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Ulysse Nardin revisits its futuristic UFO marine chronometer clock, made in partnership with Maison L’Epée, adding three new colorful limited editions.

All three debuts are tied to a retail partnership: a green model represents Yoshida in Japan, ice blue is for Bucherer and a champagne-colored UFO commemorates the watchmaker’s relationship with The Hour Glass in South-East Asia.

As we noted when Ulysse Nardin debuted the first UFO in 2021 to celebrate the watchmaker’s 175th anniversary, the sixteen-pound, 10.3-inch-tall aluminum and glass clock is the futuristic interpretation of what Ulysse Nardin’s designers, engineers, and watchmakers think a marine chronometer should look like in 175 years.

The UFO’s rounded base allows for a swinging motion that is meant to conjure images of the perpetually moving ocean and Ulysse Nardin’s history as a maker of award-winning marine chronometers. 

Ulysse Nardin sold out its first seventy-five piece run of the dark blue UFO. In addition, a second UFO tinted orange sold for CHF 380,000 at the Only Watch charity auction in 2021. This newest UFO trio, each to be made as a limited edition of thirty pieces, will mark the clock’s final production.

The clock rocks 

Maison L’Epée and Ulysse Nardin constructed the UFO to swing up to 60° from its axis – an amplitude of 120 degrees – without altering its precision.

L’Epée requires 663 components, and plenty of time, to build each UFO, with the three trapezoidal dials being among the clock’s most complex components. The manufacturer says it takes twenty-eight hours to manufacture eight of the dials. Three are placed into each UFO to allow the owner to display three different time zones at once, each seen from a different angle.

The UFO features six massive barrels that confer a full year of power reserve when fully wound with forty turns of a key. At the top of the movement L’Epee and Ulysse Nardin have installed a dramatic slow-beat, large-diameter (49mm) brass balance wheel.

The size and the leisurely 3,600 bph balance frequency (one per second) soothes the viewer while also contributing to movement’s ultra-long power reserve. And to put a finer point on the clock’s meditative rate, you’ll find a dead-beat second indicator just below the balance.   

Ulysse Nardin includes a limited-edition certificate and a winding and setting key in the wooden box that houses each UFO.

Price: $68,600.

 

Specifications: Ulysse Nardin UFO

Three limited editions of 30 numbered pieces: 

UFO | Yoshida Exclusive – 9023-900LE-8A-YOS
UFO | Bucherer Exclusive – 9023-900LE-3A-BUCH
UFO | The Hour Glass Exclusive – 9023-900LE-9A-THG 

Movement: UN-902 caliber table clock, manually wound movement displaying three time zones, hours, minutes, deadbeat second, 675 components, six barrels, extra-large oscillator (49mm),  0.5 Hz /3,600 Alt/H, one-year power reserve.

Case: Colored aluminum and blown glass measuring 263mm (H) x 159mm. Weight: 15.8 pounds.

Price: $68,600

To celebrate its 140th birthday, Alpina releases a limited edition rectangular watch with a restored manual-wind caliber made in 1938.

The new Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years.

The new Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years features Caliber 490, which was designed, assembled and finished in 1938 by one of the firms in the Union Horlogère, Alpina’s original entity. Such fully in-house construction was not typical of the era, when generic ébauches (movement-blanks) were more commonly used throughout the Swiss market.

Alpina has created two rectangular silver-cased models as a tribute to its anniversary. One new series features a black dial and is available in the United States and globally; the other offers a silvered dial and is available outside the United States. 

Alpina explains that the slow frequency (18,000 vph) rectangular-shaped movement was built to provide extra protection against water and dust and was elegantly finished with a sun-brushed ratchet and fully beveled components.

The Alpina 490 Caliber.

Only a few of the movements still exist, and Alpina has done well to shape the new watch’s case to fit the shaped movement.

Alpina’s records indicate that the original case for a watch using the movement was made from steel or gold depending on the model. Alpina made the new 29.5mm x 35.7mm by 9.71mm case from mirror-polished silver and has placed anti-glare sapphire crystal on the front and back, which allows a clear view of the Caliber 490.

The Alpina 490 Caliber, pictured showing front and back.

Both of the limited editions (of fourteen pieces each) display Alpina’s period logo, two thin central hands and a typical 1930s small seconds. A period-true rail track minute circle runs around the dial.

On the U.S. version, Alpina places solid Arabic numerals on the black dial accompanied by beige hands and a circular small second hand display. The other version (not pictured here) sports a silvered dial, black hands and 1920s-style Arabic numerals. Alpina finishes the watch with a light brown ostrich leather strap, with vintage white stitching and pin buckle. 

