The Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer is a natural navigator who can explore the world’s oceans from home. Thanks to horando.de, I had the opportunity to take a close look at fine timepieces in the high-end luxury segment. In this review, you’ll find out what a large marine chronometer is all about.
Everything you need to know about Hollando
The online portal Horando is one of the most important luxury watch stores in the German-speaking world, where you can go if you want to buy a watch quickly and safely. At Horando you can find watches from brands such as Audemars Piguet, Omega, Hublot, IWC, Breitling, Rolex, Panerai, Tag Heuer, Tudor, and – especially important today – Ulysse Nardin. In addition, Horando is an official franchisee and authorized distributor of the brands Alpina, Frederique Constant Geneve and U-BOAT Italo Fontana.
Important to know – all watches are original. This means that the manufacturer’s warranty, certificate and original packaging (if any) are always included. Internationally, delivery is via insured value shipping. Those who prefer this personal connection can also pick up his watch from the pick-up lounge in Bamberg. If you want to sell your watch, Horando will buy it and certify it.
This Ulysse Nardin chronometer model was kindly provided to me by Horando. We also reviewed the Rolex Sea Dweller 4000 Single Red together. All important links to the watch and online store can be found at the end of this review.
How marine chronometers shape watch brands
The shipping industry is deeply rooted in the history of Ulysse Nardin. The Swiss brand was founded in 1846 by the watchmaker of the same name. Thirty years later he died suddenly, and his son took over the business, a family business specializing in nautical precision timepieces. A complete success, as it only proved after a short time. Even today, the anchor in the logo is a reminder of those glorious times. At the same time, after several ownership changes, Ulysse Nardin belongs to the French luxury group Kering (Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, also represented by Girard-Perregaux in the watch industry).
With its nautical and sporty elegant design, the Marine range is mainly used on sailing and motor yachts. Because their owners also belong to the core target group of Ulysse Nardin. This Swiss manufacturer produces luxury watches. This includes numerous editions of the Ocean series. Released in 1996, these watches commemorate the 150th anniversary of Ulysse Nardin, celebrating the brand’s importance to shipping and the world’s navies. Not only a classic design, but also precise technology, some innovations and quite a few variants.
One of them is the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer, number 1183-122/40. Purely in terms of size, the chronometer with the in-house manufactured UN-118 movement is at the absolute top of the range. Are powerful timepieces the ultimate on the boats and yachts of this world? Read more about it in this watch review.
a luxurious timepiece
Lots of! This was my first thought when I took the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer out of its protective foil and spun it in my hand as part of Horando’s latest watch shipment. The watch-turned-power display leaves a lasting impression, that’s for sure. An elegant white dial with blue applications is paired with a sporty stainless steel case. This in turn translates into an interesting strap lug design with a blue rubber leather strap attached. Two totalizers, reminiscent of measuring instruments, are small seconds and a practical power reserve indicator.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer on the wrist
On the wrist, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer stands out. This is mainly due to the proud 45mm diameter, which you should definitely wear with confidence. A chic and timeless look with Roman numerals does the rest and exudes seriousness. This makes the Ulysse Nardin Observatory the perfect watch for important moments in life. This can be a business meeting, an evening party or just free time on your own boat. For this, the Ulysse Nardin Observatory is the perfect companion.
But what types of watches can luxury timepieces be assigned to? It’s really hard to judge. Because despite some typical features (more on that later), I wouldn’t call the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer a dive watch. If you consider a rubber strap or accumulator, it’s probably more of a very elegant dress watch with some sporty and marine elements.
Functional and Noble – Case
Let’s go for the details that differentiate the Athenian Nautical Observatory from cheaper premium watches and elevate it into the luxury realm. They’re sure to be found at good value for money for watch lovers. The sample is made of stainless steel. For example, the Marine collection also offers a watch with an 18-karat rose gold case for a modest surcharge. The stainless steel used here is impeccable and has a smooth surface, worthy of the label of “luxury”. All surfaces in the middle of the case, the case back and the fluted bezel are highly polished, giving the Ulysse Nardin an elegant look. watches sale uk
The fact that Ulysse Nardin doesn’t shorten the function of its luxury watch is evident from the crown protector, which makes its namesake function very handy in case you do want to activate the watch – which I actually think is very Use a sailboat. On the other side of the crown, the manufacturer screwed on a plaque. It shows the production number of the model, in this case 2613.
The dial is read through a very clear watch glass. It has no curvature and is made of – who would have thought – sapphire. Well, you can expect a sapphire crystal in a watch in this price range. No alternative is shock and compression resistant. This brings us to the next point, water resistance. Here, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer can dive to depths of up to 20 bar. These are the diving qualities just mentioned, which makes it clear that we’re dealing with a fairly serious functional watch.
UN-118 – Detail Manufacturing Caliber
A highlight of the nautical watch is its six-fold screw-down caseback. Like many other automatic timepieces, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer is fitted with a glass viewing caseback, aptly revealing the heart of the watch. The large diameter of the glazing is very nice.
The “heart” of the replica Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer is the UN-118, an in-house manufactured automatic movement. The fact that Ulysse Nardin produces its own movements and does not buy base calibers is another point that justifies the title of “luxury watch”.
This UN-118 has a power reserve of 60 hours and 28,800 vibrations per hour, well above the industry average. So, in theory, you can’t wear it for two and a half days and not have to rewind it after that. I found the remaining power reserve display below 12 o’clock to be very successful, which was very useful during my testing, and I’d like to see this on other automatic watches as well.
The dial of the Ulysse Nardin chronometer
The white dial with blue hour markers is so simple – that’s what makes it so great! Because the flat surface structure and unadorned accumulators reduce the view to the essence: time. The time is read according to non-luminous blue Roman numerals. This feature is reserved for black hands. However, if you have to read the time in the dark, that’s totally fine. However, the Ulysse Nardin Nautical Observatory does not function as a designated diver’s watch. This also applies to the stainless steel bezel, which is grooved but cannot be rotated and has no graduations.
At 6 o’clock, the designer created a circular date window, located within the small seconds hand. It’s like the power reserve indicator, with red as the main color and reminds me of a historical gauge. The neatly printed initials successfully complete the already very good overall impression.
Unconventional, great – rubber strap
Ulysse Nardin fake equips its Nautical Observatory with a unique blue rubber strap. Visually, the bracelet and lugs interlock like two bricks, meaning the bracelet cannot move at will. The shorter rubber and stainless steel links can be removed from the bracelet to best adjust the length to your wrist. Unusually, the stainless steel folding clasp is located on the other end of the bracelet.
The blue rubber strap is a bit offbeat, but it outperforms the competition in terms of practicality. Its folding clasp ensures a very secure fit. The tight fit of the bracelet at the lugs reduces wear, which has a positive effect on longevity.
My conclusion on the Athenian marine chronometer
The Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer is one of the best dress watches I’ve ever tested. With a lightweight nautical design, this bulky watch can be called a luxury watch. Because in the workmanship of the selected materials, the Ulysse Nardin Nautical Observatory is incomparable to its opponents. One of the highlights is, of course, the automatic movement, which is manufactured by the company itself and perfectly suited to the needs of this full-fledged chronometer.
Still, those interested in buying a marine chronometer should know they’re not buying a diver’s watch. Nor does the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer wish to be that – but an elegant dress watch with luxurious features. watches at discount