Ulysse Nardin celebrates the Geneva Watch Days with two new versions of its LADY DIVER 39 mm and BLAST TOURBILLON 45 mm timepieces, both inspired by the iridescent rainbow colors of silicium. Always a pioneer, in 2001 the brand was the first watchmaker to introduce a timepiece with silicium escapement components – and the Freak was born, alongside contemporary watchmaking. Since then, Ulysse Nardin has incorporated this metalloid into several of its movements, including the BLAST TOURBILLON’s caliber UN-172 and the LADY DIVER’s caliber UN-816. Inspired by the shimmering colors of this revolutionary material, the bezels of these two new models are adorned with purple, green, blue or pink gemstones that sparkle in the sunlight for a “rainbow” effect. Usually associated with cheerfulness and joy, this multicolored trend guarantees a young and fun style.
BLAST RAINBOW
The BLAST bears its name well. The skeleton “X” dial’s complex and geometric forms on this imposing 45mm timepiece with a micro-rotor in platinum placed at 12 o’clock simply blow-up traditional watch design. To soften the look, a total of 50 rubies and sapphire baguette gemstones adorn the bezel and the indexes of this BLAST RAINBOW, making this timepiece sexy and powerful on any wrist.
Water resistant to 50 meters and driven by an automatic flying tourbillon, the BLAST is powered by the UN-172 caliber movement with Silicium technology (escapement wheel, anchor & balance spring) enclosed in a black DLC titanium case and sealed with a black ceramic polished and sandblasted upper case. This limited edition of 50 timepieces promises 72 hours of power reserve and comes with a waterproof velvet rubber strap or a black alligator strap, together with a black DLC titanium and black ceramic self-deploying buckle, at a price of 85’000 CHF.
LADY DIVER RAINBOW
The new LADY DIVER RAINBOW – in black or white – is the next generation of the 2019 LADY DIVER but with eye-catching, dazzling decorative touches. Forty stones (ruby, aquamarine, topaz, tsavorite and sapphire) are set on the concave unidirectional bezel of this new watch, catching the light no matter how deep the dive. Eleven diamonds serving as indexes increase the scintillating effect of the watch and bring a touch of elegance to this sublime diving watch.
The young and sportive 39mm LADY DIVER RAINBOW, water resistant to 300 meters, is the incarnation of a utilitarian timepiece designed to reach the depths of the world’s oceans with beauty, grace, and the highest functionality. The UN-816 automatic movement with Silicium technology is the beating heart of each DIVER watch, keeping track of the hours, minutes, seconds, and date.
Both white and black LADY DIVER RAINBOW models come in a limited edition of 300 timepieces each on a white or black structured rubber strap, at a price of 12’900 CHF.
SILICIUM REVOLUTION
Since the early 2000s, silicium has become the most promising material for watchmaking. Anthracite with bluish metallic reflections in its raw state, the silicium has exceptional properties: totally non-magnetic, it is light and elastic without ever deforming. Its high resistance to corrosion and its durability do not alter with time. It requires no lubrication thanks to a silicium dioxide layer that hardens and stabilizes the parts and makes them insensitive to thermal variations. Therefore, Ulysse Nardin uses silicium to manufacture the regulating organs of all its timepieces, including the balance spring.
Sigatec, an affiliate of Ulysse Nardin based in Sion, Switzerland, is specialized in silicium micromechanical components and creates custom-made pieces, with micron-level precision. The silicium used by Sigatec comes in the form of a wafer, a disk about 15 centimeters in diameter and only a few tenths of a millimeter thick, carved out of a silicon crystal ingot, and produced synthetically by smelters. The wafer necessitates a particular process in order to be formed into the desired components, which represents the know-how of Sigatec: the DRIE. The Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) process is a revolutionary, hybrid technological combination of photography and 3D etching. It has claimed its pole position in watchmaking in just a decade.
