DIVER [ATOLL] Ulysse Nardin

OPEN SEA PASSION

Faithful to its attachment to the ocean since its first marine chronometers created nearly two centuries ago, the Le Locle-based watchmaker turns to the land to borrow a mineral with bluish, verdant hues to dress the face of a watch.

At the end of each summer, when the sun’s rays become less intense, temperatures drop gently and the sky is covered with graying clouds, vacation nostalgia resurfaces. We swap our bathing suits for fluffy sweaters, replace our beach sandals for closed-toe shoes, and yet, for Ulysse Nardin, the ocean is never far away. The Le Locle-based watchmaker, which built its reputation by developing marine chronometers right from its foundation, continues to solidify its powerful link with nautical and underwater activities, as demonstrated by the new Diver [Atoll] watch to be worn on the wrist 365 days a year.

The fascinating dial of this limited edition of 100 pieces is covered with a disc of chrysocolla, a mineral discovered in antiquity and richly pigmented in intense hues. Streaked with ochre marbling resembling sandbars, these turquoise, marine and emerald hues evoke the waters bordering a coral reef. Eleven brilliants illuminate this oceanic face, swept by a trio of central, silvered, luminescent hands, while a porthole at 6 o’clock reveals the date in black on a white background.

The hours, minutes and seconds are driven by the UN-816 caliber, a 4hz automatic movement that delivers a 42-hour power reserve when fully wound. It is housed in a case that is water-resistant to 300m, measures 39mm in diameter and is machined from steel, 80% of which is recycled. A unidirectional rotating bezel trimmed with diamonds and blue-engraved Arabic numerals indicating the quarters tops this set. Depending on the adventures for which the Diver [Atoll] is destined, Ulysse Nardin suggests wearing it with a textured white rubber strap or a subtly pearly alligator leather strap.