Oris Unveils Lake Baikal Limited Edition Watch, To Support Research Of The World’s Fresh Water Lake Supplies

Swiss watch brand Oris has been making headlines around the world over recent years for its continued support of our Earth and conservation efforts. Just this week the brand announced the release of the beautiful Lake Baikal Limited Edition watch that will help toward conserving water and supporting a project based at Siberia’s largest freshwater lake and the source of much of the world’s fresh water.

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake at 1,642 meters and is believed to be 25 million years old. It is responsible for holding 20 percent of the world’s fresh lake water reserves. Approximately 300 rivers flow into the lake and it is home to thousands of plants and animals that are under threat from man-made pollution.

The new Oris Lake Baikal Limited Edition watch is based on the brand’s beloved Aquis diver watch. Sales of the watch will help raise funds that support Point No.1 – a project run by the Scientific Research Institute of Biology at Irkutsk State University. This is the longest-running and most detailed environmental water monitoring project in scientific history and has been ongoing for 75 years. In fact, year-round, a team of at least seven scientists work at Point No. 1, collecting and testing water samples and observing the lake’s various planktons and life. However, time and again, due to lack of funding, the project’s continued work is in danger.

With the Oris Lake Baikal Limited Editon watch – created in just 1,999 pieces (marking the year Russia adopted the Baikal Law protecting the lake) – portions of the proceeds of the $2,250 will go to the cause. If supporting the world’s fresh waters is not enough, take a closer look at the watch.

The multi-piece 43.5mm stainless steel case (with unidirectional rotating bezel and ceramic insert) boasts a rich gradient blue dial reminiscent of the lake itself.  The hands and indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova® for easy night time reading and there is a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The steel case back features a Lake Baikal engraving. The watch is built with a screw-in security crown and crown protection and is water resistant to 300 meters. It is sold with a steel metal bracelet.

Powering the dive watch is the Oris 733 automatic movement with center hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window at 6:00, instantaneous date, date corrector and stop second. It offers 38 hours of power reserve.

“We’re proud to support the foundation and to be contributing to the continued operation of ‘Point No.1’ and the long-term health of the lake. Together, we can bring positive change to the environment,” says Rolf Studer, Co-CEO of Oris. “Water is the source of life We believe passionately in conserving it for future generations, and also in acting responsibly as citizens of the world to bring positive change. Every year we seek out pioneering organizations who share these values and work to protect the world’s water.”

As mentioned, Oris has been on a mission over the years to bring ‘Change for the Better’, working with non-profit organizations and conservations agencies all over the world, with a particular focus on water, the oceans and the life they contain.

Among its recent causes, the brand has worked with the underwater Coral Restoration Foundation to restore the world’s coral reefs, and the  Clipperton Expedition, a  “citizen-scientist” event to study the atoll  located in a critical migration corridor used by a number of threatened species of sharks.

We applaud Oris in its crusades. Perhaps, had more efforts like this been undertaken in other lakes around the world, we might not be witnessing the extinction of the Chinese Paddle Fish (just declared extinct in China).