It has been a long time since Ulysse Nardin has come up with something new. Over the years, the Swiss watchmaker has made quite an impression with its Freak and Diver line of timepieces. This time, however, it is the Ulysse Nardin Blast. The Blast is a new breed of watches from Ulysse Nardin that uses the all-new UN-172 mechanism. Ever since the Quartz Crisis, the horologist has been an icon for avant-garde watches and groundbreaking designs. The new Blast timepiece takes this legacy forward and cements it for good.
The All-New Ulysse Nardin Blast: A New Movement, A New Case, A New Era
Ulysse Nardina’s legacy is well over a century old. The company gained recognition when it started making marine chronometers. In fact, the brand also had expertise in making rather conventional watches. It was, however, not before Rolf Schnyder joined the business that literally changed everything about the watchmaker. Schnyder was not limited by the ideas of his time and he was definitely not bound by the standards set by the industry. Probably the best example would be the use of ‘silicium’ in UN watches.
This impressive groundwork is what essentially led to the present-day avant-garde behemoth that we witness today. Although many of the techniques and materials used do not fall under conventional watchmaking, they are very much part of the Haute Horlogerie world.
First Impression
The brand has launched the Blast collection with a, well, blast. The watch fits the modern-day Ulysse Nardin description pretty well. It is large in size, has a new and unique movement inside, and incorporates an unusual set of materials. The watches in this collection display a 45 mm case with an openworked dial and an automatic tourbillon movement with a 3-day power reserve. The movements can be seen paired up with a rectangular upper bridge as well as a dual colour double ‘X’. This X can be seen clearly along with the rectangular bridges if you flip the watch over.
Another thing that really impresses about the timepieces is that the balance spring, anchor, and the escape wheel are all made out of silicium. This allows for a friction-free operation and also enhances the magnetic resistance of the timepieces.
Getting Into The Details
The watch is released in four new variants, namely, Black Blast, Rose Gold Blast, Blue Blast, and lastly, White Blast. The new Ulysse Nardin watches stand at 45 mm in diameter and 13 mm in thickness. Two of the watches use titanium with either DLC (for black) or PVD (for coloured). The third variant uses 5N rose gold and the fourth variant uses ceramic. The corresponding openwork dials of the watches use complementing colours to suit the overall aesthetic. Lastly, the Blast has a water resistance of just 50 meters. So, perhaps you should avoid the seas while wearing this watch.
In terms of the movement used, the watch uses the UN-172, a new calibre derived from the hand-wound UN-171 Tourbillon. The automatic movement offers up to 72 hours of power reserve while running at 18,000 vibrations per hour. In addition to that, this is the first-ever automatic skeleton tourbillon calibre from Ulysse Nardin.
The Movement
The Movement used in the Blast collection is the in-house manufactured UN-172. As mentioned earlier, this mechanism is derived from the already existing UN-171. The 172 might be new but it does lack in terms of the length of power reserve. However, it also possesses an advantage over the 171 due to its automatic nature. The watch has a power reserve of 3 days. This provides a benefit to the user as the timepiece does not need to be worn every day. The user can switch it with something else as and when he or she wants without resetting the watch frequently.
There are a few other changes that are less notable. The tourbillon cage, for instance, has been redesigned in the UN-172 so as to give the users a better view of the escapement. The Blast timepieces also have the UN Certification, something that is granted to watches that are tested for tolerances higher than those of the COSC certified watches.
Honest Opinion
The first thing that any buyer notices about a watch is its size. The new Ulysse Nardin Blast is a bit on the larger side of the spectrum with a case diameter of 45 mm. Although 45 mm is pretty common these days as more and more people are leaning towards over-sized timepieces, it is still not everyone’s cup of tea.
The peculiar-looking angular lugs are surely a show stopper for the watch. They give a unique identity to the Blast and tend to make it look one of a kind. The lugs impersonate a design that is seen in radar-evading military aircraft. The cases have a ‘stacked’ aesthetic, which means that they can implement multiple materials. However, the watch does not look too thick as well. In fact, the 13 mm thickness seems to work pretty well for the 45mm timepiece.
The watch definitely gives off a larger than life vibe but at the same time, its relatively slim case allows for a conformable and hassle-free on the wrist experience. At the end of the day, that is all that a person really looks for in a watch.
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