MILITARY INSPIRATION
These two new limited editions, which are the latest additions to the Marine Torpilleur collection, draw their inspiration from the military realm, and primarily the Navy which has shared a close relationship with Ulysse Nardin since 1846.
The military realm has formed part of our everyday fashion since the 1960s, most notably with the introduction to the female wardrobe of the safari jacket by Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) – a jacket which was originally created for the British Army at the end of the 19th century. Clothing, including fatigues, accessories such as wide high-top boots or the famous pouch bag, and especially the colors such as khaki green, sandy beige or even navy blue became a hit on the catwalk before making their way into wardrobes and then onto wrists. For Ulysse Nardin, it is much more than a passing trend as the Le Locle-based brand has specialized in marine chronometers since its inception in 1846. An essential instrument at the time for naval military ships, the brand is continuing this tradition with two new Marine Torpilleur Military pieces.
Limited to only 300 pieces per series, this duo showcases two shades inspired by the uniforms of soldiers in action on solid ground or at sea: khaki and navy, combined respectively with black DLC-coated steel and bronze. These two materials form the 44 mm case, water resistant up to 50 m, equipped with a screw-in crown and topped with a slim fixed bezel. The back of this metal case is engraved with the image of a torpedo boat (“torpilleur” in French).
On the carefully sandblasted dial, the Arabic numerals of the hour markers are finished off with an eggshell tint with a dash of blue. In the center, two pear-shaped hands, in khaki or gold, display the hours and minutes while the seconds are displayed on a small second counter at 6 o’clock. These functions are regulated by the self-winding COSC-certified UN-118 caliber which also offers a power reserve of 60 hours.
Price: CHF 7 900 (khaki edition) – CHF 8 900 (bronze edition)
By Sharmila Bertin