Remember when Oris introduced the Aquis GMT Carysfort Reef Limited Edition" If that doesn?t ring a bell, what if I asked if you could recall the solid gold Aquis that Oris released in early 2020" There have been a bunch of Aquis releases in the last two years, but that solid gold GMT stands out for being something that?s a little rare in the Oris catalog: an unabashed luxury object. Oris, obviously, makes plenty of very nice watches at a variety of price points and styles, but a nearly $20,000 solid gold sports watch is a flex. Now, two years later, Oris has introduced a watch that I think has a similar vibe, but a very different aesthetic: the Sun Wukong Artist Edition. This watch built on the Aquis platform has a stunning cloisonne? enamel dial that is unexpected, luxurious, and appears to be executed with the very highest level of skill and craft.
First, let?s talk a little bit about cloisonne? enamel, because it?s a type of craft usually associated with a type of watchmaking that just doesn?t get covered much in the pages of Worn & Wound. Obviously, this is a type of enamel dial making, but the cloisonne? enamel technique uses small compartments (cloisons, in French) on the object being enabled to hold colored enamel powders in place before they are fired at high temperatures in a kiln. A really well made cloisonne? enamel design can have extremely intricate details, and the process is considerably more difficult than traditional enameling becaus...