Oris Hangang Limited Edition Supports River Restoration in South Korea

Over the past several years, Oris has become almost as well known for its environmental initiatives as for its value-proposition Swiss timepieces: so far in 2020, the brand has released two versions of its Carysfort Reef timepiece, whose proceeds help support of coral reef restoration. This week, it follows these up with another limited edition, again based on its popular Aquis dive watch — this one inspired by, and dedicated to, the plight of the Hangang River in South Korea.

The Hangang is South Korea’s second longest but most important river, running through the capital city of Seoul and supplying water to its 10 million inhabitants. Years of neglect and pollution, however, have damaged the quality of the Hangang’s water, prompting South Korea’s largest NGO, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) to initiate a project to restore it. Oris’s new partnership with the KFEM continues the Swiss watchmaker’s Change for the Better campaign, which prioritizes protection and restoration of the world’s water and which has produced a series of limited-edition Aquis diver’s watches — the latest being the Oris Hangang Limited Edition, a series of 2,000 pieces.

Like its predecessors in the collection, the watch has a stainless steel case, measuring 43.5 mm in diameter and water-resistant to a professional-grade 300 meters. Its unidirectional dive-scale bezel has a green ceramic insert, reflecting the bright, gradient green tones of the dial — colors inspired, says Oris, by the waters at the Hangang River’s source. This model’s date display is a 31-day ringed scale on the inner dial, while its running seconds indication is on an understated subdial at 9 o’clock. The hands and indices are treated with Super-LumiNova and the domed sapphire crystal over the verdant dial has nonreflective coating on both sides.

As per tradition in its environmentally conscious Aquis limited editions, Oris has given this one a specially decorated caseback, here with an engraved map depicting the Hangang River’s path through South Korea, along with the watch’s limited edition number. Behind that caseback beats the movement, the automatic, Sellita-based Oris 743, with a 38-hour power reserve, a quick date corrector, and a stop-seconds function for easy re-setting. The watch is attached to a stainless steel link bracelet with a security folding clasp and diver’s extension, and comes in a special presentation box. The Hangang Limited Edition is available in August 2020, priced at $2,600.

As part of its partnership with KFEM, Oris will support a series of clean-up days in which local Seoul-area volunteers will work to pick up litter, plastic and other pollutants from in and around the Hangang. For more Oris limited-edition watches that benefit water charities, click here.