Sapphire is no longer reserved for the movement, now it's also used for the case.
In 2005, Ulysse Nardin welcomed the Royal Blue Tourbillon model to the brand's collection. The bridges and plates in manually wound caliber UN-79 were made of blue sapphire crystal, and the tourbillon positioned at 6 o'clock mysteriously appeared to float in midair.
The tourbillon was made for Ulysse Nardin in collaboration with Christophe Claret. Rolf Schnyder first spotted Claret at the trade show in Basel in 1987, and began ordering complicated movements from the young watchmaker.
Claret's signature is the spinel-set tourbillon carriage. This detail has been preserved on the new Royal Sapphire Flying Tourbillon Blue and Ruby. The first Royal Blue Tourbillon with a mysterious floating tourbillon movement was housed in a platinum case decorated with diamonds and blue sapphires.
Ulysse Nardin Royal Sapphire Flying Tourbillon Blue und Ruby
A few versions of the model have appeared since 2005, albeit not many, including an edition with baguette-cut stones and one where some of the movement's components are made of pink sapphire crystal. This time round, Ulysse Nardin is introducing two novelties at once — one in blue and another pink version.
Not only are the components in caliber UN-79 transparent, now the watch case is see-through too. Even the winding crown is made of sapphire crystal. The movement comprising 209 components runs at a frequency of 21,600 vph and provides a 96-hour power reserve. It's housed in a large case measuring 44 mm in diameter.
It's grown 3 mm bigger since the days of the platinum version. The novelty is fairly lean though with a case height of 11.99 mm. The movement is held in its transparent case by a rhodium-plated brass ring. The brand's name is inscribed in the sapphire crystal and can be seen from both sides.
Availability of the Royal Sapphire Flying Tourbillon Blue Ref. 793-300 is limited to 18 pieces, while the limit for the Royal Sapphire Flying Tourbillon Ruby Ref. 793-300LE-7A-RUBY/1A is set at 8 pieces. This is a significant reduction in availability compared to the original 99-piece launch in 2005.