Oris is committed to the protection of oceans
The World Ocean Day, which took place on Saturday, June 8thand even more so the urgency of the environmental disaster caused by plastic waste, are a good opportunity to discuss the Oris Ocean Trilogy. The independent campany brings together three diver’s watches as part of its ‘Oceans Project’, which aims to raise public awareness of the marine pollution issues, but also to support the cleaning and preservation of the oceans by means of partnerships with pioneering and innovative associations.
Chloé REDLER with Nicolas YVON
The set of three models is available in a special limited edition case of 200 pieces, made from recycled PET bottles. Inspired by the iconic Oris Aquis instrument, the Clean Ocean Limited Edition, Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and Blue Whale Limited Edition models were designed with three respective non-profit organisations with particularly innovative initiatives and ideas. As with Oris, they share an unwavering commitment to helping clean, protect and restore the world ocean’s fauna and flora.
Three highly committed diver’s watches in hardened steel.
The Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition was created in partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening. This young pioneering organisation has developed a new and ingenious technology to clean the world’s waters. Its ambitious project is to design an autonomous floating platform that will be able to recover plastic waste before it reaches the sea and turn it into biological products (biodegradable plastics). Anchored in the middle of rivers and estuaries, the structure will collect all plastics by an exclusive process called ‘reverse sedimentation’ which, with its specific architectural form and its set of fins located underwater, slows down the current to bring waste to the surface for storage and disposal.
This 39.5 mm diameter self-winding steel edition features the characteristic attributes of a diver’s watch: a unidirectional rotating bezel with an aqua blue ceramic insert, Super-LumiNova® covered hands and indices for greater visibility in the dark, a screwed-down safety crown and water resistance up to 300 meters. Equipped with a blue aqua dial and combined with a steel bracelet, this instrument can also be distinguished by its case back on which figures a medallion made of recycled PET. It should be noted that this watch is also available alone (edition of 2,000 copies), in a unique eco-responsible box set made of seaweed and recycled plastic. (2050 euros)
The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is the third version that was produced in collaboration with the Reef Restoration Foundation to support its cause. This organisation is dedicated to save the Great Barrier Reef which, after several very hot summers, has seen some areas undergo numerous bleaching episodes. The objective is to regenerate the reef by collecting healthy, unbleached coral cuttings and attaching them to coral tree structures placed in a dedicated nursery. After a predefined growth period, these cuttings will be replanted to renew the damaged parts of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is a high-performance diving instrument that is also available separately in a limited edition of 2000 pieces and delivered in an algae-based case, if you prefer it to the trilogy. With a power reserve of 38 hours, this 43.5 mm diameter steel model features an aqua blue dial with Super-LumiNova® coated hands and hour indices. The ultimate detail: the case back is engraved with corals and the Southern Cross, a constellation of stars visible only from the Southern Hemisphere and which also appears on the Australian flag. (2300 euros)
Among this trio, what makes the box set so special is the Blue Whale Limited Edition, exclusively available with the Oris Ocean Trilogy set. This watch was developped to support the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which is actively involved in the protection of marine mammals.
With a water resistance up to 500 metres, this 45.5 mm diameter steel timepiece has an aqua blue ceramic bezel and a graduated dial in the same shade. Powered by a Swiss Made automatic movement, this chronograph is the first Aquis model to feature a three-counter dial at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The case back is engraved with both, a blue whale in relief and the limited edition number.
Price of the Oris Ocean Trilogy box set: 9000 euros
To Know more:
The Pacific Garbage Screening et the Oris Clean Ocean Limited Edition
The statistics surrounding plastic in our ocean make for difficult reading. The United Nations Environment Programme calculates that more than 8 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean every year. That’s the equivalent of one garbage truck every minute. The UN believes 80 per cent of ocean litter is made of plastic, and that the costs to marine ecosystems is $8 billion.
According to some experts, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, and an estimated 99 per cent of all seabirds will have ingested plastic.
For too long, the world has turned a blind eye to this deeply troubling situation, but it’s now getting to the point where human life is under threat. Because of our position in the food chain, we are consuming dangerous substances – toxic materials stick to microplastics eaten by the fish that end up in our supermarkets. It’s time to turn the tide. It’s time to change the course of the Earth’s environmental history, before it’s too late.
Oris has been investing in and working with leading marine conservation organisations for a number of years. The independent Swiss watch company has a stated mission to bring change for the better and has adopted the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Now, Oris is proud to announce a new partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening, a pioneering young organisation that’s developing technology that will help keep the world’s water clean by capturing plastic before it enters the ocean.
To highlight the partnership, Oris is also introducing the Clean Oceans Limited Edition, a version of the high-performance Aquis diver’s watch. It’s water-resistant to 30 bar (300 metres), and comes with a gradient blue dial and a uni-directional rotating bezel with an aqua blue ceramic insert, symbolising the beauty and importance of water.
A further symbol of what the watch represents comes in the form of a medallion made of recycled PET plastic set into the watch’s case back. Each of the 2,000 pieces produced will be presented in special boxes made of environmentally friendly algae.
‘The Oris Clean Oceans Limited Edition is a symbol of our commitment to ridding the world’s oceans of plastic,’ said Oris Joint Chief Executive Rolf Studer. ‘Oris continues to work with agencies for positive change, and we’re delighted to be working with Pacific Garbage Screening, whose innovative project will bring significant change for the better, in keeping with Oris’s mission.’
Current research indicates we have a serious plastic problem – our oceans are filling up with plastic waste. Irresponsible practices are making the problem worse, and all life on Earth is suffering.
