Oris is turning to the Chinese Zodiac to close out their 120th year, and look ahead to new beginnings in 2025. This week, the brand is releasing a new ProPilot X Year of the Snake limited edition that brings a vibrant teal dial inspired by the Chinese Zodiac representing wisdom, wealth, agility, and intelligence. If you’re not familiar with the 12 cycles of the Chinese Zodiac, there’s still plenty to enjoy with this one, as there are no symbols or engravings incorporated into the design. The result is the first caliber 115 equipped ProPilot X to be released in years, and certainly the most colorful one we’ve seen to date.
The ProPilot X caliber 115 was initially released in 2019, and it’s a watch that was meant to be a technological showcase of the brand’s manufacture caliber 115 boasting a full 10 day power reserve. It also set the stage for the ProPilot X caliber 400 that would be released in 2022, a more daily accessible variation using the brand’s new caliber 400 architecture. It is this smaller ProPilot X that’s received most of the attention in recent years, but the caliber 115 equipped references have never left. This release is a celebration of that unique platform, and perhaps a signal that we’ll see more from this collection heading into 2025.
The ProPilot X Year of the Snake uses the familiar 44mm titanium case and shield style bracelet that we saw the watch release with. The bracelet may look integrated at a glance, but there are a traditional set of lugs here that can accept third party strap options. It’s a short lug, though, so it wears a bit smaller than you might expect. Obviously, the use of titanium also helps with the overall wearability factor.
What’s new here is the dial plate which defines the sub dials as well as the hour and minute index around the perimeter. Oris have rendered this component in deep blue green that creates a lovely contrast with the opened areas revealing the works of the movement underneath. The large 10 day power reserve indication still dominates the right side of the dial, and the hand indicating the pattern is shaped like the body of a snake, but not in a manner that’s over the top. This watch walks a fine line and I think it comes out just on the side of palatability.
Oris is planning to produce just 88 examples of the ProPilot X Year of the Snake in celebration of the Chinese New Year, with each priced at $9,100. The watch is available now from Oris and Oris authorized dealers. Oris
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