The Oris El Hierro Limited Edition diver’s watch is made to help fund research of the submarine volcanic eruption off the cost of El Hierro in the most southwestern of the Spanish-owned Canary Islands.
In October 2011, several strange activities were observed off the coast of El Hierro, such as patches of pale-colored water, dead fish floated on the ocean surface, and also locals noted a strong smell of sulphur in the air. These all were the first signs of a submarine volcanic eruption which happened some 1,000 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The eruption continued until March 2012, leaving the cone of the volcano only 86 meters beneath the water’s surface.
The Swiss manufacturer has partnered with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) to support three student scholarships at the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and will use the funds which will be raised through sales of this limited edition timepiece to help pay for it.
The scholarships will be open to students who are studying for a Master’s degree in oceanography and will include internships which will be framed to the Master thesis project in relation to the El Hierro volcano.
Oris El Hierro Limited Edition Watch is housed in a black DLC-coated stainless steel case measuring 43mm in diameter. The case incorporates a unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel with red and gray minute scale on black surface. The black and gray color theme reminiscent of the volcanic rock, whereas the red used on the ceramic bezel minutes scale, dial and central seconds hand echoes molten lava.
The sporty case is coated on both sides with anti-reflective sapphire crystals. The new Oris boasts an exceptional level of water resistance – up to 300 meters (approximately 1,000 feet), which is made possible thanks to the screw-locked security crown.
The new Oris features a sleek, black dial with applied indices and hour and minute hands filled with Superluminova coating, which guarantees excellent legibility no matter how poor the visibility.
The reverse side of the watch reveals the engraving of the volcano and its coordinates.
Oris El Hierro (ref. 01 733 7653 4783 Set RS) is equipped with the Oris 733 (base Sellita SW 200-1) automatic movement which is capable to store enough power to keep the watch working for about 38 hours. The impeccable mechanism with bi-directionally rotating red rotor is built on 26 jewels and oscillates at the rapid frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (4 Hz).
The El Hierro is secured to the wrist with a black rubber strap with the Oris-developed safety anchor and quick-adjust sliding-sledge folding clasp. This special edition timepiece will be issued in the limited series of only 2,000 pieces. Each piece will be delivered in a special box and will be available for the retail price of CHF 1,950 (about $2,000).
