Ulysse Nardin watches: history, models and innovations
Ulysse Nardin watches: history, models and innovations
Ulysse Nardin watches was founded in 1846 by a 23-year old watchmaker in Le Locle, in the Swiss Jura. Since day one, its production focused on marketing pocket watches and marine chronometers (the picture below belongs to Cowan's Auctions).
The Swiss brand will soon become the reference watchmaker for marine chronometers and a privileged supplier to the most renowned international shipping companies. Ulysse Nardin's naval chronometers found their place onboard most ships' decks back then.
Ulysse Nardin watches, a master in crafting refined pocket watches and marine chronometers
In 1862, at the London International Exhibition, Ulysse Nardin was awarded the prize medal, the highest British honor for watchmaking, in the category "complicated watches and pocket chronometers." In 1874, the Neuchâtel Observatory awarded the first of a long series of official certificates to Ulysse Nardin for its marine chronometers. In 1876, the Chicago Watch was presented, a one-off split-seconds chronograph with minute repeater, exclusively created for the Universal Exposition of Chicago.
It was repurchased by Ulysse Nardin during a 1996 auction to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary. In 1975, according to the latest official report from the Neuchâtel Observatory, Ulysse Nardin had obtained 4,324 marine chronometer performance certificates and ten gold medals.
1983: A group of investors led by Rolf W. Schneider takes over at Ulysse Nardin
The new owners opened a new era. In 1985, the brand introduced the Ulysse Nardin Astrolabium Galileo Galilei watch, a complicated watch that ensured the brand a place in the 1989 Guinness Book of Records. The 1988 Copernicus Planetarium and the 1992Johannes Kepler Tellurium followed, to complete the so-called Trilogy of Time, a set of three astronomical timepieces. In 1989, the watchmaker debuted the San Marco, the first minute-repeater wristwatch featuring an automaton. In 1996, to celebrate its first 150 years, the Swiss manufacturer revealed the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer 1846 and the Perpetual Ludwig, crafted in partnership with master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin. The brand will then introduce pretty innovative wristwatches, like the Freak, for example. In 2011, Patrick P. Hoffmann took over as CEO, while In 2014, Ulysse Nardin joins the Kering Group.
Ulysse Nardin price list
Ulysse Nardin offers today the following collections: Marine, Diver, Freak, Executive, Classico, totaling 248 products (as of October 2020). Prices range from 5,800 Euros to 422,000 Euros and include every kind of watchmaking complication. Ulysse Nardin also offers, with the Marine collection, one of the most refined yet affordable tourbillon watches on the market. For additional information, please visit the official website at www.ulysse-nardin.com.