The Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur collection is expanded by three new models, including one new Tourbillon in a white Grand Feu enamel dial, a Moonphase in rose gold and a Dual Time model.
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Ulysse Nardin expands the Marine Torpilleur
Prices are as follows:
- UN Marine Torpilleur Dual Time: SGD 16,000 inclusive of GST. CHF 10,900 / EUR 10,400 / USD 11,500 / GBP 9,540
- UN Marine Torpilleur Moonphase: SGD 31,500 inclusive of GST. CHF 21,400 / EUR 20,300 / USD 22,600 / GBP 18,770U
- UN Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon Grand Feu: SGD 55,100 inclusive of GST. CHF 37,500 / EUR 35,600 / USD 39,600 / GBP 32,900
Commentary
The Marine Torpilleur collection was launched in 2017, a move which we see as a replacement to the Marine 1846 collection which has been reasonably popular then. The Torpilleur is named after a torpedo boat, a fast fighting vessel equipped with a marine chronometer.
This new additions to the Torpilleur collection continues on the bang for the buck trend which the Marine is known for.
We have long extolled the value for money Marine Tourbillon with Grand Feu enamel dial. And the new Torpilleur is priced at a modest retail of just below CHF 38k and available currently only in a stainless steel case. This price level stands in good stead amongst the least expensive fully Swiss made tourbillons in the market, though the retail price has risen considerably from the launch price of the Marine Grand Feu which was CHF 28k, and subsequently a blue enamel dial version released in 2018 for the same retail. And boasts of a Donzé Cardans (an expert enamel manufacture owned by UN) grand feu dial.
The two other novel offerings are not far off the value mark either. Neither are complete new watches, being new interpretations of earlier UN timepieces. The Dual Time uses the patented GMT± functions which shows two timezones at a glance. This was first seen as early as in 1994, with the first GMT watches, and then later the module was added to the Perpetual Ludwig making the watch an ultimate travel watch. The asking price is priced also rather modest for the novelty, set at below CHF 11k in a steel case and a magnificent blue sunray dial.
And the Torpilleur Moonphase in a rose gold case also comes a modest ransom of just above CHF 21k.
Release details
Launched in 2017, the Marine Torpilleur model embodies the history of Ulysse Nardin and pays homage to the prestigious Marine Chronometers created in the 19th century. This year, the House is expanding its Marine Torpilleur permanent collection with three new timepieces:
- The Marine Torpilleur Dual Time
- The Marine Torpilleur Moonphase in rose gold
- The Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon in white Grand Feu enamel
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Ulysse Nardin earned an exceptional reputation as a master of deck chronometers for naval forces around the world. The accuracy of these instruments was crucial for calculating longitude to determine the ship’s position at sea.
The House won awards for its excellence at the time and supplied its inventions to over 50 navies, geodesy institutes and astronomical observatories. Ulysse Nardin’s pocket chronometers were some of the most prized and coveted chronometers among navy officers and merchant navy captains. It was this nautical history that led Ulysse Nardin to design the iconic Marine Chronometer, an expression of its technical performance.
A new generation of chronometer was born in 2017: the Marine Torpilleur. Named after the torpedo boat – a small, rapid historical vessel so agile that it could easily evade the most imposing ships – this timepiece adopts the aesthetic codes of marine chronometers, including the fluted bezel, Roman numeral hour markers and the dual counter.
As business and leisure travel became more commonplace in the 20th century, watchmakers started to design timepieces that could simultaneously display two time zones: local time and home time.
In 1994, Ludwig Oechslin invented the GMT± functions for Ulysse Nardin, offering two push-pieces, “+” and “-”, used to instantly change the time zone of the hour hand, while the “reference time” aperture at 9 o’clock continually displays the home time. Then, in 2014, Ulysse Nardin introduced the UN-334, the first manufacture calibre fitted with the GMT± function, in the Dual Time Manufacture timepiece.
The new Marine Torpilleur Dual Time offers the technical advantages of the UN-334 manufacture calibre and the vintage DNA of the Marine Chronometer (fluted bezel, counter and Roman numeral hour-markers). The movement offers hour, minute and small seconds functions at 6 o’clock, and a large date in a double aperture at 2 o’clock, which can be adjusted in both directions. While the “home time” display operates continually over a 24-hour period in an aperture at 9 o’clock, the small hand can be moved forward or backward very easily to the local time using the “+” and “-” push-pieces at 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock. To top off the refined mechanics, the calendar function syncs automatically no matter the direction of the adjustment.
The Marine Torpilleur Dual Time 44 mm in a polished and satin-finished stainless steel case offers a power reserve of 48 hours, water resistance to 50 meters and a sunray satin-finished blue dial. The timepiece is fitted with a blue alligator-skin strap with a steel folding clasp and is also compatible with a fabric strap with a velcro fastening.
Like all of Ulysse Nardin’s manufacture calibres, the UN-334 incorporates silicium technology, with the escapement wheel, anchor and balance-spring all made from this metalloid, which offers non- magnetic, elastic and durable properties to guarantee the utmost accuracy. This avant-garde material – which was first introduced to the watchmaking industry in the early 21st century thanks to Ulysse Nardin’s pioneering efforts – requires almost no lubrication and resists wear. As its production techniques are complicated to implement, they remain the preserve of just a handful of watch manufactures.