The UN Environment Programme calculates that on average, a European consumes 11,000 microplastic particles a year through fish consumption. A 2016 report by European trade association PlasticsEurope estimates that by 2050, two billion tonnes of plastic will end up in the oceans every year, up from 322 million tonnes in 2015, if the amount dumped continues to grow at current rates.
What can be done about this? Clearly, businesses and individuals have a collective duty to consume more responsibly, but we also need big ideas that will help recover the current situation and repair some of the damage done to our oceans.
Oris is proud to announce a new partnership with a pioneering new organisation called Pacific Garbage Screening, an organisation working on a revolutionary solution that will help clean up our oceans.
The organisation’s concept is a floating platform positioned in rivers and estuaries that retrieves and recycles plastic litter, converting it into energy and bio-based products, such as biodegradable plastics.
The giant structure collects plastics, even microplastics, via a process called ‘inverted sedimentation’. Fins below the surface calm the currents pushing plastic waste under water so that it rises to the surface and the platform can skim it off (see below).
‘This is exactly the sort of inventive, game-changing solution our world’s oceans need,’ said Oris Joint Chief Executive Rolf Studer. ‘We’re proud to support Marcella and the Pacific Garbage Screening project, and extremely excited to see the concept develop. We believe that together, we can make a difference.’
It’s an ingenious idea. At the moment, the Pacific Garbage Screening team are working on a prototype they can test for proof of concept. Over the following pages, the organisation’s chief executive Marcella Hansch explains the vision in more detail.
For Further information: pacific-garbage-screening.com
The Reef Restoration Foundation and the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III
Another watch tied to the world’s oceans…? It would be easy to write off the next chapter in Oris’s mission to play a part in bringing change for the better (it’s going to take all of us), but the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III is not just another ‘good cause’ watch.
As the name suggests, this is the third watch Oris has linked to the world’s largest and most diverse reef system (it’s so big it can be seen from space, and tip-to-toe it’s 2,600 km long), but since our last Great Barrier Reef watch, the situation has far from improved. In fact, it’s got worse. Two hot summers in 2016 and 2017 led to back-to- back coral bleaching events, leaving vast areas of reefs all over the world devastated.
How serious is this? The Great Barrier Reef is around 8,000 years old and home to 1,500 species of fish, more than 400 types of hard coral, a third of the world’s soft corals, and six of the world’s seven species of threatened marine turtles. We have a collective responsibility to look after it.
Oris is not alone in recognising the scale of the problem. The independent Swisswatch company has partnered with a non-profit social enterprise set up in 2016, the Reef Restoration Foundation. Using knowledge shared by the Oris-backed Coral Restoration Foundation, the foundation
has begun a coral planting project off Fitzroy Island near Cairns.
The programme is in its infancy, but with support from individuals and companies such as Oris – which installed its first coral tree off Fitzroy Island in 2018, a milestone for the company in its mission to bring change for the better – it has the potential to make a significant positive difference to some affected areas of the Great Barrier Reef.
In partnership with the foundation, Oris has created the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III, a diver’s watch based on the legendary Oris Aquis. The new model, limited to 2,000 pieces, has a gradient blue dial and an aqua blue ceramic insert in its uni-directional rotating diver’s bezel, recalling the colours of the reef waters. Inside its 43.50 mm stainless steel case is an automatic movement that provides it with a small seconds and a circular date window. It’s water-resistant to 30 bar (300 metres).
For Further information: reefrestorationfoundation.org
The Whale and Dolphin Association, the Blue Whale Limited Edition et theOris Ocean Trilogy box set
Oris is on a mission to bring change for the better, particularly to the world’s oceans.
The independent Swiss watch company has been supporting and championing ocean conservation programmes for years, most recently through The Oceans Project, which raises awareness and funds for pioneering agencies with game-changing visions.
The latest expression of Oris’s mission is the Blue Whale Limited Edition, the third and final piece in the Oris Ocean Trilogy, a trio of watches based on the Oris Aquis diver’s watch. The new watch is limited to 200 pieces and will only be available as part of a set delivered in a unique presentation case made of recycled PET plastic bottles.
The first two pieces in the trilogy were announced at Baselworld this year. The Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and the Clean Ocean Limited Edition have been made in partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation and Pacific Garbage Screening respectively.
While those watches focused on restoring coral reefs and cleaning the world’s waters, the Blue Whale Limited Edition turns to the plight of whales, and in particular to protecting the world’s largest animal.
Even after decades of campaigning and greater protection, six out of 13 great whale species are classified as endangered. Over 1,000 whales are killed every year for commercial purposes, despite a moratorium on commercial whaling and a ban on international trade of whale products.
It’s thought that there are now as few as 10,000 blue whales left in our oceans. These magnificent creatures sit at the top of the food chain, eat four tonnes of krill a day, and can measure up to 30 metres (100 feet) in length and weigh up to 200 tonnes, equivalent to 33 elephants. Their hearts pump 5,300 litres of blood around their bodies and their songs have been recorded at 188 decibels, more than 40 decibels louder than a jet engine.
If we can’t protect the blue whale, what hope is there for the health of our planet? With this focus, Oris is proud to announce that the Blue Whale Limited Edition is produced in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the leading charity devoted to the protection of whales and dolphins.
‘We’ve been very intentional about our mission to bring change for the better,’ says Oris co-chief executive Rolf Studer. ‘The environmental challenges the world faces are real, and we believe that both individuals and corporate entities have a responsibility to overcome them. The Blue Whale Limited Edition is a very special watch, produced in unusually small quantities for Oris, and the perfect symbol of the dangers facing the blue whale. We’re extremely proud to be working with Whale and Dolphin Conservation and look forward to seeing the change our partnership will bring.’
For Further information: us.whales.org