Oris introduces another watch created with the intention of making the world a better place in line with their Change for the Better projects. This time the watchmaker has produced the Oris Dat Watt limited edition to conserve the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in conjunction with the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWWS) and its mission to conserve the Wadden Sea, the world’s largest tidal system.
The latest project with CWSS, a tri-lateral organization covering Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands works to conserve and protect the Wadden Sea, the world’s largest unbroken tidal flat system. In 2009, UNESCO awarded it a World Heritage Site status to reflect its importance to global biodiversity. At Oris, the brand takes this responsibility extremely seriously, which is why they are on a mission to bring Change for Better. As well as entering into partnerships with conservation agencies and supporting projects designed to clean up the world’s water sources, we’re also on a sustainability drive here in Hölstein.
Dat Watt means ‘the Wadden Sea’ in Low German and the Dat Watt Limited Edition timepiece is based on the Oris Aquis diver’s watch, named after a local dialect for the Wadden Sea. The 2,009 pieces mark the year the Wadden Sea was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
“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. “As well as raising awareness, we will also be supporting the organization’s conservation efforts with funds raised from sales of the Dat Watt Limited Edition because it’s the right thing to do.”
The Dat Watt Limited Edition is a special watch. Its dial displays the lunar cycle and tidal range in the Northern Hemisphere via the Oris-developed Pointer Moon function, created for professional divers. This works using a central white pointer hand that once aligned with the correct day in the 29.5-day lunar cycle, shows the corresponding tidal range via the white outline on the dial. The same hand indicates the waxing and waning of the moon.
The watch case is made of a multi-piece stainless steel case with a unidirectional rotating bezel. The case diameter measures 43.50 mm and the watch dial is a gradient blue/grey with luminous material hands and indices with Super-LumiNova. The watch is covered with a top glass sapphire, domed on both sides with an anti-reflective coating inside and the case back is made of stainless steel, screwed down and features special engravings. The watch has a stainless steel screw-in security crown with crown protection and the bracelet is made of stainless steel with a folding clasp with extension.
Each watch is water resistant to 300 meters and the watch is fitted with an in-house Oris 761 movement which includes centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, centre hand moon phase, date window, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop seconds. The watch is automatic winding with a 38-hour power reserve. The watch is supplied in a special presentation box and retails for CHF 2,450 and is available at select retailers and online from May 2021.
The Wadden Sea covers an area of 11,500 km2, has a 500 km coastline and is a vital stopping point for more than 10 million migratory birds every year. At eye level, it’s not always easy to appreciate the scale and beauty of the Wadden Sea, the largest unbroken tidal flat and barrier-island depositional system in the world.
The Wadden Sea is hugely biodiverse. At any one time, there are more than 6 million birds inside its borders. Each year, between 10 and 12 million migratory birds pass through it. 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, and more than 30 species of breeding birds. As with so many marine environments, the Wadden Sea is under constant threat from fishing, harbor development, oil and gas rigs, wind farms, maritime traffic, residential and tourism development, and the impact of climate change.