Ulysse Nardin’s tourbillon chronometers are a work of art that first originated in the late 19th century. The tourbillon formed part of a search for the greatest possible accuracy as its primary function is to compensate for deviations in the rate of the movement caused by Earth’s gravity in vertical positions. Since the 1980s, the House has perpetuated this heritage, continually developing new rotating carriages and adding to its long list of watchmaking achievements.
While last year the brand launched the Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon in black Grand Feu enamel as a limited edition of 175 pieces, it is now unveiling the Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon in white Grand Feu enamel as part of the permanent collection. With an open sapphire crystal case back, this polished and satin-finished steel model is completed by a fluted bezel. The white “Grand Feu” enamel dial designed by Donzé Cadrans proudly displays the power reserve at 12 o’clock. The UN-128 self-winding manufacture calibre powers the flying tourbillon with constant escapement, which is fitted with a flying silicium anchor, a system patented by Ulysse Nardin that won the Tourbillon Watch Prize at the 2015 annual GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) ceremony.
This 42 mm-diameter mechanical masterpiece, water-resistant to 50 meters, is finished off with a blue alligator-skin strap with a folding clasp, and is also compatible with a rubber strap or metal bracelet.
Enamelling is a decorative technique mastered by a small circle of artisans and nowadays is only used on watches produced by the most prestigious watchmakers. Complexity, meticulous detail and realistic decoration are the main reasons why collectors have historically wanted to acquire timepieces with enamelled dials.
Ulysse Nardin is a leader in this field and a keeper of this artisanal know-how. It works in conjunction with its house Donzé Cadrans, which entirely produces this type of dial traditionally according to ancestral principles. The Donzé Cadrans artisans apply a variety of enamel techniques, in particular Cloisonné, Champlevé, Flinqué and Grand Feu. The term Grand Feu (“big fire”) comes from melting the enamel powder in a furnace heated to between 760 and 900°C, a technique used for all categories of enamelling.
Astronomy is one of humankind’s most ancient fixations and has always aroused human curiosity. Our planet’s moon has always been of particular interest due to the direct impact it has on the oceans and its effects on our lives.
Ulysse Nardin began to design watches with moonphase displays in the late 19th century. The first Marine Torpilleur Moonphase models were presented in 2021 with a stainless steel case and a blue or white dial, as a limited edition of 300 pieces per model. Given its success, this year Ulysse Nardin is introducing the Marine Torpilleur Moonphase into its permanent collection, with a 42 mm rose gold case powered by the UN-119 self-winding calibre with a silicium balance-spring and a DiamonSil escapement wheel and anchor. The dual counters display the power reserve at 12 o’clock and the small seconds and moon disc at 6 o’clock. The moon is transferred onto the counter, which adds elegance and sparkle when it shows itself against the starry blue PVD sky. This timepiece, which is water-resistant to 50 meters, is fitted with a dark blue alligator-skin strap with rose gold folding clasp.
After being one of the first watch houses to use silicium in the first Freak watch in 2001, here Ulysse Nardin also uses DiamonSil (patented in 2009), a plasma surface treatment process combining silicium and synthetic diamond. This DiamonSil plasma technology is one of the brand’s most iconic forms of know- how. The escapement wheel and silicium anchor of the Marine Torpilleur Moonphase are coated in this artificial diamond layer, which optimises its performance and improves its resistance to magnetism, friction and the millions of impacts it receives each year.
Ulysse Nardin expands the Marine Torpilleur Specifications
Marine Torpilleur Dual Time
Ref: 3343-320-3A/1A
Movement: UN-334 self-winding manufacture movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, Dual Time, large date Silicium escapement wheel, anchor and balance-spring 321 components Frequency: 4 Hz / oscillating at 28,800 vib/h
Case: Polished and satin-finished stainless steel Fluted bezel, Open stainless steel case back with sapphire crystal, 44 mm
Dial: Blue sunray satin-finished, Small seconds at 6 o’clock, Dual Time at 9 o’clock, large date at 2 o’clock
Power Reserve: 48 hours Water Resistance: 50 meters
Blue alligator-skin strap, Stainless steel folding clasp, Compatible with fabric strap with velcro fastening
Marine Torpilleur Moonphase
Ref: 1192-310-0A/1A
Movement: UN-119 manufacture calibre, self-winding COSC movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, moonphase, Silicium balance-spring, DiamonSil escapement wheel and anchor, 260 components, Frequency 4 Hz / oscillating at 28,800 vib/h, 5N rose gold oscillating weight
Case: Polished and satin-finished rose gold, Fluted rose gold bezel, Open rose gold case back with sapphire crystal, 42 mm
Dial: Varnished white dial, Golden hands, Dual counter with power reserve display at 12 o’clock, small seconds and moon disc at 6 o’clock, The moon is transferred onto the counter, which adds elegance and sparkle when it shows itself against the starry blue PVD sky
Blue alligator-skin strap, Rose gold folding clasp
Power Reserve: 60 hours Water Resistance: 50 meters
Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon Grand Feu
Ref: 283-310-0AE/1A
Movement: UN-128 Constant manufacture calibre, self-winding movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, Flying tourbillon with Ulysse Anchor Constant Escapement Power reserve display
Silicium escapement wheel, balance-spring & anchor, 208 components, 2.5 Hz / 18,000
Case: Polished & satin-finished stainless steel case / fluted bezel Open stainless steel case back with sapphire crystal, 42 mm
Dial: White Grand Feu enamel dial made by Donzé Cadrans, Power reserve display at 12 o’clock, Rhodium-plated hands
Blue alligator-skin strap, Steel folding clasp, Compatible with rubber strap or metal bracelet
