INTO GREATER DEPTHS

Oris plunges deeper into its marine conservation collaborations, as it launches the highperforming Oris Hammerhead Limited Edition. By Nen Lin Soo.

It doesn’t matter what you do. Just do something,” says Michael Meier, regional manager of Oris, on a private yacht charter as we sail across Langkawi Island’s pristine waters. Meier’s strong call for action comes as Oris unveils its Hammerhead Limited Edition amidst the island’s lush landscape, where soaring hills and postcard-worthy beaches served as backdrop for the occasion. When Oris launched its first diver’s watch in the ’60s, it also marked the beautiful beginning of an intricate relationship, one that would cement the Swiss watch manufacturer’s commitment to marine conservation efforts for decades to come. Today, with the release of the Hammerhead Limited Edition, Oris continues in the same vein of its stated mission more than 50 years ago. As the name suggests, proceeds from sales of this timepiece are already funding projects researching scalloped hammerhead sharks, the first shark species to be protected by the US Endangered Species Act, and also one of the most threatened highly migratory sharks. Collaborating closely with Pelagios-Kakunjá, a non-profit organisation, the Hammerhead Limited Edition is inspired by the second-generation Oris Aquis watch, launched earlier this year. Water-resistant to an impressive 500 metres and encased in stainless steel, the back of this limited-edition timepiece also features an embossed hammerhead shark and an engraved number— after all, only 2,000 pieces of the Hammerhead Limited Edition are available worldwide. And as with most of Oris’s dive watches, the applied indices, as well as hour and minute hands, are made luminescent by Super-LumiNova, a glow-in-the-dark necessity for a holistic underwater experience. While the photoluminescent Super-LumiNova is extremely functional in a diver’s watch, perhaps it also alludes to Oris’s deep-seated intention to shine light on the declining population of the world’s sharks—about 100 million sharks are killed every year. “This watch is both a stark reminder of the threat facing the world’s shark population, and clear evidence of Oris’s commitment to fighting the extinction of endangered species,” explains Ulrich W Herzog, group chairman of Oris. With the sun setting on the Langkawi archipelago, and in those few minutes before complete darkness, the Oris Hammerhead Limited Edition comes to life with its domed sapphire crystal and Super-LumiNova feature—a reminder that this timepiece is more than just a diving essential. Available at Swiss Watch Gallery boutiques nationwide. www.swisswatchgallery.com.my

Fighting the threat of shark extinction, one timepiece at a time

Oris Hammerhead Limited Edition, RM12,900

Embossed hammerhead shark raises awareness any time of the day

DID YOU KNOW? The recently released Oris Staghorn Restoration Limited Edition is also one of the many diving timepieces that contribute greatly to Oris’s marine conservation efforts.