Ulysse Nardin is happy to make watches quite like anyone else and the avant garde brand wears its flagship Freak model with pride.
The watches might be off-the-wall, but Ulysse Nardin is very keen to show that breaking the rules as a watchmaker doesn’t mean they take their responsibilities lightly, especially when it comes to the environment.
The new Diver Net Ops and Diver X Skeleton Ops watches both feature the proprietary material Carbonium – like carbon fibre, but made with upcycled offcuts from the aircraft industry, reducing the environmental impact by 40% over other carbon composites.
The first watch also contains Nylo, another trademarked name for a material that is made from recycled fishing nets.
The Diver Net Ops has a 44mm case made from 95% recycled steel with Nylo and Carbonium used for the sides and the caseback.
Water resistance is 300 metres, and the watch is powered by manufacture calibre UN-118, an automatic movement with silicon balance spring and 60-hour power reserve.
The sandblasted khaki green dial has a power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock. In case you haven’t got the colour theme yet, the fabric strap, made partly from upcycled fishing nets, is also in khaki green.
The Diver X Skeleton OPS in turn ventures into areas of unusually high watchmaking for a diving watch.
With Ulysse Nardin’s UN-372 skeletonised automatic movement, the open-worked movement shows off a silicon escapement and an oversized oscillator.
The 44mm black DLC titanium case is water-resistant to 200 metres and features a unidirectional rotating bezel in Carbonium.
These new pieces follow the release of two Freak Ops watches last year and add to the growing Ops, or “operations” capsule collection.
Ulysse Nardin Diver Net Ops £11,700/$13,300
Ulysse Nardin X Skeleton Ops. £24,230/$27,500