Oris has brought Disney’s The Muppets back to the watch world with its boldest collaboration yet: the ProPilot X Gonzo Edition. Following the colorful Kermit and Miss Piggy releases, this new 44mm titanium timepiece turns The Great Gonzo’s chaotic showmanship into a serious piece of mechanical watchmaking, complete with a skeletonized dial, a ten-day power reserve, and a hidden Gonzo portrait that appears as the watch is wound.
For collectors, the appeal is immediately clear. This is not simply a character graphic placed on an existing watch. Oris has used the ProPilot X Calibre 115 platform to build a mechanical feature around Gonzo himself, making the collaboration feel integrated into the movement rather than applied as a decorative afterthought.
A Gonzo Design That Rewards a Closer Look
The watch is built around a multi-piece titanium case measuring 44mm in diameter, with a matching titanium bracelet and a water-resistance rating of 100 meters. The large, architectural case is familiar to collectors who know the ProPilot X Calibre 115, but the Gonzo edition gives the platform a significantly more theatrical personality.
Its skeletonized dial shifts through blue, red, yellow, and orange tones, echoing Gonzo’s blue fur, flamboyant wardrobe, and larger-than-life stage presence. A shimmering dial ring adds another layer of color, changing its appearance depending on the light. The result is considerably more expressive than the comparatively restrained standard Calibre 115 models.
The character references are deliberately scattered throughout the design. At 3 o’clock, the non-linear power-reserve indicator uses a red chili-pepper-shaped hand, a nod to the chili-patterned shirts associated with Gonzo. The power-reserve scale is marked with “10 GREAT DAYS,” transforming the movement’s technical specification into a direct reference to Gonzo the Great.
The most inventive detail is hidden at 11 o’clock. As the watch is wound, the coils of its extended mainspring draw together and align to reveal Gonzo’s smiling face. When the spring unwinds, the image gradually disappears. This gives the watch a small mechanical performance of its own, which feels especially appropriate for a character whose entire identity is built around spectacle.
Calibre 115 Brings Serious Watchmaking to the Collaboration
Inside the watch is Oris’s manually wound Calibre 115, a skeletonized movement with a stated power reserve of 240 hours, or ten days. The movement operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour and includes central hour and minute hands, small seconds at approximately 7:30, a stop-second function, and the non-linear power-reserve display.
The extended mainspring is one of the movement’s visual signatures, and it also provides the perfect canvas for the hidden Gonzo animation. Instead of placing the character on a rotor, date wheel, or caseback, Oris makes the mainspring itself part of the character design. That is an unusually thoughtful solution for a licensed watch.
The movement can be viewed through the screwed titanium and sapphire caseback, while the front uses domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. Oris also includes a special luxury wooden presentation box, giving the release a more premium presentation than a typical pop-culture accessory.
Although the watch is playful, its specifications place it firmly in Oris’s high-end mechanical range. The titanium construction helps offset the imposing 44mm dimensions, but collectors with smaller wrists may still find the ProPilot X Calibre 115 visually dominant. This is a statement piece rather than an understated everyday watch.
How It Compares with the Earlier Muppet Editions
The Gonzo edition is the third collaboration between Oris and Disney’s The Muppets. The 2023 ProPilot X Kermit Edition used a 39mm case, a green dial, and a date display that revealed Kermit’s face on the first day of each month. The later Miss Piggy Edition moved to a smaller 34mm stainless-steel case with a hot-pink dial and more jewelry-oriented detailing.
Gonzo takes a different route. It is larger, manually wound, more technically elaborate, and significantly more expensive. Oris lists the U.S. price at $10,500, compared with the current listed prices of $5,100 for the Kermit Edition and $3,300 for the Miss Piggy Edition. The Gonzo model is also presented as a regular collection release rather than a numbered limited edition.
That positioning may divide collectors. Reviews and early hands-on coverage have generally praised the colorful dial, the iridescent ring, and the way the Gonzo references are woven into the movement. Reviewers have also pointed out that the character can be surprisingly difficult to see unless the watch is fully wound, meaning the most distinctive feature is not permanently visible.
That criticism is fair, particularly for collectors who want an unmistakable character watch. The Kermit and Miss Piggy editions communicate their themes instantly. Gonzo is more subtle: the colors and chili hand are visible at all times, but the actual portrait is dependent on the state of the mainspring. The trade-off is that the watch feels less like branded merchandise and more like a serious mechanical object with a secret.
A Premium Collectible for the Right Kind of Muppet Fan
At $10,500, the ProPilot X Gonzo Edition is not positioned as an impulse purchase for a casual fan. It is aimed at the collector who appreciates both the Muppets and high-end mechanical watchmaking, particularly the kind of enthusiast who enjoys unusual complications, skeletonized movements, and design details that reveal themselves over time.
It also has stronger appeal for collectors who view licensed collaborations as part of a broader design or horological collection rather than as conventional character merchandise. The watch can sit comfortably alongside other colorful independent Swiss releases, yet it retains enough Gonzo-specific detail to reward franchise fans.
There are clear compromises. The 44mm case will not suit every wrist, the manual-winding movement demands regular interaction, and the Gonzo portrait is not always visible. The price also places it well beyond the reach of many Muppet collectors who might otherwise be interested.
Even so, the concept is unusually coherent. Gonzo is a character defined by risk, eccentricity, and a willingness to turn every appearance into a stunt. The ProPilot X Calibre 115 is similarly unapologetic: oversized, openworked, mechanically complex, and difficult to ignore.
Collector verdict: The Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition is best suited to dedicated Muppet fans, independent-watch enthusiasts, and premium collectors who enjoy collaborations with genuine mechanical substance. It is less accessible than the Kermit or Miss Piggy models, but it is arguably the most technically interesting and thematically integrated entry in the series.
Sources
- actionfigureinsider.com
- oris.ch
- hodinkee.com
- fratellowatches.com
- monochrome-watches.com
- teddybaldassarre.com
- gq.com
