The table chronometer makes its last appearance in three limited series.
The UFO model by Ulysse Nardin only marked its second birthday in 2023: a clock launched in 2021 to celebrate the brand's 175th anniversary. The brand set itself the ambitious goal of drawing inspiration from the working principles of the very marine chronometers which brought the company's namesake his former glory in order to create the apparatus of the future.
The watchmakers borrowed the idea of movement to guarantee stability applied in marine chronometers to counteract rocking by setting the clocks on gimbals. The base of the UFO was created in the shape of an aluminum hemisphere, which guaranteed a soft incline for the clock weighing 7.2 kg to swing up to 60 degrees.
The original model appeared as a limited edition of 75 pieces in a version with dark blue details. This year, Ulysse Nardin is presenting an original version of Freak S at the Only Watch 2023 auction, but they haven't forgotten about the UFO either.
The manufacture has announced it will be completing the short yet epic UFO run with no less than three new versions of the timepiece in one go. The clocks are being released in partnership with retailers who work with Ulysse Nardin in different corners of the world.
The limit for each version has been set at 30 pieces. The signature ice blue hue appears on timepieces for the Bucherer chain, there's a champagne model for the Hour Glass, and green for Yoshida.
Color has been added to the base, the three dials for the three different time zones, and some of the components in the openworked movement. Clock masters at the company L’Épée worked on the movement for Ulysse Nardin's UFO, who specialize in making complicated movements for interior models of different shapes.
An elongated movement was developed for the UFO, which the watchmakers have managed to fit into a glass bell measuring 263 mm in height and 159 mm in diameter. The caliber which took two years of research and prototyping to create is reminiscent of a miniature ship in a bottle.
The hemispherical glass was crafted by the artisan glassblower Romain Montero, who works for Verre et Quartz. Three times the required number of bells need to be blown in order to achieve enough finished pieces with perfectly smooth surfaces.