Oris’s latest high-performance limited edition diver’s watch is made in support of Coral Restoration Foundation™, an organisation bringing Change for the Better to the world’s oceans – Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition Steel.
What lies beneath
Below the surface of the waves, a global ecological disaster is unfolding. Oris is on a mission to reverse it, working with Coral Restoration Foundation to bring Change for the Better
Over the last 30 years, scientists calculate we have lost 50 per cent of the world’s coral reefs to coral bleaching and man-made causes. Worse, without direct action, coral reefs could become extinct inside 80 years.
Oris, which is on a mission to bring Change for the Better, supports a number of nonprofits working to secure the future of our oceans. This year, we’re partnering again with Coral Restoration Foundation, a Florida-based organisation that has become the world’s leading expert on coral restoration.
Earlier this year, Oris released the first Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition, a 50-piece limited edition gold version of the Aquis GMT diver’s watch, to raise funds and awareness for the foundation. Now, Oris is releasing a second piece in stainless steel, limited to 2,000 pieces and also produced in support of the foundation (see below).
Why? While they cover just 1 per cent of the Earth’s surface, coral reefs support at least 25 per cent of all marine fish species. In turn, these sustain the health of our oceans, which produce 70 per cent of the world’s oxygen. Our planet depends on their survival.
They also contribute hugely to the world’s economy. It’s estimated that coral reefs have a global value of close to $10 trillion.
‘Coral reefs are a critical part of a healthy ocean and provide essential ecosystem services,’ says Martha Roesler, Coral Restoration Foundation’s Chief Development officer. Hear her story on page 6.
The Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition is a watch for the future of our planet.
Hope springs in the deep
Despite the damage, there is hope. Coral Restoration Foundation is returning life to Florida’s Carysfort Reef
Oris is delighted to continue its support of Coral Restoration Foundation. Based in Florida, the foundation has developed restoration methods that have been adopted by enterprises around the world, including the Reef Restoration Foundation, which Oris partnered with last year for the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III.
Oris began working with Coral Restoration Foundation in 2014 as part of its mission to bring Change for the Better. That year, the organisation’s founder, Ken Nedimyer, was recognised as Oris’s Sea Hero of the Year and given a grant towards the foundation’s work.
The first watch collaboration followed in 2017 and proved to be a huge success in raising funds and awareness for the foundation. Oris is thrilled to be able to step up its support again for the organisation’s vital work with the launch of the Carysfort Reef Limited Edition.
The name Carysfort is taken from the iconic Carysfort Reef, a coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary near Key Largo, Florida. Carysfort is part of the Florida Reef Tract, which is the third largest barrier reef in the world and the only barrier reef in the USA. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was the epicentre of the early recreational dive industry.
Over the last 40 to 50 years, the reef has been severely degraded and coral populations in the Keys have declined by around 98 per cent.
But all is not lost. The foundation has been working to restore Carysfort Reef since 2014 and has already made significant strides towards securing its future.
So far, the foundation has returned nearly 25,000 corals to the reef through its outplanting programmes, a figure that will rise to at least 30,000 by the end of 2020.
‘Humanity has never before faced the extinction of an entire ecosystem,’ says Martha. ‘But despite the ongoing threat to coral reefs from climate change, there is still hope.’
It’s a remarkable achievement, and the result of incredible vision, energy and commitment. Oris is proud to join the foundation in celebrating a golden moment.
A climate of change
Coral Restoration Foundation’s Martha Roesler explains the foundation’s work and how together we can bring change
First, tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Martha Roesler and I’m Chief Development Officer at Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF). I’ve been working in conservation for over 20 years and I joined the foundation in 2014. My job is to build partnerships and raise funds and awareness.
What is Coral Restoration Foundation?
CRF is a non-profit and the world’s largest coral reef restoration organisation. We’re headquartered in Key Largo, Florida, and we’re working on reversing the damage done to the Florida Reef Tract. We run programmes to restore the reef and to conserve the coral species that once thrived on it.
Why the focus on Carysfort?
