A new era of horological excellence

Freak S Nomad

MENTION Ulysse Nardin and the Freak comes to mind. With no dial, no hands and no crown, the manual tourbillon that is the brand’s flagship watch is a horological breakthrough and pioneer in the use of silicon, a cutting-edge material commonly used in high-end watch-making today.

In its latest guise in a 99-piece limited edition, this innovative timepiece, which rolled out almost 25 years ago and still looks futuristic, is given a touch of rare handcraft and finishing gloss – a touch-up given only to the most exquisite luxury watches.

Starting with the hour disc sitting behind the carousel “spaceship” movement, this watch sports a diamond guilloche pattern finish in sand-coloured CVD, a nod to shifting sand dunes. The hour disc is produced one at a time by skilled artisans, using a painstaking method that takes years to master. This involves operating an 18th-century rose engine, turned entirely by hand, with no electronics or laser guidance.

No less easy to produce is the design work on the dial, framed in a 45 mm wide titanium case. It features a sequence of intersecting curves that require 240 continuous manual movements, performed over three hours. Because the pattern is produced in a single, continuous movement, the guillocheur must not lift his hand or even flinch, to ensure a seamless pattern. Talk of a freakish level of concentration, skill and patience.

Ulysse Nardin says the beauty and romance of hand-craftsmanship offers a value that is more eternal in a time when machines are smarter and faster, but also detached and soul-less. The luxury watchmaker adds that because no machines are used in the making of its pieces, there are no vibrations, the finish is smoother and the watch, more accurate. And, of course, no two hand-crafted plates are the same.

Marine Torpilleur

The pocket chronometer, a navigation tool, was the captain’s watch among 19th-century ocean explorers. And Ulysse Nardin’s pocket chronometers were among the most coveted, prized by naval officers and merchant captains the world over.

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The Marine Torpilleur is a new-generation chronometer made for the modern era. While it is named after the earlier small, fast vessels that outmanoeuvred larger ships, this timepiece is for contemporary explorers.

The latest model is lighter and thinner, made for a young, less-formal age. Still, it is supported by generations of craftsmanship and performance that loyal customers know they can expect.

Like the Marine Chronometer which inspired it, the Torpilleur is powered by an automatic in-house movement with the proprietary Silicium anchor escapement – and has a 60-hour power reserve. The watch is certified by the Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute for precision and superior performance.

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Back in black

On the dial are the iconic features of the Marine collection: the Roman numeral indexes and the emblematic logo with its flash of red in “1846”. The graceful hands that make it instantly recognisable as a Marine watch are redesigned for the Marine Torpilleur.

The new 42 mm wide Marine Torpilleur, water-resistant to 50 m, comes in three versions: the 18K rose gold with a white dial and leather strap, the stainless steel with a white dial and leather strap, and the stainless steel with a blue dial and stainless steel bracelet.

Dual Time

The reworked 42 mm Dual Time has a new urbane look to keep travellers elegant while on the move. This watch tells travellers the time where they happen to be, as well as the time at home, at one glance; it is the easiest two-time-zone watch to use in the market – thanks to its patented instant time zone adjustment, which the brand invented in 1994.

Elegant and efficient, the latest Dual Time still has the same Skeleton X case, with the iconic three-horn signature and Roman numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The date, hour and minutes are complemented by the patented indicator of the Home Time, at the 9 o’clock marker. The hour hand is adjusted forward or backward with the simple touch of the “+” and “-“ pushers located opposite the crown. The self-winding in-house movement is visible through the caseback. The seconds are displayed at 6 o’clock by an oversized small seconds hand register; the date, in large print, peeks out of a large double window at 2 o’clock.

The new Dual Time, water-resistant to 50 m, is available in three versions: stainless steel with a black strap, stainless steel with a blue strap, and in 18-karat rose gold.

Diver (NET OPS) and Diver (X Skeleton OPS)

The Diver NET was rolled out in 2020, an environmentally-friendly dive watch. A product of innovative materials and technologies, it affirms Ulysse Nardin’s commitment to sustainability. These two ultra-dynamic creations continue that journey.

Trendy and sporty-chic, the Diver NET OPS (as in “operations”) and the Diver Skeleton OPS are follow-ups to the two Freak OPS models launched in 2023. The new edgy dive watches enrich Ulysse Nardin’s “Ops” capsule collection and celebrate its in-house watch-making, while adding an adventurous twist to the Diver lineage.

Ulysse Nardin says the Diver (NET OPS), which is water-resistant to 300 m, is the most sustainable sports watch with a manufacture movement in the market. Its 44 mm case is crafted from 95 per cent recycled stainless steel. Materials from upcycled fishing nets and Carbonium – cutting-edge carbon fibres with low environmental impact – are used in the side parts and caseback. Upcycled finishing nets also go into the making of the fabric strap.

The Diver (X Skeleton OPS) is an avant-garde re-imagining of a dive watch as a piece of haute horlogerie. Water-resistant to 200 m, the 44 mm, open-worked timepiece is powered by an in-house skeletonised automatic movement, which showcases an over-sized oscillator and an escapement in silicon. Carbonium is also used to make the bezel and barrel cover. The watch comes with a khaki-green fabric strap, partly made from upcycled fishing nets.