The 1857 Limited Edition Club: Oris Aquis Hammerhead
- 20 Feb 2018
Last March, at BaselWorld, Oris unveiled their newly refined Aquis collection, this eyebrow raising move took a lot of people by surprise, why change the brands bestselling line? They simplified the dial, reduced the lug size and took about a third of the steel out of which was admittedly a fairly hefty bracelet. The new and improved diving watch received a lot of plaudits from journalists and customers alike, Oris had managed to retain the character and functionality of an extremely good value Swiss made mechanical diving watch without alienating fans of the original.
Not satisfied at revamping the line, Oris complimented this with the release of two limited edition Aquis pieces, the Hammerhead and the Staghorn Restoration, here we will focus on the former.
Oris have upped the Hammerhead's water-resistance to 500 meters from the standard 300m on the Aquis. The watch, as with most diving watches, features a screw-down crown with crown protectors, and a unidirectional rotating bezel with a black ceramic insert. Inside, Oris has gone with their calibre 752, a Sellita-based automatic movement with day and date indications at three o'clock. Despite slimming down the case and bracelet, Oris has, perhaps in the spirit of the colossal Hammerhead Shark, increased the case size to 45mm. All in all, it has quite a presence on the wrist without riding too high, a perfect watch for diving, either in the sea or at the desk!
Now for the interesting part, this watch has a specific and charitable aim, to raise funds for a shark conservation project run by the NGO Pelagios Kakunjá, this is supported by Oris ambassador and professional diver Jrôme Delafosse.
Of all sea creatures, sharks are perhaps the most feared. For 400 million years, this fascinating creature has dominated the oceans, and has essentially remained unchanged. Very few people are killed each year by sharks, yet their powerful jaws have become synonymous with danger. But for many shark conservationists, including Jrôme, this perception needs to change. Today, the shark is threatened around the globe“ and population numbers are dwindling fast. There are more than 500 species of shark worldwide, ranging in size from the small dwarf lantern shark, a species that measures around six inches in length, to the formidable whale shark, which is the largest fish in the world at 12 metres long. Each year, it's estimated that around 100 million sharks are caught around the world.
The piece is limited to just 2,000 pieces worldwide and is priced at £2,020.00.
"ORIS supports my mission in enlightening the public about saving the oceans. It's time to make a difference."
JÉRÔME DELAFOSSE (Documentary Maker, Environmentalist and Professional Diver)
