Introducing the Oris Aquis Date Relief, a Watch That Will Swim Across Siberia’s Lake Baikal

Oris has a long history supporting ocean conservation efforts, and the storied Swiss brand often commemorates these efforts with limited edition watches. The latest collaborative timepiece comes in the form of the Aquis Date Relief, a watch that I got to see in the metal a few weeks back. 

But before I get to the watch itself, some background on the related cause. Oris has teamed up with expedition swimmer and water ambassador Ernst Bromeis, who, in 2019, will swim across a number of the world’s significant freshwater lakes—including Siberia’s Lake Baikal, which is the world’s largest freshwater lake—to raise awareness for our ongoing water crisis. According to the World Health Organization, 3.4 million people—most of them children—die every year as a result of preventable water-related diseases. I and a few other journalists had the good fortune to speak to Mr. Bromeis via teleconference a few weeks back as he was preparing for this arduous task. His upcoming swim has been dubbed “The Blue Miracle.” As you may have already guessed, the watch that will accompany Mr. Bromeis on his journey is the Aquis Date Relief.

The Aquis is a mainstay in Oris’ catalog of dive watches, and it’s a great platform for riffing on the underlying design. For some of our past coverage, check out our articles on the Clipperton, Staghorn, and “Source of Life” limited editions.  

The Aquis Date Relief comes fitted with a warm gray dial featuring a sunburst finish, a vibrant red second hand, and a bezel insert with the markings in relief. The rest of the watch is part and parcel of the Aquis line. The case measures 43.5 millimeters across, and the dial has applied indices which, along with the hands, feature a generous heaping of BG W9 Super-LumiNova. The top glass is double-domed sapphire with an internal anti-reflective coating. Flip the watch around and you’ll find a  screw-down case back with a mineral glass viewing window. The case is rated to 300 meters. 

Powering the watch is Oris’ 733 caliber, which is a rebadged Sellita SW200-1. This is an automatic caliber based on the ETA 2824, and it features 26 jewels, 38 hours of power reserve, a beat rate of 28,800 vph, and a date complication. To learn more about these calibers, click here. 

If there is one point of contention with the Aquis range, it’s the odd lug width. That said, these watches are perfect with the accompanying bracelet or rubber, so even I, a self-diagnosed strap fanatic, can’t bemoan this too much. In addition to the stainless steel bracelet ($2,000) and the rubber strap available in both red or gray ($1,800), there’s also a gray leather option ($1,850).

The Oris Aquis Date Relief launches today. Oris