It might surprise you to learn that the Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture will be the first watch in the brand’s Classico range to feature its own in-house movement. The Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture is a simply styled watch, with a pleasingly restrained dial that features central hour and minute hands, a going seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, and a small, round date window within the seconds sub-dial. Let’s take a quick closer look at this new release.
As expected on a restrained “Classico” watch, the hours are marked by applied thin gold lines, while 12, 3, and 9 o’clock are indicated by slender Roman numerals. All of the markers are applied, in contrast to the sub-dial surround, which is sunk into the dial. This multi-levelled approach creates a bit more interest in a dial that could otherwise appear plain. In addition to the gold markers, the dial of the Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture is marked with small luminous dots. On the cream dial, these white dots are almost invisible in daylight, but come alive after dark, making this piece usable no matter the time.
There’s a fine line between plainness and successfully executed classicism, and I think the Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture strikes a good balance. The dial is finished in a slightly iridescent frosting, which is continued by the edge of the sub-dial, before giving way to a concentric circular ridge pattern. There may not be much going on, but the subtle shifts in patterning or depth give just enough visual engagement to make this watch face desirable. Getting this right, or even bothering to use the different patterns in a creative but tasteful way is essential to any good design.
The established Ulysse Nardin anchor logo is also applied in the same material and fashion as the hour markers, creating a satisfying link between all the necessary dial elements. The gold hands themselves are of a simple, traditional shape with bold luminous inserts. They are excellently weighted and look very elegant against the reserved backdrop and within the slick case that is designed to catch eyes, not cuffs.
The 40mm case is made of 18ct rose gold and stands just 9.6mm from the wrist. The classically styled housing is polished with no sharp edges – perfect for being worn under a shirt cuff. The front and back crystals are both sapphire, with the dial-side crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating for enhanced clarity. The watch is held on your wrist by a leather strap, brown for the cream dial variant, and colour-coded blue for the blue dial model. The strap is fastened by a tang buckle, which I think is a good choice for a watch this classical in style.
So when you turn the watch over in your hands, what do you see? Through the sapphire case back, the new in-house UN-320 movement is visible. The rotor weight dominates the aperture and is rendered from matching rose gold and sports a black Ulysse Nardin logo against a nicely patterned background. The UN-320 features a silicium hairspring and an anchor escapement. It has automatic winding and has a power reserve of 48 hours. The case is water resistant to 30 meters, but it’s not a watch that is designed for active wear.
The bi-colour movement has rhodium plated bridges, finished with a circular Geneva wave. The proliferation of blued screws (with three visible screw heads attaching the rotor bearing to the automatic device framework) and the meatiness of the red jewels (of which there are 39 in total), gives this in-house calibre a real sense of colour. In addition to the chunky jewels, the pivots that can be seen poking through appear refreshingly robust.

A voyage into the depths of a mythical sea of desire

Ten enchanting erotic watches created in collatoration with Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara.

“I had to think of a theme that brings all these ten images together and yet leaves each one its autono-my, so that it works on its own without the need for the others, This is not a linear story but there is a common thread based on two characters; one is a timeless girl and the other, a mermaid”Milo Manara

Manara has created just ten of these illustrations, a series that Ulysse Nardin has reproduced using micro painting. High in the swiss mountains, artisans at the Ulysse Nardin Headquarters in Le Locle have been working during approximately 50 hours around the clock to miniaturize each of Manara’s drawings on the dials, a surface which is roughly ten times smaller than the original water …
These Classico Manara in 40 mm will be set on dark blue alligator straps to align with the color tonality dictated by Manara. As a special gift from Ulysse Nardin, each watch purchase will be accompanied by an original numbered Milo Manara print, signed by the artist himself.
Finding inspiration in artisanal traditions of the past combined with cutting-edge watchmaking, the Classico collection includes a wide variety of beautiful styles, and breathtaking complications.
It might surprise you to learn that the Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture will be the first watch in the brand’s Classico range to feature its own in-house movement. The Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture is a simply styled watch, with a pleasingly restrained dial that features central hour and minute hands, a going seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, and a small, round date window within the …