I’ll be honest. I didn’t realize how much I missed having an Oris Aquis around until this one showed up. A few years back, I spent some time with an older Regulator, and that watch stuck with me more than I expected. The case shape, the way it sat on the wrist, the Oris rubber strap. It all came together in a way that just worked for daily wear. Since then, I’ve kept a loose eye on the line. Oris has been steadily evolving the Aquis through dial variations and limited editions, trying to give the platform more personality without changing the core formula. Some of those releases worked for me. A lot of them didn’t.
This New York Harbor Limited Edition II fell into that second category when it was announced. It leaned away from what I usually go for, and I didn’t feel much of a pull. That shifted once I actually had it in hand. After spending real time with it, I found myself paying more attention than I expected, even if parts of it still sit outside my usual comfort zone.
More Than a Dial Swap
The release is tied to the Billion Oyster Project, with part of the proceeds going toward restoring oyster populations in New York Harbor. The project has been around long enough to feel like more than a surface-level brand partnership, which gives the collaboration a bit more weight than the usual limited edition story. It’s limited to 2,000 pieces, putting it in that familiar Oris Aquis territory where Oris uses smaller runs to experiment with materials and themes. Fine. But whether the watch actually holds up once you’re wearing it every day is a different conversation.
The first thing that pulled me in was the dial. I’ve handled more dive watches than I probably need to admit, and very few of them manage to feel genuinely different at a glance. This one does. Colored mother-of-pearl in a diver is uncommon, and here it sets the tone for everything else. Oris calls it an aqua green mother-of-pearl with an oyster shell effect, which sounds like marketing copy, but it holds up once you see it.
Brighter light brings out shifting layers of green that move across the surface. It catches your eye without trying too hard. In lower light, the whole thing settles down and takes on a muted, almost stone-like quality that keeps it from feeling loud. That range is probably what sold me on it. The dial can shift pretty dramatically depending on the environment, but I never once found it hard to read. It’s a little crazy, actually. Depending on the lighting, this almost looks like two different watches in these photos.
Maybe Bigger Than It Should Be, Smaller Than You’d Think
On paper, the case should wear large. We’re looking at 43.5 mm across, just over 13 mm thick, and roughly 51 mm lug-to-lug. But on my 6.75-inch wrist, it doesn’t come across that way. The curvature of the lugs and the integrated strap design pull everything down tight, and the watch sits more compact than the numbers suggest. That’s always been one of the Aquis’ advantages. Most of the case is brushed, which keeps things grounded, while polished edges along the sides catch just enough light to give it some life without tipping into flashy territory.
The bezel uses a stainless steel insert instead of ceramic, which gives it a more industrial, almost raw look. I was more drawn to the action than the aesthetics. Firm, precise, a little clicky. You can feel the purpose in it. Up top, the domed sapphire is coated on the inside, keeping reflections under control without the wear issues that come with external treatments. I didn’t think about it much during wear, which is sort of the point. Crown feel is smooth and controlled, no play, no wobble. Around back, there’s an engraved caseback with oyster details tied to the collaboration, which helps the whole thing feel like a complete package rather than a dial swap with a story attached.
A Strap That I Adore
I wasn’t expecting to like the strap situation as much as I did. This one came on the aqua green rubber, and while I’m usually not a fan of deployant systems, it wasn’t bad here. Once sized, it wears well. Comfortable, secure, and honestly pretty close to what I remember from earlier Aquis models. I actually preferred it over the idea of a bracelet on this one. Given how much case there already is, adding more weight probably would’ve pushed it past the point of being enjoyable for a full day. Water resistance is 300 meters, which is far beyond anything I’d test, but it reinforces that there’s a real diver underneath all that dial drama.
The Calibre 733 Does Its Job
The movement is the Calibre 733, based on the Sellita SW200-1. Automatic winding, hacking seconds, date, and about 41 hours of power reserve. During my time with it, this felt like the right call. It’s not as technically ambitious as something running Oris’s own Calibre 400, but it doesn’t need to be. The SW200-1 is easy to service, widely understood, and predictable. That 41-hour reserve is fine for regular wear, though if you rotate watches you’ll be resetting it after a couple days off. Accuracy landed where I expected with no surprises.
Not an Everyday Watch, and That’s Fine
Spending time with this has been a bit of a reset for me when it comes to the Oris Aquis. It reminded me why I liked the platform in the first place, even if this specific version sits slightly outside my usual color preferences. The case still works. The comfort is still there. And the build is as solid as I remember. The dial is the differentiator here, and it does something I don’t often see in a diver.
Still, some of my initial hesitation hasn’t gone away.
The size, while manageable, leans larger than what I naturally reach for. The strap system is immensely comfortable once you get it all sized up for your wrist. And the overall look, especially with that dial, makes it feel more situational than something I’d throw on without thinking. If I were after a daily Aquis, I’d still lean toward a standard black dial (now I’m browsing other models after writing this up). This is something else. Oris took the same platform and pushed it in a more expressive direction, and the result works better as a watch you come back to when the mood is right.
At $3,000, it’s sitting in competitive Swiss diver territory, right next to watches that are going to give it a fight. The collaboration behind it has some real substance, though, and that’s not always the case with limited editions at this level.
I didn’t expect this watch to change my thinking as much as it did. It didn’t become an everyday piece in my eyes. I don’t think it’s supposed to. But it got me interested in the Oris Aquis again, and I hadn’t felt that way in a while.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.
