New: The Ulysse Nardin Vertical Odyssey

By Oster Jewelers | April 7, 2021 0 Comments

In celebration of Ulysse Nardin’s 175th birthday, the consummate nautical watchmaker has launched an endeavor unlike any other. Join Oster Jewelers as we begin an adventure from the the celestial unknown into the deepest depths of the ocean with Ulysse Nardin’s Vertical Odyssey.

UFO

Fasten your seat belts as Ulysse Nardin is about to take you on a journey through time to another dimension, where the on-board chronometer is no simple timepiece but a voyage through clock-making’s history and a daring imagining of its future.

This limited edition UFO is real. But it is not simply a timekeeper, or an unusual object. It is a work of art. A piece of design; something architectural; a wave made mechanical; a brand-new odyssey into unchartered horological waters in only 75 pieces worldwide.

To celebrate its 175th anniversary, Ulysse Nardin takes clockmaking into the realms of imagination by reinventing the chronometer. This UFO might be a table or desk clock, but it is so many other things besides. It’s a swinging mechanical depiction of the movement of the waves. It is a triple-timed zone amalgam of the past, present and future. Once again, Ulysse Nardin has launched something completely unexpected – a new addition to its cabinet of curiosities, inspired by innovation and exploration, the seas and the skies. This UFO contains all of Ulysse Nardin’s horological history in one single object, from the marine chronometers of the 19th and 20th centuries to the Freak in 2001, to the Blast in 2020. It is simply out of this world.

175 years ago, Ulysse Nardin was renowned for its incredibly accurate and extremely reliable ships’ watches and marine chronometers. These were prize winning machines, scooping up the first prizes in the chronometry competitions of both Geneva’s and Neuchâtel’s observatories. Forty-five admiralties were kept on course, navigating the high seas thanks to Ulysse Nardin’s superlative craftsmanship.



So how to celebrate the future of the brand, while staying true to the desire to make the best time-measuring tools, which was the challenge Ulysse Nardin set himself in 1846? “Reissuing a watch from the past by reusing vintage codes was not part of our creative intentions for this anniversary object. On the contrary, we wanted to reverse the trend and make a leap forward of 175 years, rather than a leap backward. We always look ahead. We wondered what a marine chronometer designed in 2196 would be like,” explains Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.

DIVER X SKELETON

A sporty appeal while taking a radical step towards transparency, the limited edition Diver X Skeleton is an explosive fusion between the sporty design of a Diver and technical prowess of the Executive Skeleton. It’s a match that was written in the stars.

Available in supercharged orange and ocean blue, this 44mm timepiece is powered by the UN-373 in a titanium case. The case, microbeaded on the sides with satin polished lugs, are coated in blue PVD. Orange details add vibrant pops of colour and emphasize the model’s sports origins.



Like all of Ulysse Nardin’s Divers, the Diver X Skeleton is designed to withstand the potentially fatal pressures that exist at a depth of 200 meters. To achieve this, it is equipped with a concave inverted unidirectional rotating bezel, which protects the domed sapphire glass against untimely impacts.



The engineering team has completely redesigned the UN-371 movement, which is visible through the 44mm case. Originally designed for the Executive Skeleton collection, it has been improved by the addition of an oscillating weight in the shape of the Ulysse Nardin’s iconic X.



The hour markers of Diver X Skeleton have to be secretly connected to the dial, so they appear to be floating. To achieve the sensation of depth, overlaid layers are used to emphasize the tiered construction of the central “X”. Different levels of finish were also employed to cause a play of light, which was amplified by the transparency of the skeleton movement.

The Diver X Skeleton comes on a rubber strap with an element adorned with the Ulysse Nardin anchor in orange. Shop the limited edition ocean blue and supercharged orange Diver X Skeleton’s now.

BLAST HOURSTRIKER

Before we wore time, we heard it. Clocks chimed in the heart of every medieval city. Clocks made by brilliant craftsmen who would, through miniaturization, create domestic clocks, and then hand-held timepieces, capable, despite their small size, to strike the passing hours. Inspired by watchmaking’s past and the possibility of moving musical timekeeping into the future, Ulysse Nardin wants you to hear time again, not read it.

It has been several years in the making but Ulysse Nardin has found a new way to make sound. Introducing the Blast Hourstriker, an innovative new striking watch that breaks barriers in sound technology.

When the striker is on, the mechanical ballet that makes the watch’s sound is visible on the hour and half hour, but even its occasional activation is just as beautiful. The mechanism, driven by a specially dedicated barrel, is triggered, the hour rack and the inertia regulator start to turn; the hammers hit the gong whose shape has been subtly worked to bypass the cage of the flying tourbillon.

To ensure that the Blast Hourstriker’s striking mechanism acoustic performance perfectly audible, this movement incorporates a titanium membrane developed in collaboration with Devialet – the French audio technology company with whom one of whose co-founders is a direct descendant of the Ulysse Nardin family.

The case with a design which matches the unparalleled performance of the Blast Hourstriker is inspired by stealth airplanes, with its geometric construction where the facets play with the light to strengthen the energetic and modern natures of its lines, made sense. Additionally the case of each Ulysse Nardin timepiece is individually numbered on the side.

Visit Oster Jewelers for more info on the Ulysse Nardin Vertical Odyssey Collection or phone 303.572.1111 to reserve your pieces today.