Swiss luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin is historically best known for making highly accurate marine chronometers. The timepieces had to be extremely precise and accurate for the ship’s navigator to correctly determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. Ulysse Nardin earned a reputation for producing exceptional deck chronometers and at one point during the 1800s the brand supplied marine chronometers to over fifty of the world’s navies. Ulysse Nardin newest addition to its emblematic Marine collection is named ‘Torpilleur.’ The latest timepiece is a thinner, lighter version of its iconic Marine collection, aimed at younger and more modern buyers.
Torpilleur is French for torpedo boat – a smaller, lighter warship conceived to battle larger, slower vessels. The tasteful, yet slightly retro, facelift given to the watch makes it more elegant. The redesigned case measures 42mm in diameter and features a fixed, thin fluted bezel. The watch has sapphire crystals on both sides. The rear crystal shows off the UN-118, the in-house automatic movement that has a diamond-coated silicon escapement as well as a silicon hairspring. The crown is engraved with the brand’s logo. The Torpilleur case comes in steel or pink gold and two different versions of the dial are on offer: white lacquer with Roman numerals that’s most similar to vintage marine chronometers, as well as a dark metallic blue. The Marine Torpilleur is available at Ulysse Nardin retailers and boutiques with the retail prices starting at US$6900.
Note – I partnered with the brand to write this article but the opinions expressed herewith are mine.
