The Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV reminds us there’s still time to act
Buffy Acacia- The Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV directly supports the Reef Restoration Foundation’s push for recruitment and upscaling.
- The dial presents a beautiful effect of sun streaking down through the water’s surface, as if viewed from a coral reef.
- The 43.5mm case is made from stainless steel, with a tungsten bezel insert for scratch resistance, and is water-resistant to 300 metres.
There is a lot wrong with the world currently. It’s hard to know which issues should be given priority, but the impending death of coral reefs and the knock-on effect is truly frightening. Over 50% of the world’s reefs have died in the last 30 years, and the rate of decline keeps speeding up. Without them, coastlines will be drastically more affected by storms, thousands of ocean species will face extinction, and our already-dwindling supply of fish could disappear entirely. Oris has been an environmental advocate for many years, and its latest effort to raise both awareness and funds is a new limited edition Aquis partnered with the Reef Restoration Foundation.
The world’s largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef along the Queensland coast of Australia. It stretches over 2,300km long, and covers around 344,400km². 2016 saw an aquatic heat wave which caused mass bleaching, and although coral reefs are usually able to recover from such events, the rising ocean temperatures are bringing about more bleaching events than the coral can recover from. The Reef Restoration Foundation runs coral nurseries as well as R&D projects to observe, track, and hopefully eventually reverse the decline of the Great Barrier Reef. Results from the nurseries have been promising, proving that all hope is not yet lost. The partnership with Oris officially began in 2018 after previously working with the Australian Marine Conservation Society, and proceeds from the sale of this limited edition will go directly to the Reef Restoration Foundation’s expansion of staff and scale.
The watch itself is gorgeous in its own right, and it’s a shame that such a beautiful dial serves as a reminder of what we stand to lose. The colour gradient and the texture perfectly replicates the effect of light beams diffusing through water, with brushing going from the turquoise surface at 12 o’clock before splaying down to the abyssal blues at 6. There’s also a colour-matched blue date wheel, so that nothing interrupts the dial’s flow except for the applied indices and printed minute markers which need to remain legible.
Built in the framework of the latest generation Oris Aquis Calibre 400, it’s a rather chunky 43.5mm case with a tamed 50mm lug-to-lug width. The 13.7mm thickness isn’t overwhelming though, so it’s definitely manageable on an average wrist. The grey bezel insert is made of tungsten, making it far more scratch resistant than stainless steel at ~880HV to ~1510HV on the Vickers hardness scale. It also lends a utilitarian look to the steel case, which is mostly brushed except for the bezel’s edge, crown, and the bracelet’s outer links. The in-house Oris Calibre 400 has been a popular addition to Oris’ catalogues, boasting 120 hours of power reserve and accuracy within -3/+5 seconds per day. It’s also anti-magnetic, and comes with a 10-year extended warranty. On this model, the caseback is solid with an engraving of coral and a starfish, plus a plaque with the watch’s unique edition number.
Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV pricing and availability
The Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV is available now, with 2,000 numbered models produced. Price: US$4,500
| Brand | Oris |
| Model | Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV |
| Reference | 400 7790 4185 |
| Case Dimensions | 43.5mm (D) x 13.7mm (T) x 50mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with tungsten bezel insert |
| Water Resistance | 300 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Blue gradient |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Movement | Calibre 400, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 120 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Limited to 2,000 pieces |
| Price | US$4,500 |