Aventurine – Legend surrounding the aventurine recounts that in the eighteenth century, on the island of Murano in Venice, home to the famous glass-makers, a craftsman inadvertently let some copper filings fall into a pot of molten glass, so creating aventurine glass, or “avventurina” in Italian, meaning “by accident”. Working with this fragile material requires considerable expertise from the artisans. Fine plates are first cut from blocks of aventurine. Only pieces that are completely uniform, free from bubbles and evenly speckled with copper glitter are used for creating the dial.
Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine: heritage & precision
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Ulysse Nardin earned an exceptional reputation as a master of deck chronometers for naval forces around the world. The accuracy of these instruments was crucial for calculating longitude to determine the ship’s position at sea. The Maison won awards for its excellence at the time and supplied its inventions to over 50 navies, geodesy institutes and astronomical observatories. This nautical background led Ulysse Nardin to create the emblematic Marine Chronometer, an expression of its technical prowess. In 2017, a new generation of chronometers was born with the Marine Torpilleur, a timepiece that adopts the technical and aesthetic codes of the Marine Chronometer, including the fluted bezel, Roman numeral hour markers, double counter, and rhodium-finish hands.
The new Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine, an exclusive limited edition of 300 pieces, reveals a sparkling blue aventurine dial reminiscent of a night sky, set in a 42 mm stainless steel case. Powered by the UN-119 Manufacture calibre, fully designed and assembled by the integrated Ulysse Nardin Manufacture, this movement is equipped with a silicon balance spring as well as a DIAMonSIL escapement wheel and anchor. This patented treatment, which combines silicon with synthetic diamonds to make the movement abrasion and shock-resistant, was introduced for the first time on the Freak in 2007. Finally, the double counter displays the power reserve at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock, as well as a moon phase disc, which adds elegance when it appears in the starry night. Water-resistant to 50 metres, this timepiece is presented on a blue alligator strap with folding clasp.
Diver Starry Night: diving into the nebula
Inspired by the colours of the Milky Way, the new Diver Starry Night unveils a dial as captivating as it is glittering. To create it, Ulysse Nardin’s artisans superimposed two plates, one in iridescent mother-of-pearl and the other in blue aventurine glass.
The sparkle of the Diver Starry Night continues with the diamonds set around its bezel (0.8 carats) and 11 of its hour markers (0.12 carats). Its mechanical heart, the calibre UN-816 features an anchor and escapement wheel in silicon. This polished and satin-finished steel diver’s watch, water-resistant to 300 metres, has a diameter of 39 mm making it suitable for all wrist sizes. Presented on a strap in dark blue textured rubber or white alligator, it also offers excellent readability even in the dark, with its hands and 12 o’clock hour marker coated with white SuperLuminova®.
