Oris's 'Kermit Edition' Watch Proves That Sometimes, It IS Easy Being Green

Welcome to Dialed In, Esquire's weekly column bringing you horological happenings and the most essential news from the watch world.

In watchmaking, collabs with popular children’s characters have been a bankable fixture ever since the first Ingersoll-Waterbury Mickey Mouse watch appeared in 1933, when the eponymous mouse was just 5 years old. The deal saved the watch brand from looming bankruptcy and helped boost Disney and the young star when his fame was far from assured. In the modern age, such co-branded exercises can be big money-spinners—but they are not free from risk. Playing with such recognized and iconic characters can look—unless handled intelligently—like a cynical (or just-plain-too-easy) marketing ploy. And securing credibility amongst often vocal watch nuts is never a foregone conclusion.

This did not prevent Swiss brand Oris from walking away with (according to us, at least) the unofficial title of “cutest watch launch of Watches and Wonders” thanks to its collaboration with Disney’s The Muppets. The ProPilot X Calibre 400 Kermit Edition comes in an unmissable luminous green in honor of the famous frog. However, unlike other character watches where, like the original Mickey Mouse, the arms usually stand in for hour and minute hands, Kermit himself is absent from the clean dial display. Except, that is, for the first day of each month, when his face pops into view—instead of the number 1—in the tiny date window at 6 o’clock. Oris calls it "Kermit Day," and wearers may well be tempted to fiddle endlessly with the date adjust setting when showing it off in the pub.

Here's where, for our money, Oris got it bang on. Instead of picking any old watch from its stable, the brand chose the sleek, clean lines of the 39mm ProPilot X and then went further, executing it in a very businesslike titanium. Inside lies an equally grown-up Calibre 400 in-house automatic movement with a whopping 120-hour (or 5days) power reserve. At $4,600, it’s not cheap—but you’re getting a lot of watch on top of the Kermit, with a compelling balance of playfulness and seriousness in a highly wearable package that will make it a sought-after piece on the secondary market long after it has first sold out. Not surprisingly, the first batch of the Oris Kermit did indeed sell out in a matter of days, but more stock is online now. That's the kind of good news fans will appreciate hearing any time—whether it's Kermit Day or not.

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