Ulysse Nardin

I wanted to share a few quick pictures with my friends here at thePurists.  The Black Ocean has arrived.  The DLC is very dark with a smooth and consistent finish.  The ceramic links and clasp have a beautiful satin brushing.  Having owned a few divers over the years, those were the only parts I ever managed to scratch, so I am happy to see them executed in ceramic.  I think this watch captures the best of the newer details of the titanium Divers (and refines them) while being set in the (preferable to me) 42.7mm case with older style bezel and crown.  I wondered about the packaging and never should have; everything is executed in black as it should be.  A nice blackened rotor appears through the open caseback.

Certainly more will follow on this timepiece.  UN might be late to the "black watch" trend, but they shoot right to the top of the stack IMO. 

I love it, and I even think I prefer it to the Blue Wave!

The quality looks awesome.

And the loo is monstruous, as I love it on a Diving Watch.

Needless to say....Enjoy!

Best, and huge congrats.

Nicolas

The watch is quite luminous after exposure to sunlight, and the color of the lume is a very cool shade of light blue!  Totally awesome.  In the mirror this piece looks very black and won't be easily read by someone trying to catch a glimpse of the time, but when I hold it up I find it easy to read.  Much more to follow on this menacing Diver!

How many pieces of the Black Ocean are UN producing ?

Time to check with the local AD .........

Indeed time to call your AD.  I believe UN has set a very fair retail price for this watch as well, and it is a real win-win timepiece.

... that, while being very sceptical about that watch first, your pictures prove that it is indeed a very striking design, and the legibility seems not to be compromised as much as I anticipated.  It is a great watch, and I hope you will show us many more pictures of it in the future!

Regards,
Marcus

With making my decision.  I understood your concern about legibility, but in your picture it looked to be OK.  Now seeing it in person, I would say it is the most legible "all black" watch I have seen, yet remains very stealthy and dark.  Looking at the watch from a few feet away in a mirror, it is like a black hole with alluring specs of red.  So cool.

I have to admit I am digging the "surfboard" seconds hand.  With the revised ring around that subdial the two are in harmony.  I have always enjoyed the thin needled and classier circling track on the other divers, but this is a modern version that to me fits the "black theme".  They use the old power reserve hand around a similar subdial ring as the one circling the seconds.  As I alluded to before, UN clearly put a lot of thought into the details of this watch.  The lettering on the dial perfectly matches the grey lume.  The DLC is sublime.  The matte finish is so smooth, and the bezel looks great.  About the only thing I could complain about is the "LIMITED EDITION" inscription on the ceramic strap element.  I would prefer another "UN" piece w/ the anchor.  Lastly, the words "MARINE DIVER CHRONOMETER" around the red "1846" are dynamite.  Very interesting to note though that on this watch, UN has not had official COSC certification of the movement.  My dealer explained why, and the primary reason had to do with the time involved to get the movements back.

More pictures very soon.  This one is going to be fun to shoot

Generally, a watch manufacturer is not obliged to supply the full COSC chronometer certificate with the watch. Rolex, for example, only adds the so-called "small certificate", which is barely more than a strip of paper, confirming that the movement in question has passed the COSC testing procedure. Breitling doesn't even supply any official COSC paperwork with its watches, but an own sheet of paper, on which Breitling confirms the movement to be chronometer tested.

However, I would expect Ulysse Nardin to add the large COSC certificate, disclosing all test results in detail, with its chronometers. It is just a question of tradition. Therefore, I would strongly suggest to ask UN to send you the certificate, or at least a copy of it.

Regards,
Marcus

The movements used in the Black Ocean were not certified by the COSC.  Thus, there is no paperwork.  UN obviously regulates them in-house anyways, so I really don't care about a paper from a third party.  I actually prefer the confidence of a company who assures its own accuracy.  But as you indicate, this approach is different for UN, which typically has their movements tested by the COSC.  Perhaps that is why this dial has "MARINE DIVER CHRONOMETER" printed on it instead of "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER".  I think "MDC" looks much better anyways

This puzzles me a little.  Until now I had thought that the term "chronometer" was protected in Switzerland, and only the COSC is able to make a watch a "chronometer" (notabene, in Switzerland, only. In Germany, there is no legal restriction of the use of "chronometer").

Anyway, I will ask at UN, this intrigues me.

Regards,
Marcus

let us know

thanks

Cheers

I think the "AUTOMATIC 200 M" nicely balances the UN logo, and the "MARINE DIVER CHRONOMETER" circling the sub seconds is cool.

a great catch

Enjoy it

Cheers