Whale Watching: Oris Completes the Ocean Trilogy with Limited-Edition Blue Whale Chrono

Oris’s Ocean Project, an initiative “to clean, protect and restore the world’s oceans by supporting pioneering non-profit organizations,” kicked off at Baselworld 2019, with the launch of two timepieces with ocean conservation themes, the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III and Clean Ocean Limited Edition (you can read about their details here). At the recently concluded CoutureTime watch event, Oris gave us a hush-hush sneak preview of the watch that completes the so-called Ocean Trilogy, and now we can reveal it. Here’s a look at the new Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, each of which devote proceeds from their sales to specific organizations — the Reef Restoration Foundation for the Great Barrier Reef, and Pacific Garbage Screening for the Clean Ocean — the Blue Whale will earmark a percentage of its proceeds to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the leading charity devoted to protecting endangered whales and dolphins. (The Blue Whale, the largest animal on the planet, is particularly vulnerable, with perhaps as few as 10,000 of them remaining, their population decimated in the past by commercial whaling and currently threatened by environmentally caused habitat loss.)

The Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition, like the other two timepieces in the Trilogy, is based on the brand’s Aquis divers’ watch and is limited in numbers. But whereas the Great Barrier Reef and Clean Ocean models offer a run of 2,000 pieces each, the Blue Whale is made in a much smaller edition of only 200 pieces. Furthermore, unlike its brethren, which can be purchased individually, the Blue Whale is only available in the special three-piece Ocean Trilogy box set, which comes in a very colorful (and on-theme) presentation box made from recycled plastic bottles.

As for the watch itself, its stainless steel case measures an ample 45.5 mm in diameter and is water-resistant to 500 meters. Its ratcheted unidirectional divers’ bezel, made of aqua blue ceramic, surrounds a gradient aqua blue dial that is notable for its 3-6-9 chronograph subdial arrangement — the first time this design has been used for an Aquis chronograph. The sapphire crystal over the dial is domed on both sides and nonreflective-coated on its inner surface. The hands and indices are coated with Super-LumiNova.

The movement inside, behind a solid steel caseback specially embossed with the image of a blue whale, is the self-winding Oris Caliber 771, based on the Sellita SW500-1. Offering a 48-hour power reserve and a 28,800-vph balance frequency, it powers the Blue Whale’s combination of functions, which comprise central hours and minutes; a 1/4-second chronograph, with 30-minute and 12-hour counters at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock, respectively; a date indication, with quick correction, displayed between 4 and 5 o’clock; and continuous running seconds, with a stop-seconds device, on the subdial at 9 o’clock.

The Oris Blue Whale Limited Edition comes on a brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet with a security clasp and divers’ extension. As stated previously, one can’t purchase it individually; the price for the Ocean Trilogy set — all three limited-edition watches in the collectors’ box made of recycled plastic, available as of June — retails for $10,500.