ReviewA Call To Action On Climate Change—Presenting The Oris Dat Watt Limited Edition
Over the last decade, Oris have been engaged in furthering their ‘Change for the Better’ campaign, which aims at preserving the ecosystem by adhering to sustainable and ethical watch manufacturing. The Hölstein-based Swiss watch manufacturer have introduced a new addition to this mission—the Dat Watt Limited Edition, which supports the conservation of the Wadden Sea—the largest unbroken tidal flat ecosystem in the world
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Over the last couple of years, discussions around climate change have gathered steam and become integral to public discourse. After all, it’s now a key element that’s altering political, economic and social narratives. While naysayers may disagree vehemently; one cannot look the other way when an image of a starving polar bear wandering the desolate Arctic region surfaces in the media, or news of algae blooming on Antarctica’s snow—as reported by a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey, last year. As unprecedented events continue to unfold, large conglomerates and businesses are pivoting to unleash a change, which is the need of the hour. From sustainable manufacturing and ethical sourcing of raw materials, to recycling, upcycling and reducing their carbon footprint—companies are leaving no stone unturned in going green to save the ecosystem.
The watchmaking industry, too, has undergone a sea change where brands are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon to give back to society. And Oris have been a frontrunner of this movement since 2010, when they started collaborating with organisations to put the spotlight on their conservation initiatives with the help of special edition watches. In April, Oris unveiled the Dat Watt Limited Edition as part of the new launches during the 2021 digital edition of Watches and Wonders. Based on their famed Aquis collection known for its robust diver’s watches that exhibit purpose-oriented design and functionality—Dat Watt translates to ‘Wadden Sea’ in the local German dialect. Crafted using high-tech materials, this watch is limited to 2,009 pieces, which marks the year when the Wadden Sea was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also supports the conservation activity happening around this largest unbroken tidal flat and barrier-island depositional system in the world, which is a vital stopping point for more than 10 million migratory birds, every year.
Change For The Better
For Oris, this is not just a marketing activity or an attempt to stay relevant while everyone is trying to or talking about taking the sustainability route. This stems from a genuine effort to be part of or support organisations that are undertaking conservation of the environment. It dates back to their first collaboration—The Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition—unveiled a decade ago as part of their dynamic ‘Change for the Better’ campaign. For this the brand had used a 47mm Aquis dive watch to support the Australian Marine Conservation Society, which works to protect marine wildlife off the coast of Australia.
Since then, there have been many Orises that have taken forward the ‘Change for the Better’ campaign. The latest torchbearer of the campaign, the Dat Watt Limited Edition is a product of Oris’s partnership with the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS)—a trilateral organisation covering Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Its primary focus is to conserve and protect the Wadden Sea—the world’s largest unbroken tidal flat system, which was awarded ‘World Heritage Site’ status in 2009 by UNESCO—highlighting its importance to global biodiversity. “When we heard about the scale and value of the work done by the CWSS, we felt compelled to offer our support,” says Oris co-CEO, Rolf Studer. “Apart from raising awareness, we will also be supporting the organisation’s conservation efforts with funds raised from sales of the Dat Watt Limited Edition. Why? [Because] It’s the right thing to do,” he explains.
With oceans covering 70 percent of the earth’s surface, and being polluted by seven million tonnes of plastic dumped into their waters each year, this surely seems like a step in the right direction. More so, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the need to take responsibility for our world has never been greater. Oris take this responsibility extremely seriously, and aim to become climate neutral this year. This involves taking action to recycle more, reduce emissions, and improve manufacturing facilities among other initiatives. Because of its trilateral organisation and the Wadden Sea’s UNESCO status, the CWSS choose partners carefully, ensuring they conform to environmental codes and practices. “Oris approached us, which was much appreciated. However, we had to evaluate the company before entering into a partnership. We found that Oris follow the highest standards of sustainability, and that they have a strong track record of working with esteemed environmental organisations,” says Bernard Baerends, executive secretary, CWSS, who’s been entrusted with overseeing the smooth functioning of tasks at the organisation.
He truly believes that this global, tangible mission will help to make the world a better place. “The partnership is our first with a private company outside the Wadden Sea area, and it is set to run for a minimum of three years. It begins with the specially developed Dat Watt Limited Edition watch. We’ll be running some events together to raise awareness, and, importantly, funds raised by sales of the watch will finance a project that we would not otherwise have been able to launch,” he elaborates.
