The Oris Maldives 300M Diver (Ref. 643 7654 7185 RS / MB) celebrates World Oceans Day while raising some money to Bluepeace, an environmental NGO, which is based in the Maldives and has its main objective “to protect the environment through environmental education and training.”
Like the recently presented limited-edition Carlos Coste Cenote Series diver, the new diving tool features a scratch-resistant rotating bezel that consists of a notched titanium ring and a colored ceramic inlay with the traditional 15-minute diving scale, black minute markers and bold Arabic numerals.
To make it easier to operate the diver in poor lighting conditions, the bezel also sports a tiny orange dot, which is painted at 12 o’clock (or “00 minutes,” if you like.)
Colored in an interesting-looking Titanium Blue shade, the ceramic ring blends nicely with the matte dial of the same color.
Besides being simply pleasant to look at, the dial also serves as a good background for the hour markers and the hands, all of them covered with an orange Superluminova luminescent substance.
Compared to other luminous compounds, usually offered with cheaper timepieces, Superluminova glows longer and brighter, considerably increasing the timekeeper’s legibility and making it more usable deep underwater.
The timekeeper sports the relatively old self-winding Oris caliber 643, which is based on the well-known ETA 2836-2 blank caliber.
Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the movement features a bi-directional automatic winding system with ball bearings and is built on 27 rubies.
Although some of the modified movements are officially rated by the Swiss COSC authority as chronometers, this particular version of the caliber seems to be of a standard variety.
The movement is protected from salty water with a chunky titanium case.
Being whole 43 millimeters in diameter, the case still looks very elegant (especially the version that comes on a metal bracelet) and features a pair of perfectly sculpted crown guards that protect the screw-in titanium crown from occasional bumps.
Since the piece is rated for an impressive depth of 300 meters (30 ATM,) the Maldives is equipped with a helium escape valve (HEV) and sports a solid case back, which is painted with an electric blue Manta-Ray logo.
According to the brand, it is going to donate CHF 20 (around $24 USD) from each limited-edition model sold to Bluepeace (which makes it less than 1 percent of the recommended street price of the timepiece.)
Since the whole run is going to be limited to only 2000 pieces, the guys at Bluepeace will receive less than $50,000 for their cause. Clearly not too much to help an NGO that really tries to save the world.
See also: Doxa SUB 4000T Professional 10th Anniversary Diver
Photos: Oris
Oris Maldives Limited Edition 300M Diver 643 7654 7185 RS / MB specification
Price: From $2450 (rubber strap, Ref. 643 7654 7185 RS) to $2650 (metal bracelet, Ref. 643 7654 7185 MB)
Movement: Automatic, Oris caliber 643, based on ETA 2836-2 ebauche, 25.60 mm in diameter, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, bi-directional automatic winding, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Branded oscillating weight
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power reserve: 38 hours
Case and Crown: Titanium
Bezel: Titanium with ceramic inlay
Shape: Round
Size: 43.00 mm
Lug width: 25 mm
Case height: 14.00 mm
Dial: Titanium Blue
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap: Black adjustable rubber strap or metal bracelet
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Solid, with Manta Ray logo