At this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland, luxury Swiss watch manufacture Ulysse Nardin is highlighting its unique savoir-faire in the fine craft of enameling. As part of a closer look at this lost decorative art, Ulysse Nardin will launch a new edition Classico Manufacture with a blue Grand Feu enamel dial.
The timepiece upholds the three fundamentals upon which Ulysse Nardin has built its reputation as a mechanical watchmaker: independent manufacturing, rare craftsmanship and an unceasing quest for innovation.
This Classico Manufacture timepiece is powered by the self-winding UN-320 caliber, a movement entirely designed and produced in-house by the Swiss manufacture. It incorporates the celebrated silicium hairspring and anchor escapement, also designed and manufactured in-house. In fact, Ulysse Nardin pioneered the use of silicium parts in mechanical watchmaking, being the first to identify the advanced material’s potential for improved precision and durability before others followed suit.
The second pillar of Ulysse Nardin’s unique savoir-faire is evident in the artistry of the Grand Feu enamel dial. Created by the Ulysse Nardin company, Donzé Cadrans, specialists in the fine art of enameling, this Grand Feu enamel dial is a stunning blue. Only a handful of craftsmen have the necessary skill to master this 17th-century technique, and the blue dial of the Classico Manufacture, with it’s delicately translucid quality, is a fine example of this challenging art.
The UN-320 movement and Grand Feu enamel dial are set in a chic 40 mm stainless-steel case with a leather strap. The overall effect is one of streamlined simplicity: the hour and minute hands point to classic Roman numeral indexes, completed with a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. Within lies a round date window: the wearer can easily set the date forwards or backwards, an incredible achievement for a mechanical watch. With a competitive price point, the latest edition Classico Manufacture Grand Feu is a more accessible expression of Ulysse Nardin’s DNA: craftsmanship rooted in tradition, and savoir-faire anchored in innovation.