According to Baerends, the activities essential to modern-day lifestyle practised by humans is the biggest threat to the Wadden Sea area. This includes pollution from shipping and harbour development, introduction of alien species with ballast water, dredging and mining activities, unsustainable tourism, and certain fishery activities.
Wadden Sea: Why It’s Important In The Larger Scheme Of Things
Oris’s ‘Change for the Better’ campaign is also a holistic mission. While it’s about conserving our planet, it also aims to improve people’s lives. Over the past decade, the Hölstein-based Swiss watch manufacturer have worked with non-profit environmental organisations and clean-up movements all over the world. These include the Coral Restoration Foundation, UK-based Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and the Carl Brashear Foundation, which works for social causes.
The Wadden Sea is recognised as being of global significance for the conservation of biodiversity, and ecological and geological processes that, till date, proceed mostly naturally. At any one time, there are more than six million birds within its borders, apart from about 12 million migratory birds passing through it, each year. The salt marshes host around 2,300 species of flora and fauna, and there are a further 2,700 species in the marine and brackish areas. “Ecologists have been documenting it since the early 20th century and it’s become a reference point for comparison with other tidal flats around the world. It’s also a shallow environment, which makes it of vital importance to the reproduction of many fish species. Overall, the Wadden Sea uniquely demonstrates how nature, plants and animals adapt themselves to constantly changing conditions,” states Baerends.
Oris Dat Watt Limited Edition
This is a robust diver’s watch, equipped for taking a plunge into the deep, mysterious depths of the oceans. It weighs about 190gm, and on taking a closer look, the dial captures one’s gaze with its deep blue gradient—starting from a grey near six o’clock, gradually proceeding to a light blue, and eventually finishing in a deep blue hue in the upper half. It may not be for those who prefer more minimalistic dials, but may interest watch aficionados who would love a different take on the moon phase display.
Case
It comes in a 43.5mm stainless steel case that’s water-resistant to 300m. Its multi-piece design offers great comfort on the wrist, and the solid caseback is screwed down, with a special engraving of the Wadden Sea tidal flats. This also helps in offering greater water resistance as the chances of water seeping in are minimised. A unidirectional-rotating bezel tops the case, which is also protected by a sapphire crystal glass, domed on both sides and treated with an antireflective coating. The case comes affixed to a polished stainless steel bracelet.
Dial
Apart from its beautiful blue gradient, the dial represents a unique take on the moon phase indication. It displays the lunar cycle and tidal range in the Northern Hemisphere via the Oris-developed Pointer Moon function, created for professional divers. The central white hand, with an arrowhead pointer, indicates the phases of the moon, depicting the major phases in symbols—the new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, and finally new moon again. The lunar cycle takes approximately 29.5 days, which are also indicated around this display, with the half days indicated via dots. This display also shows tidal range. Now tidal range is basically the difference between high tide and low tide, which are impacted by the phase of the moon. This difference is maximum during a new moon or full moon and minimum during the first and third quarters (the exact half-moon). Hence, the arcs of the tidal wave variations are shown in tandem with the moon phases on this chart. So when the moon hand is set to the correct current moon phase, the tidal range arc that the hand intersects with also shows you the difference between the high and low tides. For instance, with the moon hand on the 10-day mark of the lunar cycle, seen here, it’s quite clear that the tidal range is closer to the minimum. This means that high tide isn’t all that high and low tide isn’t all that low during this phase.
Besides this centrepiece of a display, the dial’s other elements include the main timekeeping hands and applied indices—coated with Super-LumiNova to offer great legibility in the dark or even underwater—as well as a rectangular date window at six o’clock.
Movement
At the heart of the Dat Watt Limited edition lies the automatic calibre 761—a Sellita movement, modified by Oris to track the lunar cycle. It beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and supplies a power reserve of at least 38 hours. It also carries the trademark Oris red rotor, which is not visible due to the solid steel caseback. Apart from hours, minutes and seconds, it offers functions such as a moon phase display, the date, a date corrector, timing device and stop-seconds, for accurate time-setting.
With sustainability at the core of its philosophy, the Oris Dat Watt aims to raise awareness about the potential effects of climate change, and why the time is right to act now!
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