"Pink Goes Good With Green" - Oris ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition

The moment the initial press release for this watch dropped into my inbox I knew without a doubt that this was something I had to see in person. So transpired a military operation that consisted of hustling the Oris ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition into our office for 48 short hours before we all headed home for the Christmas holidays.

Unless you happened to be stuck under a rock around the time that Oris launched the ProPilot X Calibre 400 “Kermit Edition”, then you’ll likely already realise that this pink number isn’t the Swiss brand’s first foray into the colourful cartoon world that is home to Disney’s “The Muppets”. The first Muppets collaboration watch, the ProPilot X Kermit, was unveiled back at Watches & Wonders 2023 and immediately sparked a divided reaction amongst enthusiasts and collectors.

Many felt it distasteful for a well-respected watch manufacturer to push the boundaries this far and were surprised to see the brand proffering something a little on the silly side in favour of their typically more classical aesthetic. Though it’s definitely the kind of thing we’ve come to expect from microbrands who tend to have far less to lose and more creative freedom over their designs, some were unsettled to find Oris making such an arguably bold move. Other complaints included legibility, with the white hour markers not being super visible against the Kermit Green dial, and some even questioned the thought process behind pairing a quirky cartoon collaboration with a more restrained pilot watch that you might expect to be taken more seriously.

For those, like me, who place themselves firmly on Team Kermit (or “Team Fun” as our podcast hosts affectionally call it) the real issue is actually Kermit’s lack of real estate on the dial. Sure, the whole thing is plastered in the exact Pantone shade of green as the famous frogs body (although this was up for some debate) but seeing as an emoji of his face only appears on the 1 ^st of each month on the undersized date wheel, there is a good chance that for the everyday folk who don’t self-identify as “watch nerds”, the ProPilot X Kermit might go under the radar as just another (very) green watch.

When taking a side by side look at the two watches that now make up the Oris ProPilot X Muppets Collection, it’s clear to see that the latest addition goes far beyond a simple copy and paste job. Housed in a downsized 34mm iteration of the ProPilot X, the dainty Miss Piggy edition caters to smaller, likely female, wrists. Loud and proud on the hot pink dial you can also find a pink lab-grown baguette diamond nestled comfortably at 12 o’clock. The chunky applied hour markers stand out proudly from the dial but thanks to their complementary pink hue, the jury’s still out on legibility.

Missing out on Oris’ independently conceived in-house Calibre 400 thanks to its streamlined size, the Miss Piggy Edition is powered by the Swiss-made Oris 531 automatic movement which offers centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds as well as a decent 42-hour power reserve.

The change in movement leads us to another distinguishing difference between the two references; the lack of Piggy on the dial. Honestly, as a big fan of perhaps the most glamorous pig on the planet, I’m a little bit disappointed by the subtlety of the dial on this one. I’m obviously not talking about the aesthetic choices because the new Muppets collab is very clearly decorated in a blingy pink but Miss Piggy is noticeably nowhere to be seen. Once you flip over to the back of the watch, you can find her appearing and disappearing on the custom lilac rotor as it spins, but it still seems a shame that she isn’t front and centre to at least the same extent that Kermit was on the first Muppets collaboration. If you know anything about Miss Piggy, I think it’s safe to say it’s not something she’d stand for. “Nobody puts Piggy in the corner” after all…

In all seriousness, I can see why the pig in question might have been relegated to the back of the watch. My guess is that in order to ‘keep it classy’ Miss Piggy was left off of the dial in favour of a more sophisticated approach. But, to be frank, if you’re going to drop roughly £2.5k on a bright pink cartoon watch (albeit a very nice one) then you might as well be able to see the cartoon in question once the watch hits your wrist.

Ultimately though, this watch is a bit of fun, and I’m more than here for it. With Wicked having hit theatres late last year the colour palette attributed to these iconic puppets is still very much on trend as Glinda (played by Ariana Grande in the 2024 movie) famously declares; “pink goes good with green”.

It’s no secret that my preferences lean toward watches with character and a story to tell and the Oris x The Muppets collection delivers this quite literally. Whilst cartoon character watches admittedly aren’t for everyone, in this case you’re getting a lot of great quality watch to back it up, there’ll be no mention of plastic Mickey Mouse watches here.

I for one think seeking joy, even when it’s pink, sparkly and in ode to a cartoon pig is something we should all aspire to.

• Case Multi-piece stainless steel case
• Size 34.00 mm (1.338 inches)
• Dial Pink, lab-grown baguette diamond at 12 o’clock
• Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
• Case back Stainless steel, screwed, see-through mineral glass aperture
• Operating devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown with crown protection
• Bracelet Multi-piece brushed and polished stainless steel metal bracelet with folding “LIFT” clasp
• Water resistance 10 bar (100 m)
• Movement Oris 531
• Functions Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, fine timing device and stop-second
• Winding Automatic
• Power reserve 42 hours
• Special features Lilac Miss Piggy rotor
• Swiss retail price CHF 2’800