer perimeter. In the case of this new watch, the dial begins with lighter aquamarine tones at 12 o’clock and gently bleeds into a dark blue at the bottom to reflect the depths of the reef. As the shades of the blue dial fall vertically from top to bottom, the hour markers stand out with utmost legibility thanks to plenty of Super-LumiNova material. The hands have been executed in the same way and are designed for optimum legibility.

Speaking of the hands of the new Oris Great Barrier Reef IV watch, they are propelled around the dial via Oris’ in-house developed movement, the Calibre 400, which promises an accuracy of -3/+5 seconds a day and a performance of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The movement also provides an impressive power reserve of 120 hours once fully wound. A nice touch is the way the background of the date window matches the rest of the dial, promising fluidity. The sapphire crystal glass that protects this unique reef-inspired dial is domed on both sides and treated with anti-reflective technology to rid the dial of any undesirable glare while you reference the time.

The Calibre 400 movement sits inside a 43.5mm stainless steel case that is water-resistant to 300 meters. To uphold this water-resistant capability, Oris specialists fit the watch with a screw-down crown that bears the Oris logo upon its surface. If you flip the caseback over, you can appreciate more of Oris’ craftsmanship. The surface of the closed steel caseback has been engraved with a depiction of the Great Barrier Reef while concealing the beating heart behind it. In addition to these features, the new Oris Great Barrier Reef watch has a grey tungsten bezel insert, clearly marked with a 60-minute scale. Since this is a next-generation Calibre 400 watch, the case, bezel, crown and crown protection feature have all been reworked and re-designed to optimise comfort, ergonomics and performance.

The new Oris Great Barrier Reef IV is finished on a brushed and polished three-link stainless steel bracelet with an Oris-engraved folding clasp and a push-button opening mechanism. It also features a quick adjustment system for pairing over the top of heavy diving gear and swimsuits. The watch is limited to just 2000 pieces worldwide, so if you’d like to support Oris’ cause in protecting marine life and the future of the Great Barrier Reef, you’ll have to move fast. Contact a member of our Jura Watches sales team today on 01335 453453 or email us on help@jurawatches.com.