Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel
Shortlisted- Case
- Grey gold
- Movement
- Manual-winding mechanical Power reserve: 170 h, 18000 variations / hoursSilicium escapement
- Functions
- Hours, Minutes, Power reserve, Tourbillon, Special escapement Floating Wheels above the dial without bridges.
- Size
- 44 mm
- Thickness
- 13.50 mm
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Reference
- 1760-176
- Price
- 99,000 CHF
Description
Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel - Ulysse Nardin Time flies Free-floating components under space-age crystal: Ulysse Nardins most spectacular innovation to date literally turns watchmaking upside down. In sumptuous white or rose gold, with a brand-new movement that seems to defy gravity and a startlingly innovative box-domed sapphire that took months to research and develop, the Executive Tourbillon Skeleton Free Wheel soars high above all expectations of what contemporary watchmaking craft and technology can achieve. The dial for the 18ct rose gold version is in dark stone, carved from a slab of slate. The 18ct white gold version is built on a sleek black honeycomb grid. The most astonishing features are the dials tourbillon bridges and the 7-day power reserve indicator at four oclock, which are shaped like boomerangs and look like they are miraculously floating in the air. So too do the other skeletonized components, the hour and minute indicators and the gorgeous gear trains. The sapphire glass box housing these flying elements is another standout achievement. The structures complexity and finishespecially the polishing of the box angleswere extremely difficult to achieve, requiring lengthy and painstaking experimentation. The caseback too, is in sapphire, except theres nothing to see inside, as, in a complete reversal of watchmaking convention, all the exquisite components are visible on the dial side. The mechanical movement powering all this beauty is the brand-new UN-176, entirely developed in-house in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Its flying tourbillon is the Ulysse Nardin Anchor, a pioneering technology that replaces the traditional Swiss lever escapement system and uses Ulysse Nardins signature low-friction silicium instead of metal or synthetic rubies. The strap is in matte alligator, exceptionally soft and silky to the touch. Unlike other Ulysse Nardin tourbillons, the Executive Tourbillon Skeleton Free Wheel is not a limited edition, but a full-run production launch. Visually stunning, it is a true technological marvel, destined for those who take delight in the leading-edge of engineering and aesthetics.
Supplied by the brand to the GPHG for its entry.