Carysfort Reef is one of the world’s most iconic coral reefs. It was the epicentre for the early recreational dive industry and a premier fishing destination for US presidents. And it was where the world’s first underwater colour photograph was taken. Carysfort was once the crown jewel of the Florida Keys reef system, but its health has severely degraded since the 1970s. There’s now a critical need for coral restoration to restore Carysfort to a healthy, thriving reef system.
How important are coral reefs?
For 500 million years, reef ecosystems have persisted in shallow seas around the globe, mostly near tropical shorelines along the equator. They are one of the oldest and most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. Although coral reefs cover less than 1 per cent of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25 per cent of all marine fish species. Coral reefs are a critical part of a healthy ocean and provide essential ecosystem services. Over 70 per cent of the oxygen on Earth is produced by the oceans. Coral reefs are important for human subsistence, supporting fisheries that provide protein for billions of people. They form natural barriers that protect shorelines and infrastructure from wave energy and storm surges. Coral reefs are estimated to have a global value of close to $10 trillion USD.
we’re looking to restore an area about the size of 17 American football fields”
How serious is the problem and what created it?
We’re seeing dramatic and negative changes because of climate change. Because of it, sea surface temperatures are rising, ocean acidification is increasing, sea levels are rising, storm patterns and precipitation are changing, and ocean currents are altering. Coral reefs are now experiencing higher ocean temperatures and acidity than at any time in the last 400,000 years.
What’s the worst-case scenario?
Coral reefs are now the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. Humanity has never faced the extinction of an entire ecosystem, yet we have lost 50 per cent of the world’s coral reefs in the last 30 years. In 80 years, they could be extinct.
How do you restore coral?
We begin by establishing underwater nurseries in coastal marine waters. Corals reproduce in two ways: sexually, through spawning, and asexually through fragmentation. When corals are fragmented, the fragments grow into new genetically identical colonies. These are suspended on underwater Coral Trees, where they grow to a size and maturity that allows them to be outplanted back to the reefs.
How long does this process take?
It takes between six and nine months. CRF staff and volunteers regularly visit these nurseries, where growing corals are monitored and cleaned of algae. Once they are ready to outplant, corals are removed from the nurseries and transported to restoration sites. Our team then uses an underwater epoxy to attach the corals to the reef substrate. This year, we’re incorporating new techniques that will allow us to outplant larger corals onto the reef and restore ecosystem functionality more quickly.
What kind of scale are we talking about?
CRF is returning a huge volume of corals across the tract. In total, we’re working to restore an area over the next three years of 91,850m2. That’s about the size of 17 American football fields.
Can we save the world’s coral reefs?
Yes, absolutely. Reef restoration is a longterm investment. But despite the ongoing threat of climate change, there is still hope.
How can people get involved?
Direct ways like donating, fundraising and volunteering their time, and we need people to raise awareness. More than that, together, we need to create what we call a Climate of Change – taking positive actions for the health of our environment. That’s things like reducing your carbon footprint, going plastic free, using reef-safe sunscreen and so on. And by buying the Oris watch!
Carysfort Reef Limited Edition
The third watch Oris has produced in support of Coral Restoration Foundation is limited to 2,000 pieces and cased in steel. It can show the time in three time zones simultaneously using the 24-hour scale laser-engraved into the ceramic bezel
Case
- Multi-piece stainless steel case,
- bi-directional rotating blue and black (day/night) ceramic bezel with GMT scale
- Size 43.50 mm (1.713 inches)
Dial
- Blue gradient
- Luminous material Hands and indices with Super-LumiNova®
Top glass
- Sapphire, domed on both sides,
- anti-reflective coating inside
Case back
- Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings
Operating devices
- Stainless steel screw-in security crown
Bracelet
Stainless steel metal bracelet, or orange rubber strap, both with stainless steel security folding clasp with extension
Water-resistance
- 30 bar (300 m)
Movement
- Number Oris 798
- Functions:
- Centre hands for hours,
- minutes, seconds and 24 hours,
- date window,
- instantaneous date,
- date and 24-hour corrector,
- fine timing device and stop-second
- Winding Automatic
- Power reserve 42 hours
Limited edition 2,000 pieces, each presented in a special box made using sustainable algae, available June 2020
Swiss retail price
- CHF 2,850 (bracelet)
- CHF 2,650 (on strap)
