Ulysse Nardin article Status Magazine 2012

ULYSSE NARDIN
TIME
OF THEIR OWN
BY
One of the LEADING PRACTITIONERS
of modern watchmaking as HIGH ART,
ULYSSE NARDIN is the ARCHITECT of an
AMBITIOUS HOROLOGICAL PORTFOLIO
that includes the PERENNIALLY ASTONISHING FREAK and the groundbreaking
TRILOGY OF TIME collection. The SWISS
FIRM unveils a NEW IN-HOUSE MOVEMENT this year that keeps it in POSITION
as one of WATCHMAKING’S LEADING
CENTERS of TECHNICAL INNOVATION.
I
n today’s fast-moving watch world, it’s
no longer enough to just keep
abreast of the competition. Another factor to consider is the
expectations of connoisseurs,
who have increasingly
come to expect amazing
new watches every year.
This poses a difficult
challenge for any watch
brand, which typically
needs between three to
five years to develop a
new timepiece.
To m a s t e r t h e s e
forces means constantly
upping your game. And
that’s just what Ulysse Nardin has done with the Marine
Chronometer Manufacture —
a game-changer of a timepiece that
puts the firm in a whole new league.
92
JACK FORSTER
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
A little historical context: Ulysse Nardin was one of
Switzerland’s most famous manufacturers of marine
chronometers. In the days before GPS or radio-beaconaided navigation, a marine chronometer was essential
equipment for travelling the seas. So much so, in fact,
that the race to develop the first marine chronometers
was literally an arms race, as great seafaring nations
used them until the early part of the 20th century for
naval supremacy.
An enduring favorite in Ulysse Nardin’s collection,
the Marine Chronometer wristwatch takes its design
cues from the boxed marine chronometers the firm
made in decades past. While they’ve always been strikingly handsome watches, with accurate,
fine-tuned Swiss movements, the
Marine Chronometer Manufacture represents a quantum leap
for the company.
Fueling that substantial jump is the movement known as UN1 1 8 . I t ’s n o t q u i t e
Ulysse Nardin’s first
in-house automatic
movement. That honor
goes to the UN-160,
which debuted in 2006
in two limited edition
timepieces and used the
The Marine Chronometer
Manufacture’s new in-house
UN 118 automatic movement
features diamond and silicon
regulating components.
This special version with a rose gold case and
fired enamel dial is limited to just 350 pieces.
ULYSSE NARDIN
famous Dual Ulysse escapement. The UN-118 is designed
to both bolster the company’s independence and give it
access to a top-tier, multipurpose, highly robust engine
for its watches. Or, what watchmakers in the Frenchspeaking part of Switzerland refer to as, a tracteur
(tractor). It is, after all, an ultra-reliable machine that
can pull more than its own weight.
Special features of the calibre UN-118 include
Ulysse Nardin’s DIAmonSIL escapement, which uses a
silicon balance spring that is unaffected by magnetism,
as well as an escape wheel and lever made with diamond and silicon, materials that are both lighter and
more efficient than conventional steel parts. Unlike the
components in most other watches, these require no lubrication. This represents a victory over the gradual deterioration of oils in a movement, which plays a major
role in the decline of a watch’s accuracy.
Ulysse Nardin is producing three versions of the
Marine Chronometer Manufacture. The first is a limited
edition of 350 pieces presented in rose gold with a beautiful grand feu enamel dial, another homage to vintage
marine chronometers. The other versions are titanium
with a gold bezel or a combination of stainless steel
and titanium.
The Sonata
Streamline
re-imagines the
original Sonata
design while
remaining the
world’s only cathedral gong alarm
watch with a 24-hour
countdown timer. Two
44mm versions are available,
titanium with rose gold
elements and a black ceramic
bezel (shown), or titanium with
rose gold elements, including
the bezel.
MUSICAL MEMORY
Ulysse Nardin is also famous for its exotic chiming
watches, which are often combined with miniature
moving figurines known as jaquemarts, or “striking
jacks” as English watchmakers called them. However,
one of its most innovative watches is an alarm watch
named the Sonata. Most alarm watches make do with a
rather nasal buzz created by a hammer hitting a pin soldered to the inside of the case. The Sonata, however, is
constructed like a minute repeater and sounds its melodious alert on a gong in a way similar to that revered
high complication. It’s also the only mechanical watch
with a 24-hour countdown timer.
Ulysse Nardin presents a new version of the Sonata
called the Sonata Streamline. Unlike previous versions, which have had an almost ethereal elegance,
Ulysse Nardin says the Sonata Streamline takes inspiration from the dynamic designs found in the world of
super yachts. Although, the name also evokes the powerful yet graceful “Streamliner” steam locomotives of
the 1930s. The Sonata Streamline’s black ceramic bezel
frames an attention-grabbing dial done in black, gold
and white. For a different look, the titanium and rose
gold case is also offered with a rose gold bezel.
SKY ABOVE, SEA BELOW
The Sonata has a big date and dual time zone indication, a combination that makes it a fantastic choice for the frequent flyer. But for the
really obsessive-compulsive jet setter, may we recommend the El Toro
Perpetual Calendar. The name gives you the basic plot — it’s a perpetual calendar, dual time zone watch — but not the whole story. Bear
in mind that making user-friendly perpetual calendars is something of
an obsession with Ulysse Nardin. The two pushers set into the flanks
of the rose gold case can be used to set the hour hand forward or backward in one-hour increments as one crosses time zones. Meanwhile,
the perpetual calendar will always stay perfectly integrated with the
time display, even if you have to adjust the time before or after the
midnight hour.
For the traveler looking for a highly legible and functional dual
time zone watch with personality to spare, there’s the Executive Dual
Time with a blue dial, stainless steel case and scratchproof ceramic bezel. Like its more complicated sibling, the El Toro Perpetual, it’s designed with easeof-use and readability uppermost in mind. It
underscores this approach with three elements:
a big date display; pushers on the left side for
moving the hour hand forward or backward;
and an unobtrusive but instantly readable, digital 24-hour home time display.
Ulysse Nardin first established its
name creating chronometers to make
navigating the surface of the ocean
possible. Today, it also makes watches
for going beneath the waves as well.
The aptly named Blue Sea is the newest
watch in the Marine Diver Chronometer
collection. It is richly decked out in blue
livery that includes luminous material on
the dial and hands, a custom-blued winding
rotor and movement, and a case clad in textured rubber armor. And with
a water resistance of 200
meters, this limited edition watch (999 pieces
worldwide) is a true-blue
diver’s watch.
With its new inhouse movement leading
the way, Ulysse Nardin’s
offerings in 2012 exude the
technical prowess and cuttingedge design that continue to make
it one of the world’s most exclusive,
intriguing and visually compelling
brands. ¨
Clockwise from top: The traveler’s best friend,
the Executive Dual Time in stainless steel
offers equal parts bold design and ultrapractical engineering.
The Blue Sea presents the firm’s classic
Marine Diver Chronometer in a stunning,
blue interpretation richly evocative
of the mysteries of the deep.
The El Toro Perpetual Calendar
features one of the world’s most
easy-to-use perpetual calendar
and dual time zone complications.
Its 43mm rose gold case is topped
with a blue ceramic bezel.