Oris has returned to the sea for its latest limited-edition Aquis Date, this time looking to kelp forests rather than open blue water for inspiration.
The Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition uses the brand’s updated 41.5mm dive watch architecture as the base for a green, textured dial created to draw attention to one of the ocean’s most important habitats.
It also continues a familiar thread for Oris, whose recent special editions have tied the Aquis line to marine conservation projects and environmental storytelling.
At a glance
- Oris has introduced the Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition, a 1,000-piece dive watch inspired by threatened kelp forest ecosystems.
- The watch features a textured ocean-green dial, a 41.5mm stainless steel case, a green ceramic bezel and 300 metres of water resistance.
- It is powered by Oris calibre 733 and is priced at CHF 2,450.
Aquis design with a conservation focus
The Kelp Forest edition sits within Oris’s broader pattern of using limited-edition watches to support awareness around marine ecosystems.
Previous Aquis-related projects have included watches connected to the Yangtze Jiangtun and New York Harbour, both examples of the brand looking beyond conventional product storytelling.
This edition was created with Francis Pérez, the award-winning underwater photographer and long-time Oris ambassador.
The subject is kelp forests, which provide shelter for marine life and play a role in absorbing carbon.
That ecological context gives the watch a clearer identity than a simple dial variation, particularly for collectors who are drawn to dive watches with a point of view.
The kelp-inspired dial
The dial is the most distinctive part of the watch, using a three-dimensional printed texture intended to evoke strands of kelp moving through underwater currents.
Its green surface shifts with gold-toned variations, giving the dial more movement than a flat sunburst or matte finish.
Oris has kept the Aquis layout intact, with applied hour markers, central hours and minutes hands, a running seconds hand and a date at 6 o’clock.
The hands and markers are outlined in gold and treated with Super-LumiNova, while the lollipop section of the seconds hand also carries luminous material.
It’s a restrained use of colour rather than a full thematic overhaul, which suits the Aquis well.
The updated 41.5mm Aquis case
The watch uses the 41.5mm Aquis Date case updated in 2024, with revised proportions, more ergonomic lugs and a redesigned bracelet.
The stainless steel case is brushed and polished, measuring 12.9mm thick and 49mm from lug to lug.
As expected from the Aquis platform, the practical dive-watch hardware remains in place.
There’s a screw-in security crown with crown guards, 300 metres of water resistance and a unidirectional rotating bezel fitted with a green ceramic insert and graduated minutes scale.
A domed sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating sits over the dial, while the screwed stainless steel caseback carries a special kelp engraving.
The bracelet is also stainless steel with brushed and polished finishing.
It uses a folding clasp with a quick-adjustment system, plus a quick-change mechanism for easier removal.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Oris |
|---|---|
| Model | Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition |
| Case size | 41.5mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel, brushed and polished |
| Thickness | 12.9mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 49mm |
| Water resistance | 300 metres |
| Bezel | Unidirectional rotating bezel with green ceramic insert and graduated minutes scale |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating |
| Dial | Ocean-green textured dial inspired by kelp forests |
| Lume | Super-LumiNova on hands, hour markers and seconds-hand lollipop |
| Movement | Oris calibre 733, based on Sellita SW200-1 |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, central seconds and date |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | 41 hours |
| Additional movement feature | Stop-seconds function |
| Bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp, quick-adjustment system and quick-change mechanism |
| Caseback | Screwed stainless steel caseback with special kelp engraving |
| Limited edition | 1,000 pieces |
| Price | CHF 2,450 |
Calibre 733 inside
The Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition is powered by Oris calibre 733, a movement based on the Sellita SW200-1.
It provides the essentials for a daily-wear dive watch, including hours, minutes, central seconds and a date display.
The movement runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 41-hour power reserve.
A stop-seconds function allows more precise time setting, which is useful for anyone who treats a mechanical watch as more than jewellery.
Limited to 1,000 pieces, the Oris Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition is a clear fit for Aquis collectors, dive-watch buyers who prefer environmental context with their tool-watch design and anyone drawn to a green dial with genuine depth.
