Innovative Ulysse Nardin
Ulysse Nardin's CEO, Rolf Schnyder, died unexpectedly last month, but he leaves a legacy that has been at the forefront of innovative watchmaking for almost 30 years.
Schnyder's bold vision and advances in technology and materials allowed the company to experiment in unexplored areas of watchmaking and the company pioneered developments that caught on with other major brands. Its experimentation resulted in watches such as the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, the Minute Repeater Jaquemart San Marco and the Freak. All of them proved that time never stands still in the watch industry.
One of Ulysse Nardin's most innovative ideas was to use silicium in place of conventional materials for the escapement wheel. The material is light but strong, and eliminates friction and any need for lubrication. Silicium made its first appearance in the Freak watch 10 years ago and rocked the watch world, setting the tone for a new era among watchmakers willing to experiment.
Ulysse Nardin takes it another step forward this year with diamonsil, a man-made diamond which evolved from silicium and is used in part in the brand's new self-winding Caliber UN 188, featuring a 60-hour power reserve and date corrector which allows settings to be altered in a matter of seconds.
The calibre bears a patented diamonsil escapement and oscillator with a silicium 1.1.1 hairspring, and becomes the first in a family of movements produced by Ulysse Nardin which will appear in future watches. Ulysse Nardin's marine chronometers have long been the companions of marine crews in deep waters and the new Black Sea watch is the latest addition to the Marine Diver collection.
The all-weather diving watch takes on a rugged, avant-garde appearance with a stainless steel case vulcanised with matte-black rubber. The self-winding movement provides a 42-hour power-reserve, which is indicated on the dial alongside an oversized small seconds register and a large date display. Red luminescent hour markers, and hour and minute hands enhance readability under water. Another highlight from Ulysse Nardin is the 100-piece limited edition Alexander the Great Westminster Carillon Tourbillon Jaquemarts Minute Repeater, which was inspired by the famous warrior and comes with a rose or white gold case.
On the dial, five handcrafted fighting Jaquemarts dance above a one-minute tourbillon. Each warrior moves in sync with the gongs as they strike the minutes, quarters and hours to four different chimes. Master watchmakers individually tuned each gong to create the perfect pitch.
The watch reaps the benefit of Ulysse Nardin's research and development in man-made diamonds. Millions of small, faceted diamond crystals were engineered to form a continuous diamond layer on the dial, resulting in a two-dimensional surface that changes colour with the light.
