This weekend in Miami, a few important events are taking place, including the International Boat Show and Watches & Wonders Miami at the Miami Design District. This incredible backdrop of luxurious yachts and superb watches and jewelry was the perfect setting for Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin to unveil its newest high-tech, high-mech watch. This morning at the Boat Show, Ulysse Nardin's CEO Patrick Pruniax launched the Marine Mega Yacht Watch, a tidal indication timepiece that carries a retail price of $310,000.
For Ulysse Nardin, whose nearly 175-year history is inextricably tied to the marine world (as the brand was creating marine chronometers since its founding in 1846), this new watch makes perfect sense. Ulysse Nardin is a vertically integrated complete watchmaking Manufacture that has built several pillar collections around the water, including its Marine line and Diver line of watches. By combining this marine environment with the its pioneering spirit in terms of new materials and technology, Ulysse Nardin has developed a complicated movement for this watch that has a patent pending.
Essentially, the UN-631 caliber is chocked with 504 components and offers such functions as a one-minute flying tourbillon at 6:00 on the dial (complete with a propeller motif) that compensates for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity (and which is constantly and mesmerizingly in motion), moon phase indication, tidal indication and coefficients and a power reserve system with 80 hours of reserve.
A close up look at the alluring dial of the complex Ulysse Nardin Marine Mega Yacht unveiled today... [+]
With the needs of yacht owners in mind, Ulysse Nardin's master watchmakers, alongside watchmakers from Swiss independent brand Christophe Claret (renowned as a master in complications), have created the three-dimensional movement - visible via a sapphire crystal case back -- in the likeness of a ship's engines. They have also reconfigured the tidal indications (for a location the wearer sets via the crown) and introduced a revolutionary new display of information.
Close-up look at the power reserve indication on the Ulysse Nardin Mega Yacht watch -- displayed via... [+]
On the dial side of the watch, a mechanism displays the height of the tides, as well as indicating the seasonal coefficients as they relate to the place the wearer selects. To display the power reserve, there is a unique pulley-and-chain system (this is the patent-pending system) wherein the anchor (in plowshare likeness) is linked to the chain by an anchor ring and as the watch is wound, the anchor chain moves accordingly to indicate the accurate power reserve at 3:00 on the dial. For aesthetics and allure, Ulysse Nardin has created a miniature windlass that is visible at 12:00 on the dial and that turns to simulate the rising of the anchor.
Additionally, there is a 3D moon globe at 9:00 that displays the phases of the moon. The moon orb is engraved with a replica of the moon's surface. The orb consists of two halves, one in blue PVD to indicate the new moon and one is rhodium. The ingenious watch has an aperture on the case side that indicates the position of the crown: S- set the hands; TM - tide and moon position; W- winding.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Mega Yacht watch with one-minute flying tourbillon with anchor motif.
Ulysse NardinDesigned for today's mega-yacht owners, the alluring 44mm Marine Mega Yacht watch is crafted in platinum with a stunning blue Grand Feu enamel also on the dial. In terms of ingenuity, it follows on the heels of the amazing Marine Grand Deck Tourbillon with moving boom and sail lines that the brand unveiled in 2016. Just 30 pieces will be built.
