The 23k Euro Cloisonné Enamel Oris Aquis You Were Not Expecting…

Wait… What? An Oris Aquis dive watch with a cloisonné enamel white gold dial, priced at EUR 23,500… Yes, that thing, as surprising as it may sound, is real. And yes, it is quite a departure from the usual price range and utilitarian style of the brand. In short, it is quite an unexpected release by Oris, to say the least, and quite a bold move from the brand, admittedly. So let’s have a look at the new Oris Sun Wukong Artist Edition to understand a bit more what is it all about. 

The base for this new, very exclusive Sun Wukong Artist Edition is the classic, all-rounder dive watch of the brand, the Aquis Date, and to be more precise the 41.50mm edition with in-house Calibre 400 that has been introduced in mid-2021. So what is different between the EUR 3,000 steel edition with a classic blue dial and the totally unexpected EUR 23,500 edition we’re looking at in this article?

Well, the base is the same. The case is the same, the bracelet with Quick Strap Change system is the same, the base material is the same – you could have expected precious metals at that price, but no, it’s steel – and the movement inside, the recently-introduced 5-day manufacture calibre, is the same too. Something is different regarding the habillage; the bezel has a matte metallic insert with a tone-on-tone scheme and minimalistic 60-minute scale. It’s still otherwise the same capable dive watch we’re used to, with sapphire crystal, screw-in crown, screwed caseback and a 300 metres water-resistance.

So the main change in this Oris Sun Wukong Artist Edition is the dial. It’s the second edition made by the brand in partnership with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio Co. and celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Chinese animated feature film, The Monkey King (Sun Wukong in Mandarin Chinese). But contrary to the first version that was accessible, this Artist Edition is slightly more high-end and features a dial made of white gold and hand-executed thanks to a cloisonné enamel process – silver wires are shaped on a white gold base to form compartments and then filled with coloured glass powder that is fired to make enamel. The result, in shades of blue, depicts “the entrance to the imposing Dragon King’s Palace.” Clearly not your usual Oris, isn’t it?

Inside no changes either, as we find the very capable manufacture calibre 400, with its anti-magnetic properties, comfortable power reserve of 5 days and extended service intervals. More details about the movement are in this article.

Availability & price

Oris Sun Wukong Artist Edition Aquis is a limited edition of 72 pieces. It is now available and retails for EUR 23,500 or CHF 24,000. And if I must admit that the look is surprising but rather appealing (yes, it’s quirky but it kind of works), I’d save 20k and take the classic Aquis Date instead… To each his own!

More detail at oris.ch.