The Nautical Legacy of Ulysse Nardin

zelin0802 / September 30, 2022

Introduction and History
Ulysse Nardin is one of the oldest watch brands in Switzerland. The Manufacture in Le Locle is known for its creative freedom and nautical heritage. Its flagship collections include Classico, Blast, Freak, Diver and Marine.

The company began its horological adventures in the mid-19th century as a manufacturer of marine timepieces. The visionary founder of the brand, Ulysse Nardin, was born in 1823. Passionate about the boundless seas and famous explorers, he established a watchmaking workshop in 1846 to produce nautical timekeeping instruments. In a short time, it began to supply high-precision marine chronometers to merchant ships and navies around the world. Watchmakers also dabble in other horological complications, such as pocket timers, minute repeaters, and more.

The quartz crisis (from the late 1970s to the early 1980s) was extremely challenging for traditional Swiss watchmakers. In 1983, Rolf Schnyder bought the company. With the generous help of the talented Swiss master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, he has revived the famous brand. His goal was to build a full-fledged manufacturer capable of producing in-house movements, dials and various other components associated with haute horlogerie.

In the mid-1990s, Ulysse Nardin launched the Marine Chronometer 1846, the brand’s first marine chronometer, inspired by the distinguished seafaring heritage of this illustrious company. The successful acquisition of Donzé Cadrans in 2011 was a strategic step. In 2012, the first self-made automatic movement was launched. As of now, it has a large inventory of mechanical movements, which are developed and produced entirely in-house.

The prestigious brand is also known for its extensive expertise in enamel dials and silicon technology. One of its notable innovations is the ulysse nardin freak watch with a 7-day turntable tourbillon and silicon components.

Currently, the brand offers various types of mechanical watches, including high-complication watches with complex mechanisms such as minute repeaters, perpetual calendars and tourbillons. In this article, we draw your attention to two core collections – Marine and Diver – that represent Ulysse Nardin’s enduring connection to the marine world.

Ulysse Nardin fake
The Marine collection is the purveyor of the iconic brand’s glorious nautical heritage. This collection dates back to the Swiss manufacturer’s rich history as a leading supplier of marine nautical instruments, supplied to more than fifty navies around the world.

This comprehensive ulysse nardin watch collection includes two subcategories: Marine and Marine Torpilleur.

Starting with the “Marine” collection, the brand offers chronographs, chronographs, annual calendar chronographs and tourbillon watches with 43mm cases. Regatta, Grand Deck and Mega Yacht models come with a 44mm diameter case.

In the “Marine Torpilleur” series, Ulysse Nardin has included 42mm and 44mm watches. Torpilleur is the French word for torpedo boat, introduced for naval warfare in the late 19th century. Torpilleur, Torpilleur Tourbillon and Torpilleur Moonphase models come with a 42mm case. The annual chronograph and military versions are both 44mm.

All of these chronometer instruments are equipped with an in-house movement with silicon technology, enhanced anti-magnetic properties, ensuring extreme precision. This best-selling collection is available in stainless steel, bronze, black DLC, 18 karat gold and platinum. These nautical watch models usually have grooved bezels.

Currently, the Marine wholesale fake Watch collection offers three dial colors: black, blue and white. The most notable dial details include the Roman numeral hour markers, the small seconds hand in the style of a nautical chronometer and the inscription of the brand’s founding year. The Marine Torpileur Military models use Arabic numerals instead of Roman hour markers. In this Swiss Army watch, the small seconds dial shows the serial number instead of 1846. Tourbillon models do not have the iconic small seconds.

With the exception of chronographs and some specific models (military, regatta and superyachts), all timepieces in the Marine collection feature a small power reserve indicator below the 12H marking. The limited edition Mega Yacht combines a flying tourbillon, moon phases, a tide indicator and a unique power reserve display mechanism inspired by anchors and windlasses.

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