Ulysse Nardin Gets Nautical with Limited Edition Schooner Chronograph
Marine watchmaker Ulysse Nardin recently unveiled its new limited edition marine timepiece, the Schooner chronograph. Revealed during this year’s America’s Cup Challenge in September, the Schooner chronograph was designed by skilled artisans as a tribute to the sailing vessel America — the schooner that inspired the beginning of the annual America’s Cup tradition in 1851. Only 50 of these watches were produced, making them a rare and sought-after item among upscale yachting enthusiasts.
Retailing in Ulysse Nardin boutiques in Miami, Boca Raton and New York City, the Schooner chronograph sells for an impressive $15,500 and captures the spirit of sailing with it’s navy blue accents and nautical engravings. It features a rubber-encased stainless steel construction and a sapphire crystal case back for added durability. To the delight of affluent divers everywhere, The Schooner chronograph is waterproof to over 600 feet.
World Record in Excellence
The Schooner chronograph is crafted with the intense precision and attention to detail that’s representative of all Ulysse Nardin pieces. It’s only one in a long line of quality timepieces that date back to 1846, when Ulysses Nardin, accomplished watchmaker, founded his Swiss company around the construction of innovative marine chronometers. Throughout the 1800s, the Ulysses Nardin brand gained a reputation as a top producer of marine timepieces and were utilized by navies the world over.
The company began producing watches again in 1983, when it was purchased and revived by Swiss businessman Rolf Schnyder. Under the guidance of Schnyder, Ulysse Nardin once again began the climb to the top of the watchmaking industry. The comeback was jump-started by the unveiling, in 1985, of the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei — a timepiece deemed the most complex watch ever created by the 1985 Guinness Book of World Records.
Marine chronometers first came into play in 1761, as devices that could figure the longitude of a boat at sea. The very first one is attributed to John Harrison, the English carpenter and clock maker. Since that time, their design and precision has been built upon by many watchmakers who strived to incorporate function and precision with mass production and modern materials — two objectives at which Schnyder and Ulysse Nardin excelled.
Elegant Precision
Ulysse Nardin San Marco Classico 8276-119-2:31 18k Rose Gold Watch
For more than 150 years, the name Ulysse Nardin has been synonymous with precision, innovation and elegance of design. The company began winning awards and capturing international recognition almost from the moment Nardin himself opened the doors in 1846. It comes as no surprise to those familiar with the Nardin legacy that the company that once floundered all the way down to one loyal employee has since rebounded to once again become a top industry name in the art of horology. Under the watchful eye of Schnyder, the Nardin workforce increased steadily from 1983 until his death in June of 2011.
Though Nardin and Schnyder are gone, their conjoined legacy lives on in the superior, award-winning craftsmanship of the Ulysse Nardin name, and it lives on in the Schooner chronograph.
America — long may she sail.