Ulysse Nardin Blast

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Supercharged with classic Ulysse Nardin savoir faire, BLAST is an avatar of its time, a potent force of nature. This technological wonder made with rock-hard, masculine lines has ignited a flame that will send seismic shockwaves through the watchmaking world to its core. The complex, geometric architecture of the tessellated horns – reminiscent of furtive aircraft – create a pumped-up, vigorous and imposing masterpiece.

With its tight, edgy blueprint, omnipresent “X-Factor” and stealth design, the new BLAST – a fresh, muscular and robust open-worked model – will send you rocketing into the stratosphere. BLAST is taking your mind by storm, playing off the transparency of its new powerful automatic silicium tourbillon nested in a bold, X-shaped cage, which beats inside at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. Light penetrates the open-worked body of the watch like a laser. Some Ulysse Nardin emblematic codes have been included – the rectangular frame, the 3-horned signature fixing the strap, the smooth, colored bezel, the verticality of the movement with the barrel at 12 o’clock and the flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.

This distinctive look – modeled on the same lines as a stealth aircraft – is the latest proof of Ulysse Nardin’s aesthetic prowess. Aeronautical and military engineers have created furtive aircrafts with aligned edges and serrated triangular patterns to make them invisible to radar and to deflect radio waves. The Ulysse Nardin designers have restyled and rebuilt the watch horns making them strong and geometric like the sharp wings of a stealth aircraft as it slices through a storm. Smooth yet muscular, the horns are aerodynamic and imposing, much like the sharp rocks that jut out of a volcano. Each triangle has a different finish, the surface of the horns alternating between polished, satin-finish and sand-blasted veneer. The result is a shock to the eye and the effect otherworldly, like the lunar landscapes of black, cold magma that surround a volcano and glisten under the light of the moon.

As with FREAK X, SKELETON X and DIVER X, BLAST wears its “X” prominently and with pride. Indeed, the “X” has become an underlying theme progressing transversally throughout all Ulysse Nardin collections and has affirmed its presence in all four BLAST models. Its shape-within-shape-within-shape geometry is a visual delight: an “X”, framed in a rectangle, both inside a circle.

To embody this volatile life force, Ulysse Nardin is partnering with Carsten Peter, a nature photographer and storyteller of the Xtreme. His Xplosive images take the viewer to places most would never dare to go; over glaciers, into tornadoes and right up to the intense heat present around volcanoes. Carsten is an award-winning and regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine specialized in capturing never-before-seen images of some of the most remote and dangerous places on the planet. Using innovative techniques, he is a pioneer, bringing toxic caverns, thermal caves and lava lakes to life before sharing them with the world. Climber, paraglider, caver, diver and canyoner, Carsten is obsessed with original photographic techniques that permit him to capture images from some of the world’s most inhospitable environments. Carsten embodies the Ulysse Nardin spirit and the desire within us all to embark upon our own Odyssey.

BLAST is available in four distinct models, each with the new manufacture UN-172 movement with an automatic tourbillon and the new self-deploying buckle. Several strap options are possible: structured rubber, leather, velvet and some other specific option.

ICE : WHITE BLAST, 45 mm

Color composition for this watch is a palette straight out of Antarctica: white ceramic, metallic grey, dark blue and beautiful transparency. Just like a frozen lake. Reminiscent of glaciers, this model features a smooth titanium bezel, dark blue inscriptions on the barrel mentioning “Silicium Technology” which beats inside of it. The dark blue “Ulysse Nardin” logo is featured prominently on the rectangular frame and the dark blue color on the sculpted indexes and hands, is completed by Superluminova. Its jewels are transparent just like snowflakes.

FIRE : ROSE GOLD BLAST, 45 mm

Forged from one of the most precious metals on Earth, this model features a black DLC middle case and solid gold horns, black ceramic bezel, a bicolor tourbillon cage rose gold colored and black PVD, sculpted rose gold indexes and hands set with Superluminova. Transparent jewels. Black X. Black Rectangle.

FIRE : BLACK BLAST, 45 mm

The iconic model of this line, BLACK BLAST comes complete with a ceramic upper middle case and bezel; black rectangular bridge, red and black double “X” pattern and a stunning new red balance wheel – the first time that Ulysse Nardin has ever developed a colored balance wheel. The crystal joint is red, so are the jewels and the lacquered inscription “Silicium Technology” on the barrel. Grey Ulysse Nardin logo completes the rectangular frame. The geometric horns are fully polished and sandblasted for a matte-finish.

ICE : BLUE BLAST, 45 mm

Cool blue like the inside of an iceberg, the BLUE BLAST has a titanium middle case, blue titanium bezel, blue brass rectangular bridge, blue tourbillon cage, blue and grey double “X” pattern, metallic grey sculpted hands and indexes with Superluminova.

About Ulysse Nardin – Manufacture of Freedom

Ulysse Nardin is the Pioneering Manufacture inspired by the sea and delivering innovative timepieces to free spirits.

Founded by Mr. Ulysse Nardin in 1846 and a proud member of the global luxury group Kering since November 2014, Ulysse Nardin has written some of the finest chapters in the history of Haute Horlogerie. The company’s earliest renown came from its links to the nautical world: its marine chronometers are among the most reliable ever made, still sought by collectors around the world. A pioneer of cutting-edge technologies and the innovative use of materials like silicon, the brand is one of the few with the in-house expertise to produce its own high-precision components and movements. This exceptional level of watchmaking excellence has earned Ulysse Nardin membership in the most exclusive circle of Swiss watchmaking, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. Today, from its sites in Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, the brand’s continuing quest for horological perfection centers around five collections: The Marine, the Diver, the Classico, the Executive and the Freak. In 2020, Ulysse Nardin explores the Xtremes, bringing the X-factor to the core of its collections. www.ulysse-nardin.com