Price: $5,395.

Specifications: Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years
(AL-490BA3C10, a limited edition of 14 pieces) 

Movement: Alpina vintage AL-490 caliber, hand-winding with 42-hour power reserve, 18,000 vph.  

Case: Polished silver 2-part, 29.50mm x 35.70mm by 9.71mm, anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 30 meters, engraved and see-through screwed case back.

Dial: Black with matte finishing, beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation, beige hour and minute hands, small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand. 

Strap: Light brown Ostrich leather with off-white stitching, pin buckle.

Price: $5,395, available starting in July.  

For its grand exhibition “Watch Art” Tokyo 2023, which is open through June 25, Patek Philippe launches six limited editions, including a new Quadruple Complication (Reference 5308P-010) and the first World Time watch equipped with a date display synchronized with local time (Reference 5330G-010).

The new Patek Philippe self-winding Reference 5308P-010 combines a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar.

Patek Philippe also debuted a new edition of its World Time Minute Repeater (Reference 5531R-014) and ladies’ Moon Phase model (Reference 7121/200G-010). The watchmaker also added two new Calatrava models (References 6127G-010 and 7127G-010) especially made for the Japanese market. All other Special Editions will also be offered primarily in Japan, with prices on request. 

In addition to these wristwatches, Patek Philippe also created a new collection of ‘rare handcrafts’ models, including dome clocks, table clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches, each decorated with artisanal dial and case work inspired by Japanese culture. We’ll show you these spectacular works of horological art in a second post tomorrow. 

The Minute Repeater

This Quadruple Complication (Reference 5308P-010) is a limited edition of fifteen watches and as noted above unites a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar in apertures.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5308P

Patek Philippe explains that its watchmakers were inspired by the existing Triple Complication Reference 5208 from 2011, with minute repeater, chronograph and instantaneous perpetual calendar. To add the split-seconds mechanism, which requires more energy to operate, watchmakers devised a new platinum mini-rotor in order to increase winding power.

 

The resulting new caliber (R CHR 27 PS QI, with 799 parts),offers two patented inventions that reduce energy consumption with regard to the clutch and the split seconds.

 

The instantaneous perpetual calendar ensures instant advance of the day, date and month disks. Patek Philippe delivers the watch with two interchangeable case backs: one in sapphire crystal adorned with the transfer-printed inscription “Patek Philippe Tokyo” and the other in solid platinum engraved with the same wording. 

The World Time Minute Repeater 

This limited edition Reference 5531R-014 will be made a a limited edition of fifteen watches.

The Ref. 5531R features a self-winding R 27 HU caliber combining a minute repeater with the World Time display.

At its center you’ll see a Grand Feu cloisonné enamel decoration representing the historic Chuo district in the center of Tokyo. The name “Tokyo” appears in red on the city disk.

 

Patek Philippe originally launched the watch in 2017 as the first minute repeater that always chimes the local time, which is displayed by a pierced hour hand in rose gold. Echoing the other minute repeater, this model is delivered with two interchangeable case backs.

World Timer Tokyo

Patek Philippe has endowed this new World Time model with a patented world first: a date display synchronized with local time (the time zone selected at the 12 o’clock position and displayed by the center hands.)

This new World Time model Reference 5330G is endowed with a patented world first date display synchronized with local time.

The watch’s plum-colored dial is embellished with a hand guilloched center while its date display is located on the beveled dial flange and indicated via a center hand in glass with a red tip. To further customize the watch, Patek Philippe has placed the name “Tokyo” in red on the city disk. Furthermore, Japan’s national emblem replaces the classic sun symbol on the 24-hour disk.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5330G, details. 

The watch is a 40mm polished white-gold model with curved two-tier fluted lugs and is worn on a strap in shiny black alligator leather with plum-colored hand stitching, secured by a fold-over clasp in white gold.

 

The sapphire-crystal back is adorned with the transfer-printed inscription “Patek Philippe Tokyo”. 

Ladies’ Moon-Phase

A year after Patek Philippe launched a new edition of this model, the watchmaker adds a special edition version (Reference 7121/200G-010) as a limited edition of 200 watches.

This model with pearly gray dial and strap is a variation on a ladies’ moon phase watch launched in 2022.

The watch’s classic round Calatrava case in white gold (diameter 33 mm) with an Officer’s style design in pearl grey with rounded flanks, straight lugs with screwed strap bars. Around the dial we see two rows of diamonds in a lace setting.

 

Inside Patek Philippe fits its excellent manual-wind caliber 215 PS LU, the smallest complicated movement made by Patek Philippe.

