If watch brands stopped coming out with products like this, I would probably stop going to Baselworld. Times are tough for the watch industry, with economic instability and systemic issues of product over-production to blame. Nevertheless, there is still magic and the unexpected around many corners – such as this new wonder-watch from one of my favorite brands, Ulysse Nardin. Sitting with brand CEO Patrik Hoffmann, he asks me with a slight smile, “Did you see the Grand Deck?”You’d think that major watch brands would buckle down on spending and merely focus on selling what already works, therefore, such a fantastic watch piece is certainly to be duplicated.
Ulysse Nardin has been inspired by the world of boating at least a few dozen times over the years same to the original piece, and new interpretations continue to manifest from that, such as this Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon , which happens to be the first time Ulysse Nardin has introduced a new complication into the Marine case collection – here, came in a 44mm-wide 18k white gold case. you can see exactly how the watch works as a series of “nanowires” act to pull a blued-aluminum retrograde minute hand meaning to act like a ship’s boom. The boom-style retrograde minute hand moves along a translucent blue arc minute counter and offers the coolest animation when it hits 60 and returns to zero. The small transparent wires are stronger than steel and made of a polyethylene known as Dyneema fiber – and, perhaps less than coincidentally, also used inside some ship rigging.
In fact, the entire operation of adjusting the time is a pleasure. Hours are indicated via a double-disc “big” jumping hour display which is useful and lovely. Ulysse Nardin replica designed the in-house made caliber UN-630 movement with a quick-set system for the hour indicator, because setting the time using this system can be slow. A pusher above the crown allows you to advance the current hour in one hour increments. For the dial, Ulysse Nardin replica continues to follow along with the ship theme, producing it out of pieces of wood marquetry. The dial of the Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon is seriously cool, and probably even better if you are a sailing enthusiast. Note the high-end sailing boat-style pulleys that move the small wires which are just 0.0357mm in thickness. Better yet, it is actually legible. Limited to just a few pieces, I do think Ulysse Nardin will produce future versions of this beautiful, yet whimsical, high-end timepiece.