BOUTIQUE
ULYSSE NARDIN
Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel
Never shy about highlighting its many
technical advances, Ulysse Nardin has placed
many of them directly onto a wide-open, 44mm
stage with its newest Executive Tourbillon Free
Wheel. With one glance at the watch the wearer
spies, raised above the dial, each primary time-
keeping and regulation component. Each is
skeletonized and each seems to be floating
in the air just below a stunning sapphire box
crystal.
In two 44mm gold case options, Ulysse
Nardin has placed the primary components of
new Caliber UN-176 high on either a honeycomb
grid or slate stage, allowing the viewer to sit in a
front-row seat from which to observe the
mechanism at work.
Note the dual barrels at the top of the dial,
wound manually, delivering power to only a
few very visible gears (and to others that are
presumably hidden underneath the dial in a
design choice akin to those used in so-called
mystery clocks). They transfer an impressive
seven-day power reserve through the Ulysse
Nardin flying tourbillon with an unusual and
highly efficient in-house Anchor Escapement.
Also note a differential gear set at 8 o’clock that
regulates the power to the power reserve
indicator at 4 o’clock—and not much else.
The resulting spare presentation is
fascinating. The raised-element display differs
from more classical skeleton calibers. Instead
of removing a dial, Ulysse Nardin allows the dial
to serve as both screen and stage, dramatically
presenting what’s visible – and hiding the rest.
While Ulysse Nardin says the caseback is also
made of sapphire, I’m not sure if the
remaining gears are visible through the back or
not as caseback photography was immediately
available.
The flying tourbillon’s award-winning Ulysse
Anchor Escapement is another highlight here.
Introduced in 2015, it replaces the traditional
Swiss lever escapement system with Ulysse
Nardin’s own low-friction silicon components,
including thin silicon ‘blades’ that buckle,
performing a back and forth motion that allows
the pivot fork to impulse with no pivot. The
result is a super efficient escapement, constant
amplitude and no need for lubrication.
Unlike other Ulysse Nardin tourbillons, the
44mm Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel is not
a limited edition. It’s a visually stimulating full
production launch that is being made with a rose
gold case fit with a black slate dial ($96,000)
or white gold case with a grey honeycomb dial
($98,000).
30 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2018