With this new special edition collection, Swiss watch brand Oris continues its mission to conserve water, the source of life. The Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition is based on the high-performance Oris Aquis diver’s watch and made in partnership with the Lake Baikal Foundation.
Sales of the watch will help raise funds in support of ‘Point No.1’, a Lake Baikal conservation project run by the Scientific Research Institute of Biology at Irkutsk State University. It is also the longest-running and most detailed environmental water monitoring project in scientific history. ‘Point No.1’ is supported by the foundation.
Lake Baikal Point No.1
Siberia’s Lake Baikal, which scientists believe is 25 million years old, is hugely important. It holds 20 per cent of the world’s fresh lake water reserves. It’s the deepest lake in the world at 1,642 metres, some 300 rivers flow into it, and it is home to thousands of species of endemic plants and animals. But it’s under threat from man-made pollution, much of it created by careless industry.
‘Point No.1’ is an historic scientific research centre that has been monitoring Lake Baikal’s freshwater reserves for 75 years.
‘Point No.1’ was founded in 1945 and is recognised as the longest-running and most detailed environmental water monitoring project in scientific history. Three-quarters of a century on, its work continues to breathe hope into the future of Lake Baikal.
Year-round, a team of seven scientists work at ‘Point No.1’. Work starts with collecting samples from the water in summer and from the ice in winter. Conditions vary wildly depending on the season – average temperatures at Lake Baikal range from -21°C in winter to 11°C in summer. These samples are then taken to a laboratory where they are filtered and processed.
The scientists identify zooplankton and phytoplankton, and then record and process the data. From this, they observe patterns that help them monitor the lake’s health. It’s vital work, but the project is routinely threatened with closure due to lack of funds. One of its backers is the Lake Baikal Foundation, Oris’s new partner.
Sales of the Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition will help fund the centre’s work. The watch is limited to 1,999 pieces, marking the year Russia adopted the Baikal Law protecting the lake.
Technical details
Model: Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition
Case
Multi-piece stainless steel case, unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert
Size 43.50 mm (1.713 inches)
Top glass: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
Case back: Stainless steel, screwed, special Lake Baikal insert and engravings
Water resistance: 30 bar (300 m)
Dial
Gradient blue
Hands and indices filled with Super-LumiNova®
Operating devices
Stainless steel screw-in security crown with crown protection
Movement
Number Oris 733 (base Sellita SW200-1)
Winding: Automatic
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Functions
Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window at 6 o’clock, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second
Bracelet
Multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet, folding clasp with extension
Limited edition
1,999 pieces, each presented in a box made of environmentally friendly cardboard
Swiss retail price
CHF 2,250
Available from
February 2020
