Ulysse Nardin has been known for its marine chronometers since the mid-1800s, and these timepieces were, in fact, the bedrock upon which founder Ulysse Nardin started his eponymous company. Notably, between 1846 and 1975 Ulysse Nardin garnered 4,324 certificates of performance for mechanical marine chronometers, and the timepieces continue as a primary focus for the company’s collections.
Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Chronometer 1846, first seen in 1996 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the brand, last year celebrated its twentieth birthday. This year, Ulysse Nardin continues expanding this collection with the Marine Torpilleur, named for the small, easily maneuverable ships of the past that could take on larger, less agile ships. In short, the Marine Torpilleur is a lighter, slimmer (and more modern) version of the Marine Chronometer, yet the two share some obvious features thanks to the symbiosis of the Marine collection.
The new Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur, in rose gold.
The Marine Torpilleur’s dial design is a nod to U.N.’s Marine collection with Roman numeral indexes, the “Ulysse Nardin Le Locle Suisse” verbiage center stage, and a pop of red in “1846.” The hands, though here redesigned, are clearly born from the same family.
The Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur, in steel.
The watch is powered by the self-winding in-house UN-118 movement, with sixty hours of power reserve and a proprietary silicon anchor escapement, also employed in other U. N. Marine Chronometers. The power reserve indicator is at 12 o’clock with small seconds at 6 o’clock. The date, also at 6 o’clock, features a forward and backward date corrector.
The 42mm Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur, with blue dial and steel case.
A side view of the new Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur.
The 42mm COSC-certified Marine Torpilleur is available in three versions, two in stainless steel and one in rose gold. The stainless steel models offer either a white dial and leather strap or a blue dial with a stainless steel bracelet. The gold model has a white dial and a leather strap. All have screw-down crowns, sapphire crystals and water resistance to fifty meters. Prices: $6,900 (steel with leather strap), $7,900 (steel with steel bracelet) and $17,900 (rose gold).
A vintage Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur pocket watch, in its original box.