Oris partner with The Muppets once more for the most daring ProPilot X yet, courtesy of the iconic Gonzo.
Being an independent watch brand comes with many challenges. Standing out in a world where massive conglomerates control the most prestigious brands in the world is an unenviable task for many, and requires a significant amount of consideration and thought. However, that’s where the benefits of independence come in, as such brands have near-unlimited creative control over their artistic direction.
Before haute horlogerie had its second surge, though, Oris was already making waves within the independent scene. Building a distinctive visual and mechanical identity for themselves, they managed to carve out a niche in the wider watch world long before many others gained the temerity to try.
Despite this, they’ve still opened avenues for themselves to have a bit of fun while they’re at it, collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders to create new and unique designs. In the past few years, Oris has most prominently become associated with Jim Henson’s The Muppets, creating several renditions of their ProPilot X line alongside some of the most whimsical characters in all of media. For Geneva Watch Days 2026, a new character joins Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy as part of the unexpected team-up, and is perhaps the most colourful and unconventional of all.
Defiant Endurance
The Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition takes the most extreme of The Muppets and dedicates the brand’s most extreme watch to him. Much like Gonzo himself, the watch is larger than life, measuring a bold 44mm wide, 52mm lug-to-lug, and 12.6mm thick. However, the ProPilot X remains practical due to its use of titanium throughout. Not only does it make the watch significantly lighter, but it also allows for added corrosion and shock resistance, an important factor in representing the iconic stuntman-showman.
The angular case architecture is defined by faceted surfaces and contemporary lines, while an engine-turned bezel is executed in harder Grade 5 titanium. The ProPilot X’s case is also the perfect frame for conveying Gonzo’s ideals, with crown guards protecting the screw-down crown and completing a construction designed to withstand more than meets the eye. With a practical blasted finish complete with a turbine-inspired knurled bezel in Grade 5 titanium, it is a pragmatic design through and through, making it the perfect candidate for such artistic expression.
The watch comes complete on a similarly blasted bracelet, terminating with Oris’ signature “Lift” folding clasp. Taking after the same design as aeroplane seat belts, it’s a further unique touch that enhances the tactile look and feel of the ProPilot X line. With 100m of water resistance, the new watch is perfectly representative of Gonzo not just in stature, but in robustness, too.
More Than Whatever
But for a character as out there as Gonzo is, of course the design of the watch is similarly so. In stark contrast to the matte titanium, the openworked, skeletonised dial dazzles the eyes with pops of bright blue, red, and yellow. Graduating across a diagonal gradient, it echoes the bright and colourful outfits often worn by Gonzo himself.
Across the dial, even more features have been added by Oris to pay tribute to the character. Within the three o’clock power reserve indicator, the text has been changed to reflect the Great Gonzo’s stage name with “10 GREAT DAYS”, while the hand itself has been replaced with a chilli pepper in a nod to his iconic shirt.
Additionally, Gonzo’s face can be seen on occasion within the watch’s movement, as his face has been laser-engraved into the massive mainspring that stores power in the watch. As the watch powers down, he disappears, only to reappear again when it’s back in operation.
But with all this extravagance, the ProPilot X remains rooted in practicality. Skeletonised, lumed hands spring towards the white printed minute track, while the small seconds subdial situated between seven and eight o’clock has also been given a lumed hand.
Finally, an iridescent metallic disc surrounds the entire display, providing a halo of light play that segments the dial and case to the eye. With capabilities in precise time-setting amidst its extreme aesthetic, the watch tames Gonzo’s bold characteristics in a design that feels surprisingly grounded for what it is.
Finest Of Fine
And for a stage as big as the ProPilot X, and a personality as distinctive as Gonzo’s, of course the watch was also going to have an extreme movement. You might have already seen most of it from the front, but turning the watch over reveals even more mechanical mastery within.
Behind the open caseback beats the Cal. 115, Oris’ in-house manual-wind spec monster. With a steady 3Hz (21,600VpH) beat rate, the watch carries with it a gargantuan 240-hour power reserve, or ten days in total. This is mostly ascribed to that massive mainspring and barrel, which at 1.2m in total length was big enough to laser-engrave Gonzo’s face into it. With a black finish across the plates and bridges that highlights the gears, jewels, and escapement, it’s a very understated yet mechanically wonderful piece that delivers on all fronts, without upstaging the main star.
Initial Thoughts
Admittedly, I wasn’t all that aware of Gonzo when I first heard this watch was coming out. I’d only very recently gone back down the Jim Henson rabbit hole, and was still coming off the unusual high that was watching David Bowie’s “Magic Dance” in Labyrinth.
However, learning more about Gonzo by association was a highlight of my watch-writing career. Though I’ve had to delve into Muppets lore on occasion with Miss Piggy and Kermit, I never thought I’d be getting to experience the wider Muppets universe through the eyes of horology.
Yet, that’s what the incredible creative control afforded to Oris by its independence allows them to do. Though they’ve never taken their eye off the ball when it comes to making serious watchmaking, the Swiss brand knows that they don’t have to be that serious all the time. So, releasing designs like these on watch lovers’ dream occasions like Geneva Watch Days 2026 shows that fun is still an important factor in the love of watches.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 01 115 7759 7180-Set |
| Dimensions | 44mm case diameter x 52mm lug-to-lug x 12.6mm thickness |
| Case | Grade 2 titanium with Grade 5 titanium bezel |
| Dial | Openworked skeleton with blue/red/yellow gradient |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Manual wind Cal. 115 with small seconds & power reserve indicator complications |
| Power Reserve | 240h (10 days) |
| Beat Rate | 3Hz / 21,600VpH |
| Water Resistance | 100m / 10bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Titanium bracelet with folding clasp |