You cannot blame any watch manufacturer for joining in with worthy causes, especially those championed by woke activists. It’s a win-win, as it deflects criticism of luxury goods and the consumption of resources that inevitably goes with that, plus you get brownie points for saving plants or animal life.
Here’s the word from Oris, who have a great looking dress watch, with a solid 18 carat case, that should appeal to many wealthy people who want to support a good cause while investing in a Swiss watch. The price is high on this one at £14,500, which isn’t expensive for a Swiss watch of course, but it is a serious RRP on an Oris, which is more usually priced at about £1500-£2500.
You do have to consider if this watch will retain its value long term, in say the same way that a Rolex GMT Batman or AP Royal Oak might.
Oris is delighted to announce the Carysfort Reef Limited Edition, the second limited edition diver’s watch made in partnership with Coral Restoration Foundation, the world’s leading coral restoration organisation. By the end of this year, the foundation will have outplanted over 30,000 corals on Florida’s Carysfort Reef, a golden moment Oris is proud to join it in celebrating.
Oris is committed to raising significant funds for Coral Restoration Foundation. The independent Swiss watch company will donate three 18-carat yellow gold watches from the run of 50 limited edition pieces to the non-profit organisation, which will auction numbers 02/50, 03/50 and 04/50 at a series of events this spring. The purpose of this special gold edition is to raise as much as possible in support of the foundation’s pioneering activities.
Oris has been working with Coral Restoration Foundation since 2014 as part of its mission to bring Change for the Better. That year, the organisation’s founder, Ken Nedimyer, was recognised as Oris’s Sea Hero of the Year and given a grant to help further the foundation’s work. The first watch collaboration followed in 2017 and proved to be a huge success in raising funds and awareness for the foundation. Oris is thrilled to be able to step up its support again for the organisation’s vital work.
Limited Edition Has Collector Appeal
The Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition is the first Oris Aquis model produced in solid gold. The case is cast in 18-carat yellow gold, complemented by a solid 18-carat gold bezel with a black and blue ceramic insert. The automatic mechanical watch has a GMT function and can show the time in three time zones simultaneously using the 24-hour scale laser-engraved into the bezel.
The Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition is based on Oris’s high-performance Aquis diver’s watch and features the same standard specifications, including water resistance to 300 metres. But it is the first Oris diver’s watch produced in solid 18-carat yellow gold – the case, bezel, crown and crown protectors are all made of the precious material. Its hands are yellow-gold-plated and filled with luminescent Super-LumiNova®, including the ‘lollipop’ central seconds hand.
The automatic mechanical watch has a GMT, or second time zone function, indicated by a central hand that makes a full tour of the dial once every 24 hours. A second time zone can be read off against a 24-hour chapter ring on the dial, while a laser-engraved 24-hour scale on the bi-directional rotating bezel can be used to indicate a third time zone. The bezel insert is made of scratch- and fade-resistant black and blue ceramic, designed to indicate day and night time for an additional time zone.
The watch has a sapphire crystal over a gradient blue dial that darkens towards the edge, and a date window at 3 o’clock. The solid gold case back has a sapphire crystal inlay decorated with the limited edition number and a special motif celebrating Coral Restoration Foundation’s milestone of 30,000 corals planted. It’s set on a blue leather strap with a rubber coating, and each of the 50 pieces made will be presented in a special wooden box.