Ulysse Nardin

 

Heritage

Haute Horlogerie is an everlasting adventure. An expedition upon which expert watchmakers from around the world embark on in search of watchmaking perfection.

A world that is filled not with answers but with questions. We inquire, we interrogate, we challenge ourselves. There is no established path to becoming a pioneer. There are no beacons, no signals, no way points. There is only attitude. An attitude that Ulysse Nardin embodies better than any other watchmaker. An attitude that led the House in 1846, to design the first ever marine chronometer. It is only by attempting the impossible that one can achieve the impossible.

Our 21st century adventure

2004 After launching the previous year, the Sonata, an incredible multifunction mechanical and musical timepiece wins the 2004 Innovation Prize.

2005 Launch of the Freak 28’800 V/h Diamond Heart, with its new patented Dual Ulysse Escapement made from diamonds by means of an innovative process. This year also sees the launch of the Royal Blue Tourbillon.

2006 Launch of the UN-160, the first selfwinding base caliber that is entirely conceived and manufactured in-house. To consolidate this tradition of innovation, Ulysse Nardin celebrates with a memorable Haute Horlogerie exhibition at the Kremlin, History in Time.

2007 Launch of the Freak DIAMonSIL® : a new patented Dual Ulysse Escapement made using a cutting-edge combination of diamond and silicium. The invention continues with Innovision - Ulysse Nardin’s vision of the future - 10 technical innovations united in one concept watch.

2011 The death of Rolf Schnyder, owner and President marks another turning point for the company. With his visionary leadership based on encouraging classic techniques in mechancial watchmaking, Schnyder had a profound impact on Ulysse Nardin and the Swiss watch industry.

2012 New innovation comes with the launch of the Marine Chronometer Manufacture with its in-house developed and conceived basis caliber UN-118. And to take another step toward independence Ulysse Nardin successively acquires the Swiss artisan enameller Donzé Cadrans SA and a new manufacture chronograph movement to be released in a future collection.

2013 The unprecedented launch of five new in-house calibers, entirely developed and conceived by Ulysse Nardin, highlights a commitment to independently manufactured movements. Integrating silicium technology, they each have their own characteristics.

2014 Ulysse Nardin joins Kering’s Group. Continues path of innovation in watchmaking with the launch of the 6th in-house developed and manufactured movement in twelve months: the UN-334 for Dual Time Manufacture with fast time-zone and date settings.

2015 Ulysse Nardin has launched a new type of shock absorber, called UlyChoc, which was designed, developed and produced entirely in-house at Ulysse Nardin’s manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. A classical system comprises five micro-elements: the block, the setting, the jewel, the counterpivot and the spring. With simplification in mind and a special focus on efficiency, Ulysse Nardin replaced three of these functions with a single one-piece component made of silicium, a genuine world first which is the suspect of a patent application. This solution avoids forces of play and friction, enabling the balance staff to be perfectly recentered in the event of an impact.

2016 2016 marks not only one milestone in the history of Ulysse Nardin: the 170th Anniversary of the foundation of Ulysse Nardin in 1846, the 15th Anniversary of the launch of our iconic Freak and a first in the watch industry by the launch of the material Silicium, but also the 20th Anniversary of the iconic Marine Chronometer model which was first presented in 1996. In the typical Ulysse Nardin philosophy of “Timekeeping Simplicity”, two launches have been annonced: the Marine Chronograph Annual Calendar with the new UN-153 caliber with an easy setting back and forth and the Marine Tourbillon Grand Deck evoking the golden age of yachting, a boom pulled by super-strong nanowires that incorporates a majestic tourbillon.

2017 Continuing to push back the limits in Haute Horlogerie, from January 2017 Ulysse Nardin will offer a 5-year warranty on its mechanical timepieces. Whether it’s a dashing Diver Chronograph or a gold Classico Lady, every single one of the Swiss manufacturer's complex mechanical instruments will carry this Ulysse Nardin guarantee of quality. In order to benefit from the 5-year warranty, the owner registers his or her new Ulysse Nardin timepiece within a year of purchase on the website.

2018 The Freak is no longer a single timepiece. It’s an entire collection ! After the Freak vision launch at SIHH 2018 and the new Freak vision Coray Bay, four new Freak Out timepieces, each armed with the in-house manual-wind caliber UN-205, are now joining the most maverick collection in Haute Horlogerie. All the game-changing Freak Out oddities are in place: no crown, dial or hands, a “flying carousel” tourbillon (the baguette movement rotates on its own axis) and super-light silicium technology.

2019 Ulysse Nardin introduces the X-factor in watchmaking with the launch of Freak X and Skeleton X. The Freak X, the little cousin of its ”Freak antecedents”, stands out as the entry point into the Freak collection. Though many of the same aesthetic and functional elements are in place, it pushes out into uncharted territory. The Skeleton X, a new Manufacture movement that lays bare its audacious technology in an exquisite exhibition of fine watchmaking’s most challenging technique. Inner beauty revealed, not concealed: this openworked wonder takes skeletonization to the X-level.

2020 Supercharged with classic Ulysse Nardin savoir faire, Blast Tourbillon is an avatar of its time, a potent force of nature. This technological wonder made with rock-hard, masculine lines has ignited a flame that will send seismic shockwaves through the watchmaking world to its core. The complex, geometric architecture of the tessellated horns – reminiscent of furtive aircraft – create a pumped-up, vigorous and imposing masterpiece. With its tight, edgy blueprint, omnipresent “X-Factor” and stealth design, the new Blast Tourbillon – a fresh, muscular and robust open-worked model – will send you rocketing into the stratosphere. Blast Tourbillon is taking your mind by storm, playing off the transparency of its new powerful automatic silicium tourbillon nested in a bold, X-shaped cage, which beats inside at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. Light penetrates the open-worked body of the watch like a laser.

BEWARE OF BLAST

Blast Tourbillon is an avatar of its time, a potent force of nature. This technological wonder made with rock-hard, masculine lines has ignited a flame that will send seismic shockwaves through the watchmaking world to its core. The complex, geometric architecture of the tessellated horns – reminiscent of furtive aircraft – create a pumped-up, vigorous and imposing masterpiece. With its tight, edgy blueprint, omnipresent “X-Factor” and stealth design, the new Blast Tourbillon – a fresh, muscular and robust open-worked model – will send you rocketing into the stratosphere. Blast Tourbillon is taking your mind by storm, playing off the transparency of its new powerful automatic silicium tourbillon nested in a bold, X-shaped cage, which beats inside at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. Light penetrates the open-worked body of the watch like a laser.

As explorers, we evolve in a parallel world. A world where we do not follow. Rather we lead.