The SIHH 2018 has closed its doors yesterday, however we still have some videos to share with you. One of them concerns Patrick Pruniaux, the recently appointed CEO of Ulysse Nardin, who is presenting the new collection… And there were some novelties, which look at many of the brand’s specialities: innovation, heritage and erotic watches (parental advisory, explicit content…)
Bold, bold and… Bold! Yes, this new Ulysse Nardin Diver Deep Dive is far from discreet and is a proper tool made to resist to high pressure. What you see is the new hero piece of the Ulysse Nardin Diver Collection. Indeed, for the SIHH 2018, Ulysse Nardin is not only playing on the innovation or fine craftsmanship sides but they also look at some inspirations that made the brand popular a few years ago. Overview of a strong, powerful dive watch.
Last year, at the SIHH 2017, Ulysse Nardin introduced an impressive piece, a concept watch featuring no less than 10 major innovations, as a showcase to demonstrate the brand’s savoir-faire: the InnoVision 2. Every part of this watch boasted an innovation, whether the escapement, the display, the winding system or even the hands. And while last year’s piece wasn’t meant to be commercialized, it is now time for Ulysse Nardin to deploy some of these features into serially produced pieces… Meet the Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision.
It’s true… The SIHH 2018 hasn’t started yet. However, as every year, the game of the “pre-SIHH” watches (novelties introduced as teasers for what is to come during the fair) brought its dosage of new watches. In order to prepare yourself for what’s coming in a week, here is a short recap of the main novelties already introduced as part of the SIHH 2018 collections.
While some of the watches introduced by Ulysse Nardin at the SIHH 2018 slightly surprised us, including the Marine Torpilleur Military (and surprise doesn’t mean negative feelings here), the brand also had something resolutely classic up its sleeve in the form of the Classico Manufacture “Grand Feu”, which we reviewed here. Endowed with glossy enamel dials, a subtle yet original design, and an accessible price, we wanted to see them in the metal.
Calendar watches come in a wide variety. Most of them are based on 31-day cycles and require a regular adjustment (5 times a year) to ensure that the correct date is displayed. An annual calendar automatically adjusts the indicated date, mechanically configured to display the different lengths of the months, and they require to be corrected manually only once a year (in the worst case depending on its mechanism). Typically more accessible than the perpetual calendar (which also takes into account leap years) and infinitely more useful than a standard calendar, the annual calendar offers a lot of bang for the buck.
Calendar watches come in a wide variety. Most of them are based on 31-day cycles and require a regular adjustment (5 times a year) to ensure that the correct date is displayed. An annual calendar automatically adjusts the indicated date, mechanically configured to display the different lengths of the months, and they require to be corrected manually only once a year (in the worst case depending on its mechanism). Typically more accessible than the perpetual calendar (which also takes into account leap years) and infinitely more useful than a standard calendar, the annual calendar offers a lot of bang for the buck.
A few weeks ago, Ulysse Nardin announced its Pre-SIHH 2018 watches, which include 2 very classical watches – the Marine Tourbillon Blue Enamel and the Classico Grand Feu – with all the DNA of the brand: enamel dial, nice in-house movement, Marine inspiration, elegance with a twist and relatively affordable price. A third watch was presented, however a much more original one: the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military. Surprised by this piece, we had to check it in the metal to vote in favour (or not) of this new Military take on the Marine roots.
Last year, for their first attendance at the Geneva watch fair (a.k.a. the SIHH), Ulysse Nardin surprised guests and collectors with an impressive collection, which achieved to merge the classical style of the brand, some refined crafting techniques and very decent prices. One of the best examples of this strategy was the Ulysse Nardin Marine Tourbillon, a steel watch with white enamel dial and very nice movement, priced at just (relatively speaking) CHF 28,000 – making it one of the most accessible tourbillons on the market. As a preview of the SIHH 2018, Ulysse Nardin has a new version of this Marine Tourbillon, this time with their classic Guilloche/Grand Feu Enamel blue Dial.
The Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture should be no stranger to you if you read MONOCHROME regularly. It is indeed a watch that we covered several times, and on each occurrence, we loved it. It is, as you could guess by its name, a classic offering from the brand. Available in several materials (yet, mainly with steel cases recently) and with many dial variations, it always remains a strong package throughout, with great value for the money. Prior to the SIHH 2018, Ulysse Nardin presents two new versions Classico Manufacture, with “Grand Feu” White or Black Enamel Dials, combined to steel case – and for less than EUR 9,000, that’s quite impressive.