Oris ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition
The Oris ProPilot X Goes Hot, Piggy Pink
Today’s release of Oris’ rosy ode to the inimitable Miss Piggy serves as the watchmaker’s sophomore collaboration with the world of the Muppets.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
By the time Sesame Street hit the PBS airwaves in 1969, I had aged out of the educational content presented. Still, I watched along with my younger sisters, entranced by puppeteer Jim Henson’s Muppet characters and always on the look-out for more sophisticated comedic angles that brought a more-adult entertainment level to the program’s world of fun education for kids, like the Dracula-inspired Muppet character called “The Count” taught children to, well, count.
I was, however, the perfect age to appreciate The Muppet Show, which ran in the US in syndication from 1976 to 1981, as well as the Muppet movie series, which kicked off in 1979.
Freed from the educational focus on Sesame Street, the Muppets took on a more directly adult version of humor, satire and, well, hipness. I mean, Debbie Harry (of Blondie fame) even sang a duet with Kermit the Frog on the show in 1981.
Kermit Kick-Off
So, when Oris released the ProPilot X Kermit edition at 2023’s Watches and Wonders conclave (with a not-so-oblique promise that there was more to come), no one was more delighted than I was.
Arguably the most popular Muppet character, Kermit’s appearances span the history of the Muppets, and many fans feel the frog was almost a puppet-avatar of the late Jim Henson’s mood, humor, and even physical appearance.
Naturally, the collaborative watch became one of the unexpected “hits” of that year’s Geneva show.
Enter The Pig
However, the bold, glamorous, fit-throwing diva Miss Piggy is a pure product of the latter Muppet Show era, presenting a challenging counterpoint to Kermit’s every-Muppet persona and creating a kind of beloved felt-based feminist historical icon, to boot.
The new stainless steel ProPilot X Miss Piggy come in a 34mm case, which the character herself might describe as “diminutive and ladylike,” but it certainly doesn’t close off the timepiece to any one gender.
Picking up the core design of the existing Pro Pilot X’s sporty nature with a protected crown, knurled bezel engraving, polished and brushed steel bracelet, and Oris 531 automatic movement for power, the pink dial is probably the most special element of the package.
Dialed In
In truth, the dial isn’t merely pink; it’s HOT pink, which was the only logical option. Of course, the hue dominates the dial; however, its intensity blends with the equally hot pink bar indices to downplay the Oris logo and badging on the dial, thus allowing the gleaming hands and single lab-grown baguette diamond at 12 o’clock to claim the spotlight. Miss Piggy would approve.
In a press release for this new ProPilot X, Oris Co-CEO Rolf Studer speaks directly with the character herself, saying: “We’re very excited to be working with ‘vous,’ Miss Piggy, the world’s most fabulous pig. Like you, we’re optimistic about the future, and we want to have some fun getting there.
“Life’s too short not to have big dreams and to enjoy yourself. We made this watch for independent, stylish, and, above all, fabulous individuals, and we couldn’t think of a better collaborator than you, a global icon, to be the star of the project.”
As an added attraction, the caseback features a tiny “spy hole” aperture revealing a small image of Miss Piggy that rides along with the lilac-colored movement rotor, popping in and out of frame as the rotor spins.
Muppets Moving Forward?
Of course, with Kermit and Miss Piggy Oris editions now out and about, the natural question shifts to: Who’s next? The ever-popular Elmo might be an odds-on favorite, but please allow me to put forward a candidate, the creator of what might legitimately be one of the funniest jokes ever, Fozzie Bear.
Pricing & Availability
Released today and available at select Oris retailers and via the Oris website as you read this, the retails for CHF 2,800. Kissy, kissy!