Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition Brings The Great Gonzo To Life

A 10-day power reserve hides a playful mechanical surprise inspired by The Muppets’ legendary daredevil.

Oris and Disney’s The Muppets introduce the ProPilot X Gonzo Edition, a special edition based on the ProPilot X Calibre 115 and inspired by The Great Gonzo.

Bold, eccentric and completely comfortable with being different, Gonzo is one of The Muppets’ most recognisable characters. His unpredictable personality and love of impossible stunts provide the inspiration for a watch that takes the unconventional character of the ProPilot X Calibre 115 and pushes it into a much more colourful direction.

The collaboration marks Oris’s third watch with Disney’s The Muppets, following previous creations dedicated to Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

Inspired By The Great Gonzo

Gonzo first appeared on The Muppet Show in 1976, where his introduction involved eating a rubber tyre to the tune of Flight of the Bumblebee. He would go on to become one of the show’s best-loved performers, known for his improbable missions and increasingly outrageous stunts.

The character’s curiosity, enthusiasm and individuality became the foundation for the ProPilot X Gonzo Edition.

Oris chose the ProPilot X Calibre 115 as the canvas because of its unconventional architecture and distinctive mechanical features. The titanium watch already combines a skeletonised movement with a 10-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator.

From there, the design becomes unmistakably Gonzo.

A Mechanical Rainbow

The dial is skeletonised and finished in a gradient of blue, red and yellow, inspired by Gonzo’s fur and colourful personal style.

A lasered dial ring adds another layer of visual playfulness. Depending on the angle from which it is viewed and the surrounding light, the ring can appear as polished steel or shift through colours of the rainbow.

The hands and indices are filled with Super-LumiNova®, while the power reserve indicator takes the form of a chilli pepper — a reference to one of Gonzo’s iconic shirt designs.

Even the power reserve scale has been given a character-specific treatment. Instead of simply counting down ten days, it displays ten “GREAT” days, referring to Gonzo’s stage name: The Great Gonzo.

Gonzo Hidden In The Mainspring

The most unusual detail, however, is hidden inside the movement. The ProPilot X Calibre 115 features an open barrel, allowing the mainspring to become part of the visual story. The metal coil measures 1.8 metres in length and carries a laser-etched image of Gonzo.

When the watch is fully wound, the individual sections of the mainspring align to form Gonzo’s smiling face. As the watch runs and the power is gradually consumed, the image begins to disperse into individual fragments. As the chilli-shaped indicator approaches zero, Gonzo effectively disappears. Wind the watch again, and the image gradually returns as the mainspring tightens.

According to Oris, the effect represents a first in Swiss watchmaking. It also creates a mechanical sense of suspense, with Gonzo literally appearing as the watch approaches its full 10-day power reserve.

A Watch That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

The Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition reflects a particular aspect of Oris’s identity: the ability to take watchmaking seriously without taking itself too seriously. The mechanical engineering remains central to the watch, but the collaboration transforms technical details into playful elements.

The open barrel becomes Gonzo’s stage. The mainspring becomes his face. The power-reserve indicator becomes a chilli pepper, while the ten-day scale becomes “GREAT” days.

The result is a watch where the character is not simply printed onto the dial. Instead, Gonzo becomes part of the mechanical experience.

Designed To Be Discovered

According to Oris Head of Design Lukas Bühlmann, the challenge was to find a connection between the serious aspects of mechanical watchmaking and the playful character of The Muppets.

The design team revisited The Muppet Show while developing the watch and worked with Disney’s team representing Gonzo.

The ProPilot X Calibre 115 was chosen partly because its unconventional architecture created opportunities to incorporate the character directly into the movement.

The result is deliberately different. Its monochromatic titanium base provided a starting point for the bold colour experimentation, while the open barrel allowed the Gonzo animation to become a mechanical feature rather than simply a decorative element.

The ProPilot X Calibre 115

At the heart of the watch is Oris Calibre 115, a hand-wound movement with a 240-hour, or 10-day, power reserve.

The movement features centre hands for hours and minutes, small seconds, a non-linear power reserve indication at 3 o’clock, a fine timing device and stop-seconds function. The case is made from titanium and measures 44mm in diameter, 12.60mm thick and 52mm from lug to lug.

A multi-piece titanium bracelet is fitted with an Oris-developed folding clasp, while water resistance is rated at 10 bar, equivalent to 100 metres.

The Third Muppet Watch

The ProPilot X Gonzo Edition continues Oris’s collaboration with Disney’s The Muppets. As with the previous Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy creations, the character is designed to appear for a specific, limited period within the watch. But Gonzo takes the concept further by making his presence part of the movement itself.

The result is a ProPilot X that combines serious mechanical engineering with one of The Muppets’ most eccentric personalities — a watch that is technically ambitious, visually unexpected and, appropriately for The Great Gonzo, not afraid to put on a show.

Technical Specifications

For more information, please visit the official Oris website.

Explore the releases of 2026.