 

The transparent sapphire-crystal back bears the transfer-printed inscription “Patek Philippe Tokyo”. 

Two Calatrava References 

Patek Philippe created a new Calatrava case that emphasizes two-tier fluted and bezeled lugs for these two models (Ref. 6127G-010 and Ref. 7127G-010).

The men’s Reference 6127G-010, measuring 36mm in diameter, is distinguished by its light blue lacquered dial.

Launched as a pair, the watches display white gold baton-style applied hour markers and cheveu-style hands.

 

The men’s Reference 6127G-010 (diameter 36 mm) features a light-blue lacquer dial and a matching shiny alligator-leather strap.

This 31mm Calatrava 7127G features lugs inspired by Reference 5270.

The smaller model, measuring 31mm in diameter, offers a lilac colored dial. Both feature white-gold cases engraved with“Patek Philippe – Tokyo”. Inside each is a caliber 215 PS manually wound movement.

 

Patek Philippe offers them in Japan as two editions limited to 400 watches each, of which 300 are sold as a set in a double presentation box for the two watches, while 100 may be acquired separately. 

MeisterSinger launches three of its bedrock one-hand designs with new, highly polished white dials, golden numerals and blue hour markers. The watches, MeisterSinger No. 01, MeisterSinger No. 03 and the Perigraph (with date indication) remain in their traditional 43mm stainless steel cases under domed sapphire crystals.

MeisterSinger No.01.

MeisterSinger’s watches focus on one-hand time displays. The relatively young German-based watchmaker offers a leisurely option for displaying time, producing a wide range of watches featuring one hand that rotates over combined hour and minute markings around the dial – essentially echoing dials on many pre-eighteenth-century clocks.

MeisterSinger No. 03.

MeisterSinger’s top-selling models, the manual-wind No. 01 and its sister model, the automatic No. 03, are among the most basic within the watchmaker’s collection, with easy-to-read hour markers separated by clearly defined five-minute markers.

The MeisterSinger Perigraph.

And while Meistersinger has added various displays and colors to its Perigraph model over the years, this edition simply shows the date via an exposed, rotating date ring.

The No. 01 model features a decorated solid caseback.

MeisterSinger powers each model with a modified Sellita movement. On the No. 3 and the Perigraph, the automatic movement is visible through the watch’s sapphire caseback. The No. 01 model features a decorated, solid back.  

Back view of MeisterSinger No. 03.

 

MeisterSinger has added a wide range of calendar displays and several handsome moonphase models to its collections, but all retain the single-handed design found in the No 01 model.

“Luckily, I soon realized that the basic design elements of the № 01 need to be maintained in every model of the collection – no matter what complication it may have,” explains MeisterSinger founder Manfred Brassler.

   

Prices: 1,690 euros (No. 01, manual-wind), 1,990 euros (No. 03, automatic) and 2,190 euros (Perigraph, automatic). 

“Die Unerreichbare” (The Unattainable) is the name of this Tetra with a silver dial and a small seconds dial in pink.

Nomos adds four new models to its square-cased Tetra collection, each with a dial that includes a shade of pink, and each with its own quirky name.

One of the four new Nomos Tetra watches. Its name, “Die Wildentschlossene,” means The Fiercely Determined.

The English names for the four models are: The Unattainable (silver dial with pink small seconds), The Fiercely Determined, (pink dial, silver small seconds), The Mad One (light purple with a milled small seconds) and The Capricious (a ‘nude’ tone with small seconds dial in silver).

This is Die Fuchsteufelswilde (The Mad One). And for the first time, the Tetra now comes on a strap made of vegan velour.

Each model in the new Tetra quartet measures 29.5 in diameter and each one arrives a vegan velvet grey velour strap that Nomos is utilizing for the first time here.

Die Kapriziöse (The Capricious) is the name of this new Tetra.

All four watches come with either a clear sapphire crystal back or a solid steel caseback (suitable for engraving). 

The same manual-wind Nomos Alpha caliber power each watch, no matter which ‘quirk’ the buyer chooses. 

Well established within Tetra, this caliber offers a level of technical features well above what you would likely find in any other manual-wind movement watch at this price range.

These features include a stop-seconds mechanism, a Glashütte three-quarter plate, a regulation system adjusted in six positions, tempered blue screws, rhodium-plated surfaces with Glashütte ribbing, a perlage-finished ratchet wheel and a crown wheel nicely finished with a Glashütte sunburst pattern.  

Prices: $2,080 (steel caseback) and $2,320 (clear caseback).