Introducing the Oris TLP Limited Edition, a New ProPilot Made in Partnership with a Spanish Flight Academy

Oris has introduced their latest pilot’s watch, a limited edition entry in their longstanding ProPilot line made in partnership with the Tactical Leadership Programme, a pilot training school based in Albacete, Spain. The TLP was founded in 1978, and is a training ground for NATO allied coalition forces in preparation for tactical air operations. This is by no means the first pilot’s watch to be associated with a flight school (IWC’s Top Gun series comes immediately to mind) and the connection might not mean much to the average enthusiast unless they have a crossover interest with aviation, but it underscores the very real connection that these tools have certain niche groups who rely on them while performing tasks that are literally death defying. To that effect, Oris is making a version of this watch available to graduates from the TLP that can be customized with their name, graduation year, and a limited edition number. The rest of us will have to make due with the stock version, which is a handsome enough tool watch on its own merits. Let’s take a look. 

The key feature of the TLP Limited Edition is certainly its green dial, in a shade that calls to mind military uniforms and has been chosen by Oris to match the flight overalls worn by TLP pilots. Depending on where you start counting, we’re either deep into the second year of the green dial revolution, or it’s just starting to hit the mainstream. But it’s no doubt a trend, and it feels natural in the context of an Oris pilot’s watch. The green is contrasted with the beige text of the Oris wordmark and “Big Crown ProPilot TLP” signature at 6:00, as well as a red tipped seconds hand. A day and date indicator at 3:00 breaks up the dial’s symmetry and will likely turn off some potential customers, but the ProPilot line tends to place function first, so it’s no surprise that it’s here. 

The 44mm case is PVD coated in gunmetal gray and is anti-reflective, which seems like a feature you’d want in a watch worn by a pilot at high altitudes well above cloud cover. The coin edge bezel is a signature of the ProPilot line that has been ported over to this watch, and when combined with the gray finish to the case it gives the watch a decidedly utilitarian feel that is completely appropriate for a watch of this type. The TLP Limited Edition is also water resistant to 100 meters and features a screw down crown, sapphire glass crystal, and lumed hands and hour markers. The watch runs on the Oris 752 caliber, which is their take on the Sellita SW220. 

Another detail on the TLP Limited Edition that might be of interest to pilots or anyone interested in aviation history is the strap, which is made of Ventile. This material, used in immersion suits, is often credited as saving the lives of World War II pilots forced to ditch at sea. Today it’s application is more widespread, with Ventile found in all manner of products made to be used outdoors in harsh environments, but Oris has clearly included it in this release as a nod to history. 

The TLP Limted Edition is available now, with a retail price of $2,400. It will be limited to just 750 pieces. Oris