Last week, we found our way to a not so little town located in the southeastern corner of South Australia called Mount Gambier, for a very special occasion. Independent Swiss Watchmaker, Oris launched the new James Morrison ‘Academy Of Music’ (AoM) Limited Edition – a watch that pays homage to one of the regional city’s most high-profile residents.
Jazz great, James Morrison established the James Morrison Academy of Music (JMA) in Mount Gambier in conjunction with University of South Australia five years ago, attracting undergraduate students and lecturers from around the globe.
Hosted by Oris Regional Director, Michael Meier and General Manager Oris Australia, Peter Borghouts the two day event kicked off with a fairly short, but a ride of a lifetime on a Pilatus PC-24 Private Jet, from Melbourne to Mount Gambier. The official program commenced with the Academy’s annual award ceremony, where the winner of the JMA “Excellence in Performance” Award, William Pethick, was presented a watch from the coveted ORIS Jazz Collection honouring international greats including Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Later that evening, we joined James Morrison and a host of his Academy Graduates in their end of year celebrations to witness a feast of great music.
On day 2 guests and select media were treated to an elaborate breakfast at the city’s famous Pumping Station with views overlooking Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake.
“It’s incredible – ORIS have taken so much care to make something really special, and it’s a great honour to think that these striking blue watches will go all around the world with that logo on the back talking about the Academy and Mount Gambier,” James Morrison added.
“We like our watches to tell a story, and we are thrilled to be able to share the great work of James Morrison and his work with the next generation of jazz greats with the rest of the world; we have been working with James on design options for quite some time, and it’s a really nice dress watch that people will enjoy wearing,” said Michael Meier.
Click here to know more about the new Oris James Morrison ‘Academy Of Music’ (AoM) Limited Edition
Set inside the 38mm round multi-piece stainless steel case, the stunning gradient ‘dégradé’ dial is imbibed with a gorgeous blue colour palette that has been inspired by the Blue Lake in Mt Gambier. While the black-and-blue look of the timepiece makes a fashion-forward statement, the printed indices and the central golden hours and minutes hands, filled with SuperLuminova, offer great readability. The counterbalance of the central seconds hand, which is shaped like the finger hook of a trumpet, adds to the overall charm of this piece. The caseback is engraved with the academy logo (a trumpet) and the limited edition number.
Powered by a high performance 733, base SW 200-1 movement, the watch delivers a power reserve of approx. 38 hours. While the well-sealed case helps ensure water resistance up to 3 bar, it comes fitted with a black leather strap replete with a stainless steel folding clasp.