For the 2019 edition of Only Watch, the biennial fundraiser for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Ulysse Nardin has taken inspiration from the developments of the EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) research group REHAssist. Meet the Ulysse Nardin Exo-Skeleton X for Only Watch 2019 with its innovative case construction. According to Dr Mohamed Bouri, […]
Innovation can be a rather confusing buzzword in the world of watches, an industry full of tradition and somehow playing on the “old-school” concept. Still, the Swiss watchmaking industry continues to innovate and to surprise us – and 2019 already had its lot of crazy advanced timepieces. So here are 5 developments that take mechanical […]
A fully openworked movement, shaped like an X, housed in a sporty, coloured and textured carbon fibre case nicknamed “magma”… Yes, Ulysse Nardin is not walking down the classic side of the street here. Let’s be honest, the brand’s latest creation is bold and extreme, but it’s also pretty cool. Let’s look at the new […]
Back in 2017, Ulysse Nardin launched a new sub-collection, still inspired by the classic Marine Chronometer design, but with a more casual look and a more accessible price. This watch, the Marine Torpilleur, first came in a traditional style, with a white dial, Roman numerals and a power reserve indicator (faithful to 19th-century chronometers). In […]
As we’ve explained already, compliant mechanisms offer huge innovation potential for mechanical watchmaking. As another proof of this revolution, the latest version of the Ulysse Nardin Freak is packed with innovative applications of flexible parts, including a revolutionary flying oscillator whose tridimensional architecture is based on flexible silicon blades. Meet the latest model in a long lineage of innovative watches, the Ulysse Nardin Freak NeXt. And if it is still a concept watch for now, it might make it into production in a very near future.
In 2001, Ulysse Nardin introduced a watch – the Freak – that was a complete shock for the industry, not only in terms of design and display but mainly because it was the first timepiece commercialised with silicium parts – a controversial material back then, which has now found its place in dozens of watches. Today, as a sort of tribute to that pioneering use of silicium in a watch, Ulysse Nardin equips its recent Freak X (see more here) with a dial that is actually made of this material, displayed as marquetry.
Now that the SIHH 2019 is over, it is time to sit down and to take a closer look at the dozens of watches that have been introduced. Overall, it has been a good year in terms of novelties – probably not the best edition ever, but still, there were some pretty interesting things to see, especially in the field of complication. This also means that the “entry-level” or “affordable” categories have been slightly forgotten by some brands. After all, SIHH means Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. Thus, you won’t be surprised to see that our selection of the 10 best watches of the show is quite “high-end” focused.
First introduced in 2016, the Executive Skeleton Tourbillon was an audacious combination of classic watchmaking codes with a hyper-modern, sporty and radically skeletonised dial. It also marked the brand’s first attempt to position its products at more competitive prices and play to a younger, slightly hipper crowd. Priced at CHF 38,000 back in 2016, the […]
In our third video direct from the SIHH 2019, we talk to Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin, to find out what the highlights are for the brand this year. According to Pruniaux, this year the focus is most emphatically on continuity. Like many brands at the SIHH 2019, Ulysse Nardin is sailing in familiar […]
The Freak watch has been a beloved rock star in the Ulysse Nardin line-up ever since its introduction to the world in 2001. Back then, the flying carrousel watch was an anomaly and many watch lovers were immediately smitten by its complex watchmaking and alluring design. it was also the watch that introduced silicium technology to the world – the Freak was, in 2001, the first watch featuring silicium elements to ever be commercialized. Since then, Ulysse Nardin continues to evolve the Freak. Even last year at SIHH, the brand offered the newest evolution, the Freak Vision, an automatic watch that incorporated a few top technical innovations from the prior year’s Innovision 2 Concept watch. Now, Ulysse Nardin takes the beloved hands-free watch to new heights with the Freak X – and to another price category too, as this Freak is even more affordable than the previous Freak Out.