Ulysse Nardin

Dear All

I have never owned a UN but do own lots of other watches no Tourbillons or Perpetuals so need to choose from the following

SONATA CATHEDRAL

QUADRATO PERPETUAL

FREAK BLUE PHANTOM

thanks guys

shane

A perpetual calendar from UN is a great choice, indeed, BUT I would rather consider a Freak or a Sonata.

The Freak is a really special watch, the Blue Phantom is sublime, really.

The Sonata is a pure piece of Poetry.

To know which of these one you'd choose, my advice would be to go to an U.N AD and to try them...

Let us know!

Best,

Nicolas

on those watches. Go to an AD and try them on.

.... are perfect representatives of what makes Ulysse Nardin  such a great brand, of the company DNA.

I think your choice depends a bit on the red line underlying the rest of your collection. Under which aspect do you choose the watches you adopt? Shall they follow a certain design theme? Or represent the brands' tradition? Or should they be a spectacular apex in the brand's history? Or include especially innovative technology? Or should they be fine pieces to be worn every day?

For example, the Freak "Blue Phantom", which is my favourite iteration of the Freak, would be a perfect choice if you want to symbolize the brand "Ulysse Nardin" at the beginning of the 21st century. It includes innovative technology, with the first silicium movement parts ever used in a series production watch. And it also expresses the idea of Ludwig Oechslin about the functionality of simplicity.

The "Sonata" symbolizes the Oechslin dogma of practical usefulness and easy handling, combined with technical perfection. Contrary to the Freak, the Sonata has a conventional Swiss lever escapement, its innovativeness lies in the complication of 24 hours alarm, countdown, second time zone and chime.

The perpetual calendar finally, is my personal favourite. It was Oechslin's first "big" complication developed for UN, following the "Trilogy". It is still the best perpetual mechanism used in any wrist watch, the only one that can be adjusted forward and backward, and is coupled with a big date, shows the year and has an ingeniously simple to use GMT mechanism. However, the GMT perpetual is for me a watch to wear every day. When I have this, I have no need to wear other watches, if there are no special circumstances, like rough times in the desert.

Therefore: If you want to integrate the watch as a symbol for Ulysse Nardin into your collection, where it will stay among similar symbols for other brands, I would suggest either the Freak or the Sonata, depending on which facet of UN's fascinating multiplicity you want to emphasize.  If you want to wear it on a daily base, as a practical companion, the perpetual or the Sonata would be a good choice, IMHO.

Any way you decide, please don't miss to inform us!

Regards,
Marcus

Thank you Marcus for such an informed point of view

I need something i can were everyday as a casual watch and will still look good dressed up

I think i am going to go for the perpetual as i do not own any.

Although one day i would love to own a Tourbillon but not right now

thank you once again

... in your collection, the UN would indeed be a great choice. If I had the intention to collect symbols for significant progresses or developments in the history of wristwatches, only three perpetuals would be candidates:

1. a classic perpetual by Patek, because it was PP inventing  the wristwatch perpetual. It is a perfect example for classic, conventional technology with programmmed cams and levers/ springs, but also together with its inherent problems (cannot be set backwards without damage);

2. IWC's Da Vinci, because it brought back the interest for complicated watches to the people, at the end of the quartz crisis. Especially by means of a widespread advertising campaign, IWC succeeded in awakening the fascination for a mechanism so complex that it knows the calendar until 2100, and its "da Vinci", developed by Kurt Klaus is easy to use, since it does not need any pushers, only the single crown. However, being fully pre-programmed has its disadvantages, since it cannot be changed by the user, and - due to its internally conventional construction - the "da Vinci" cannot be set backwards. If the user accidentally sets the watch to a date in the future, he only has the choice to either hand it to a good watchmaker, or to let it rest in a drawer, until that future date arrives.

3. UN's GMT perpetual, as the development that - for the first time - discontinues the traditional cam/lever construction, and replaces it with rotating elements. As a result, the whole calendar mechanism can be freely set forward and backward, all that is needed is the single crown. Until today, this way to realize a perpetual calendar has remained unique, and it is still the most user-friendly perpetual, since it is also combined with a big date AND a GMT mechanism that is indicated by the main hour hand.

Regards,
Marcus

Was just wondering with the FREAK... is it quite a fragile piece to wear?

Obviously one would not go running in it or play sport but as a daily piece
to wear to work (office job) and lazy weekends etc is it ok?

It seems in a few reviews that people voice how you have to be careful with it?

C

... with two potential problems:

1. The "Freak" is not really watertight, it cannot be. The reason is for one the case that has two large rotating lids, for setting the time and winding the mainspring. Second, the main movement bridge, serving as minute hand as well, has to oscillate around an axis. This is a pin that is anchored through a hole in the top crystal. So there are several zones that cannot really be made tight without compromising their functionality.

2. the minute hand/main bridge has a certain mass and inertia. As a result to massive hits or bumps, the acceleration (and decceleration) of this part will inevitably lead to a considerable energy transferred to the weakest point, that is the pin around which it oscillates. Consequently, this can give in and bend. I have been told that there were a few of the very first Freaks where this proved to be problematic. But then the pins were replaced by stronger ones, and I have not heard any reports on this problem since.

To sum up, I would say the Freak's delicacy is similar to that of the ultra-thin watches that were common in the late eighties and early nineties, or the older Reversos by Jaeger LeCoultre. A generation of watch enthusaists had no problem leaving these watches at home when it heavily rained, or taking them off the wrist before doing sports. Yet the massive dimensions of the "Freak", and the general trend towards very solid watches, in a time when even dress watches seem to need water tightness ratings of 200 meters at least, might be misleading.

However, I know a multiple Freak owner, who, when I met him last time a few years ago, swore to wear one of his Freaks even under the shower regularly, which, of course, sends cold shivers over the backs of the UN SAV people. I think that for a dress watch, the Freak is perfectly fit. Just don't overdo it. But it is too nice to be stored in a vault.

Regards,
Marcus

Marcus of course, summed it all up perfectly. i consider myself extremely fortunate and privileged to own a Perpetual and a Freak. if only i could get the Sonata as well. it would be a UN Trilogy that i understood as the real trilogy is a bit too complicated for me.

good luck with your purchase. i'm sure you will make the best choice for your circumstances.

best

Graham

...I'd go with the Sonata.  It's my favorite UN, because of the various complications it offers, plus the aesthetic of the dial really appeals to me.  I think it has a unique personality, and I find the hands particularly charming. 

Good luck with your search!

Cheers,
Daos 

Thanks Guys

I am going for the Sonata

will post some pics soon