Ulysse Nardin
Encyclopedia
Ulysse Nardin is a watch manufacturer founded in 1846 in Le Locle
, Switzerland
. Historically Ulysse Nardin was best known for being a manufacturer of marine chronometer
s, but today Ulysse Nardin produces complicated mechanical watches.
Before the advent of quartz
timepieces, merchant and military ships relied on highly accurate mechanical timepieces known as marine chronometer
s. The best known of these was the M,GR.F model by Ulysse Nardin. Similar of this model, were used by Hamilton
to supply the US Navy and by Seiko
for the Japanese navy. Of the 4,504 certificates for marine chronometers issued 4,324 were issued to Ulysse Nardin (Lucien F Trueb, Watchtime).
using modern materials and manufacturing techniques. The base movement used on all version of complication watches is the ETA. The new ETA 2892 movement, used by Ulysse Nardin in the New collection, is enormously popular because it is deemed accurate and reliable enough to be used as a base movement for many high-end manufacturers' complications. Most changes and updates were done in order to improve the efficiency of the automatic winding. The beat rate has been increased to 28,800 BPH, while the diameter of the movement was reduced from 28mm to 25.6mm to allow it to be used in a wider range of cases. (Hence, the change in model number from 2890 to 2892.) The thickness, however, remains unchanged at 3.6 mm. This has the effect of reducing both the diameter and mass of the oscillating weight that was fixed in the 2892/A2 model. The 9mm diameter balance compromises between weight and size. The first example of Ulysse Nardin's new approach was the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei (1985, named after the device, Astrolabium, and the astronomer, Galileo). The Astrolabium displays local and solar time
, the orbits and eclipses of the sun
and the moon
, and the positions of several major star
s. It was named by the Guinness Book of Records in 1989 as the world's most functional watch (with 21 distinct functions). Oechslin followed the Astrolabium with two other astronomical watches, the Planetarium Copernicus (1988, named after the stargazing theaters called planetarium
s and the astronomer Copernicus) and the Tellurium Johannes Kepler (1992, named after the element
tellurium, and astronomer, Johannes Kepler
,). The three pieces constitute what the brand calls the Trilogy of Time.
Other notable complication watches are the GMT± Perpetual (1999), that combines a perpetual calendar with the GMT± complication (one-press buttons that adjust the hour hand back and forth for international travellers), and the Freak Blue Phantom (2001) a tourbillon
watch with no crown and one mechanical hands that cranks along teeth embeded in the inner circumference of the watch face.
Ulysse Nardin also revived the use of enameling
in watchmaking, with a series of watches featuring enameled and cloisonné
faces.
Le Locle
Le Locle is a municipality in the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.It is situated in the Jura mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Historically Ulysse Nardin was best known for being a manufacturer of marine chronometer
Marine chronometer
A marine chronometer is a clock that is precise and accurate enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation...
s, but today Ulysse Nardin produces complicated mechanical watches.
History
Founder, watchmaker Ulysse Nardin, was an accomplished watchmaker who studied horology under his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, Frederic William Dubois, and Louis Jean Richard-dit-Bressel, in Switzerland.Before the advent of quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
timepieces, merchant and military ships relied on highly accurate mechanical timepieces known as marine chronometer
Marine chronometer
A marine chronometer is a clock that is precise and accurate enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation...
s. The best known of these was the M,GR.F model by Ulysse Nardin. Similar of this model, were used by Hamilton
Hamilton Watch Company
The Hamilton Watch Company was originally formed to produce high quality pocket watches and wristwatches mid-range and luxury. Hamilton would become a corporate conglomerate diversified in other operations...
to supply the US Navy and by Seiko
Seiko
, more commonly known simply as Seiko , is a Japanese watch company.-History and ongoing developments:The company was founded in 1881, when Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop called in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan. Eleven years later, in 1892, he began to produce clocks under the...
for the Japanese navy. Of the 4,504 certificates for marine chronometers issued 4,324 were issued to Ulysse Nardin (Lucien F Trueb, Watchtime).
The Modern Era
In 1983, Ulysse Nardin was acquired by businessman Rolf Schnyder who, in conjunction with watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, relaunched the brand with other investors. Schnyder, Oechslin and the staff of Ulysse Nardin, design and create complication timepiecesComplication (horology)
In horology , complication refers to any feature in a timepiece beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds.A timepiece indicating only hours, minutes, and seconds is otherwise known as a simple movement...
using modern materials and manufacturing techniques. The base movement used on all version of complication watches is the ETA. The new ETA 2892 movement, used by Ulysse Nardin in the New collection, is enormously popular because it is deemed accurate and reliable enough to be used as a base movement for many high-end manufacturers' complications. Most changes and updates were done in order to improve the efficiency of the automatic winding. The beat rate has been increased to 28,800 BPH, while the diameter of the movement was reduced from 28mm to 25.6mm to allow it to be used in a wider range of cases. (Hence, the change in model number from 2890 to 2892.) The thickness, however, remains unchanged at 3.6 mm. This has the effect of reducing both the diameter and mass of the oscillating weight that was fixed in the 2892/A2 model. The 9mm diameter balance compromises between weight and size. The first example of Ulysse Nardin's new approach was the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei (1985, named after the device, Astrolabium, and the astronomer, Galileo). The Astrolabium displays local and solar time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, the orbits and eclipses of the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, and the positions of several major star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. It was named by the Guinness Book of Records in 1989 as the world's most functional watch (with 21 distinct functions). Oechslin followed the Astrolabium with two other astronomical watches, the Planetarium Copernicus (1988, named after the stargazing theaters called planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
s and the astronomer Copernicus) and the Tellurium Johannes Kepler (1992, named after the element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
tellurium, and astronomer, Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
,). The three pieces constitute what the brand calls the Trilogy of Time.
Other notable complication watches are the GMT± Perpetual (1999), that combines a perpetual calendar with the GMT± complication (one-press buttons that adjust the hour hand back and forth for international travellers), and the Freak Blue Phantom (2001) a tourbillon
Tourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
watch with no crown and one mechanical hands that cranks along teeth embeded in the inner circumference of the watch face.
Ulysse Nardin also revived the use of enameling
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
in watchmaking, with a series of watches featuring enameled and cloisonné
Cloisonné
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné...
faces.