Oris Hangang Limited Edition

Oris has an ongoing commitment to environmental conservation with a focus on cleaning the world’s waterways. Awareness and money have been raised over the years via partnerships with the Clean Water project, Reef Restoration Foundation, Coral Restoration Foundation and other non-profits, and limited edition Aquis dive watches complement these efforts. Previous models include the Clean Ocean Limited Edition, Lake Baikal Limited Edition and Carysfort Reef Limited Edition, and the latest Hangang Limited Edition takes us to the Hangang River in Seoul, South Korea. Oris is partnering with Seoul KFEM, part of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, to help clean the most important river in the capital. 

The ongoing Oris “Change for the Better” campaign is highlighting the plight of the Hangang River, the second-longest river in South Korea and most vital as it supplies water to 10 million residents in Seoul. Its current state is perilous as decades of pollution are overwhelming what should be a pristine waterway. Rolf Studer, Co-CEO of Oris, has a succinct message: “Conserving the world’s water is critical; it’s also possible if we work together.” The partnership with Seoul KFEM will include a series of clean-up days where hundreds of local volunteers remove plastic and other pollutants along the river. As a non-profit organization, Seoul KFEM relies on partnerships for donations and awareness, and sales of the new Oris Hangang Limited Edition will help fund these clean-up initiatives. The brand’s global reach will also raise critical awareness for ongoing volunteerism in the city.

The Hangang Limited Edition is based on the impressive and high-performance Aquis Circular Date with colour changes for this year’s partnership. The 316L stainless steel case is 43.50mm in diameter and features a unidirectional rotating bezel with green ceramic insert. A detailed 15-minute scale and Arabic numerals engraved every ten minutes for the 60-minute timer are capped by a 12 o’clock triangular marker. The signed, screw-down crown has a wide knurled pattern and is partially guarded by extensions in the case. A domed sapphire crystal with an interior anti-reflective coating protects the dial, while the solid steel caseback has engravings of the Hangang River map. As with all Aquis watches, this is a serious diver with water-resistance of 300 metres. 

The dial has a sunburst green finish with an exposed circular date window just inside the indices. Unlike other models with a dedicated hand pointing to the date, a white marker under the dial’s centre section highlights the number. Within that central section is a seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and bold applied indices mark five minutes along a simple outer track. The hour and minute hands, and all indices have white Super-LumiNova inserts. Legibility is excellent with the silver and white hands and indices against the deep green dial. Similar to Tudor’s Black Bay divers, the main difference between this and other limited edition models is the colour of the dial and bezel, but that seemingly simple change has a big impact on the watch’s personality. 

The heart of the Oris Hangang Limited Edition is the Oris 743 automatic, based on the Sellita SW220-1. It has 28 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock and circular date with date corrector. The movement is undecorated but does have the signature red Oris rotor, although it’s hidden behind the steel caseback. 

The watch comes fitted with the Aquis stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp and appreciated extension. The Oris Hangang Limited Edition will be limited to 2,000 pieces and include a special presentation box. The retail price is CHF 2,500 with availability in August 2020.

For more information and to make a purchase, visit the Oris website.