Oris Aquis Sun Wukong Limited Edition

The challenge with this charming collaboration was to reimagine a familiar, culturally hugely significant story in a watch. Watches offer a small, largely static canvas – how to show the furious motion of a monkey with superpowers in such a small space? Oris designers saw an opportunity in the Monkey King’s staff, a magical red and golden pillar he uses to defeat his enemies. The seconds hand became that weapon, red with golden tips. To express how fast the Monkey King spins it in battle, the designers abstracted the form, adding repeating flashes of blue that diminish and return in size and colour to suggest constant motion. The effect is intoxicating, creating a tangible and yet otherworldly impression of a fast-spinning staff, which becomes almost audible as you look at it. Beyond its unique, playful aesthetic, the Sun Wukong Limited Edition carries the same quality signifiers and refined silhouette the Aquis Date has become known for. It has a 41.5 mm stainless steel case and a uni-directional rotating bezel that’s equipped with an ocean blue ceramic bezel that plays an appreciable role in delivering the watches singular character. Crown protectors, a screw-down crown and a stainless steel bracelet with an extendable folding clasp serve as a reminder of the watch’s impeccable underwater credentials – as the dial indicates, the watch is water-resistant to 30 bar (300 metres). Inside it is an automatic mechanical movement that provides the watch with its sweeping, spinning central seconds hand. Completing the story, the case back is engraved with the head of Sun Wukong and his staff, while the same dial abstraction repeats on the special presentation case. Only 2,000 pieces will be made.