Ulysse Nardin - A New Era
WORLDTEMPUS - 7 March 2012
It hasn't been quite a year since Rolf Schnyder so suddenly passed away, leaving his brand Ulysse Nardin in the hands of the man that he had chosen to become his successor. Patrik Hoffmann had been in charge of the brand's business in the United States for more than a decade. Now he has come home to Switzerland to fill some big shoes - and he has definitely done that.
Caliber 118
Yesterday was a big day for Hoffmann, and indeed for the entire team at Ulysse Nardin. This brand, no stranger to big announcements, introduced the world to Caliber UN-118, the first full in-house manufacture movement from Ulysse Nardin. In 2006, Schnyder had already called the world's specialized press together to witness the brand's first steps in the direction, but nothing more than a limited edition with a few hundred pieces of Caliber 160 were ever madnufactured.
"This marks a new era for Ulysse Nardin," Hoffmann said, referencing the fact that this new caliber, whose development was begun under Schnyder, can be produced in an industrial way, meaning in the thousands of pieces per year. This is new for Ulysse Nardin, who currently only makes about 25 percent of the movements it uses in its approximate 25,000 watches per year. The brand's goal is to be making about 70 percent of its own movements within the next couple years. Naturally, this is a direct reaction to the coming scarcity of available ETA movements, but it is also a point of pride with the company, who is justifiably considered one of the biggest innovators in modern watchmaking. "We need in-house substance," said technical director Pierre Gygax in concurrence.
Production
All of Caliber UN-118, including the entire escapement, is manufactured in Ulysse Nardin's La Chaux-de-Fonds facility. The escapement comprises a silicon hairspring, DIAMonSIL pallet lever and escape wheel, and an in-house inertia-regulated balance wheel. As exceptional as this is, it is perhaps even more exceptional to note that the brand has set up an entire semi-automated assembly in the factory, which allows the manufacture to be quickly accomplished with greater precision. It took the brand 12 years and investments totaling around 80 million Swiss francs to get here, but Ulysse Nardin is certainly on the way to becoming one of the "big" brands.
The caliber is currently being introduced in the manufacture's first "marine chronometer" in at least one hundred years - except that this one is expressly created for the wrist. The extremely attractive automatic movement boasts 60 hours of power reserve, subsidiary direct seconds, and a traditional date window at 6 o'clock, which can be set both forward and backward. The movement is certified by the C.O.S.C., and the entire watch it is housed in comes with a certificate for Ulysse Nardin's own new in-house certification.
Marine Chronometer
This caliber is destined to become the new base caliber for Ulysse Nardin and is being introduced at Baselworld within a 45 mm gold watch complete with a grand feu enamel dial made by Ulysse Nardin's subsidiary dial maker Donze Cadrans and limited to just 350 pieces. It is also available in a titanium-and-gold version as well as a titanium-and-steel variation. The latter is the entry level piece and will retail for just 9,800 Swiss francs.
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