Complex and difficult to achieve, the decorative art of “Grand Feu” enamel is seen on only a handful of timepieces by the world’s most prestigious watchmakers. Here on the Jade “Grand Feu”, the gorgeously rich enamel of turquoise, red ruby or grey meets the swirl of diamonds across the face and on the stainless steel bezel. The stylized indexes are easy to read, revealing Jade’s practical nature. A small date window is surrounded by the sinuous curve of diamonds on the continuous seconds feature, while three diamond drops are part of the crown position indicator.
First introduced in 2013 Jade is equipped with the UN-310 calibre, the first movement to be designed and produced in-house by Ulysse Nardin specifically for a woman’s watch. It was also the first timepiece to take into account a woman’s delicate manicure when manipulating the settings. How? With its innovative crown design: no pulling is required to wind the watch, set the time, or adjust the date back- wards or forwards, only a simple turn. A dainty crown position indicator on the dial shows the wearer which setting she is adjusting.
While it appears wonderfully decorative, Jade has a deeply practical side, as its crown design attests. Its movement incorporates Silicium components for enhanced precision and durability. It boasts anti-reflective sapphire crystal and case back and a water resistance to 30 meters.
Reinforcing the precision theme of this Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military, this watch has attained both a Chronometer Certificate from Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), as well as the manufacturer’s own Ulysse Nardin Certificate. First released in 2012, the Ulysse Nardin Certificate is a seven-day procedure and assesses the watch according to these criteria:Aesthetic Inspection.Water Resistance, Vacuum, and Stress tests.Accuracy test in 6 places and 3 temperatures, during which it must achieve a deviation of no longer than -2/+6 minutes per day.The Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military additionally distinguishes itself in the previous non-limited edition using a stamped caseback, featuring a Torpilleur vessel, which is the French expression for a destroyer. All these were agile, rapid warships used in the World Wars, even though the link between a tiny long-distance warship and a 44mm watch with 50m water-resistance is ambiguous at best. The previous version could at least claim to be a little smaller than most of Ulysse Nardin’s other marine chronometers at 42mm. The newest is touting the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military as a bolder interpretation of their past Torpilleur version, designed in a manner evocative of pocket chronometers preferred by sea captains in the 19th and early 20th centuries. An oversize screwed-down crown with the Ulysse Nardin emblem should make for easy performance, and the fluted bezel provides a point of attention on the otherwise no-nonsense case. Two variations of this Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military are accessible, an eggshell dial with brown leather strap and white contrast stitching, and a black dial with orange numerals, black leather straporange and orange contrast stitching.
