Few brands have a dedication to a cause like Oris does. For the past few years, Oris has been releasing a slew of limited edition dive watch models that support clean conservation of our oceans and waterways. Bringing the third member to the collection, Oris has announced the Great Barrier Reef III Aquis; a stunning blue dialed Aquis limited to 2,000 pieces that supports the Reef Restoration Foundation, an organization devoted to restoring the Great Barrier Reef.
If you’re aware of the Oris Aquis line, a lot of the specifications here may feel very familiar. The Great Barrier Reef III measures in at 43.5mm in diameter with a stainless steel case, blue/green ceramic bezel insert, and steel link bracelet. Powering this watch is the Oris 743 automatic movement (built off the Sellita SW-220-1), with a 38 hour power reserve, 28 jewels, beating at a rate of 28,800vph. Notably, this LE features a sub-dial for the running seconds at the 9 position, and a circular date function where a yellow disk rotates to note the date. To round out the limited edition, this Aquis has a Great Barrier Reef case back, with a coral engraving, and ships in a box made from environmentally friendly algae.
Oris has worked with the Reef Restoration Foundation to produce three models, now. All three have been created to support the restoration and regeneration of reef areas that have greatly suffered from coral bleaching — an unfortunate side effect of hotter water temperatures. The foundation works to plant new coral to counter the effects of bleaching, and has been working towards their mission since 2016. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s natural wonders and is over 8,000 years old. It is home to one of the most diverse segments of ocean life in the world, and the foundation aims to plant 25,000 heat-tolerant corals by the year 2021 — a mission worth supporting, I’d say.
Around this time of year, we’ve all come to expect a whole slew of limited edition watches to hit the market, all hungry for your hard-earned dollars. Oris is of course one of those companies, but with Oris, their approach to their limited edition Aquis watches supports a cause that the brand has been deeply pursuing for the past few years. Oris has consistently been releasing Aquis models that support aquatic conservation projects, with their Hammerhead LE, Clipperton LE, Source of Life LE, and more. Their dedication to this cause in my opinion not only makes these limited edition models more enticing (aside from the dashing good looks), but also feel more authentic & genuine.
This latest entry to the Great Barrier Reef family of Aquis watches is easily my favorite so far. I’ve always been a fan of the Aquis design, and with the aqua blue dial, matching ceramic bezel, and interesting date function, I think this Great Barrier Reef III makes for an attractive model, made even more enticing by the association with the Reef Restoration Foundation. The Oris Great Barrier Reef III is limited to 2,000 units, and will be available starting in June 2019 at a retail price of CHF 2,450. oris.ch
