amanico
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Ulysse Nardin Sonata 15th Birthday.
Well, the only thing which shows its age is the case, in my opinion, but for the rest, it is a kind of horological Dorian Gray, an eternal youth.
I am still puzzled and in awe when I admire it, when I put it on my wrist. Its dial is very much my taste, as well as its controversial hands which are loved or hated, but which don't let anybody indifferent.
Aesthetics are one thing, the combination of complications is another equally interesting part of this watch.
The Sonata is, indeed, one of the friendliest watch I know, with useful complications:
- The GMT function is under easy to use, with its two pushers on each side of the case, at four and 8 o' clock. Easy to read, too, with its dedicated sub dial.
- The Alarm is the most sophisticated I know, mechanically and acoustically.
Acoustically as it is one of the very rare to sound like a minute repeater. Indeed, you only have two contenders in this category: The Harry Winston Z6 and the brand new Patek 5520, unveiled this year.
Mechanically, you can set the alarm by the minute, on twenty four hours, while most of the alarms can be only set for the next twelve hours. The Sonata also adds an alarm countdown, which helps you to know if you put the alarm at 7 AM or 7 PM.
The Alarm is the longest I know on the market, with a duration of a bit more than one minute.
Even the date is special: It has the good taste to be a Grande Date, and you can set it forward and backward though the crown at 9 o' clock, without any risk to ruin the movement.
An original, sophisticated but friendly watch for travelers, or simply for those who are enamored with special watches.
A last comment, on a personal side. In 15 years, you can easily imagine all the good and bad moments this watch ad myself lived, how many travels we had, and, more surprisingly, it has revealed to be one of my few... Watches which brought me luck, in some important moments of my job.
A watch which is that important to me that I perfectly remember the day, the time, the place and the conditions I got it.
In all these years of collecting watches, it is the second older companion in my collection, which means a lot to me.
Happy birthday to her.
All the best.
Nicolas
Ulysse Nardin Sonata 15th Birthday.
Now, that is an Anniversary which counts as much as it surprises me to see how well this watch ages, all along or despite all these years. Well, the only thing which shows its age is the case, in my opinion, but for the rest, it is a kind of horological D...
Bon Anniversaire Monsieur le Sonata! 15 years is a very long time!
The oldest piece in my collection is only nine years old. And those hands! Honestly, I could not imagine this piece with any other hands Enjoy this great watch! NickO
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I have so much to learn. Every week I see watches that I’ve never seen before, some I like some I don’t but the sheer variety and craftsmanship that goes into them is amazing. And if a man like you who is so deep into watches and has such a ton of knowled...
Nice homage to a superb watch!
As you know this Sonata appeals to me very much, including the hands. Everything, really. Thank you for sharing. M4
Happy Birthday to you both .
Wow! Fifteen years is a long time , I wish I had a watch that long in my collection. I also gave a secret administration for this piece, because of the elaborate movement and sea of complications. I had the first , solid case back model back in the day an...
A superb ,yes, a daring watch.
One of the very best from UN. Most of the later versions did not have the charm and the well chosen proportions of your watch.
Super. The watch and the history together.
And the last photo - a new Nicolas Classic! Thanks for sharing this one through the years.
