SpotlightLightweight Skeleton Diver: The Ulysse Nardin Diver Air Defies Dive Watch Convention
The Ulysse Nardin Diver Air is a seemingly impossible dive watch that weighs only 52g, can withstand a depth of 200m and shocks of 5000Gs, all while displaying time on an open-worked dial, with a view of the pared down mechanical movement within
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Ulysse Nardin uphold their legacy as pioneers with the release of their latest diver that defies convention. At 52g, the almost weightless Ulysse Nardin Diver Air takes skeletonisation to the next level. And yet, the Ulysse Nardin Diver Air is a functional dive tool that can withstand depths of 200m. Crafted from recycled materials, the Ulysse Nardin Diver Air houses a new, pared-down manufacture calibre made from recycled titanium. Since 2001, the brand have revolutionised the horological world, quietly redefining the norms of what’s acceptable. With the latest Ulysse Nardin Diver Air, the brand once again set a new benchmark, making tangible the seemingly impossible.
Material Innovation And The Ulysse Nardin Diver Air
First released in 2021, the Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton first combined a skeleton dial with a dive watch. While that timepiece weighed 105.8g, the latest Diver Air weighs only 52g with the strap, and 46g without. To achieve this, the brand had to change their approach to both case and calibre. Titanium, chosen for its lightweight and robust properties, forms the case middle. This encases the movement and gives it a water resistance up to 200m. Upcycled carbon fibre gives the bezel a beautiful marbled texture, with numerals and 20-minute markers in white. Nylo-foil, an innovative material made up of 60-percent recycled fishing nets and upcycled carbon fibres, makes up the side parts.
Ulysse Nardin Diver Air: Skeleton Diver, Reimagined
Between the sapphire crystal glass over dial and caseback is the new manufacture calibre UN-374. Slim bridges and mainplate crafted from recycled titanium ensure that the weight of the movement is contained to just 7g. Meanwhile, an oversized balance wheel and balance spring in silicon, and an upcycled silicon escapement wheel and anchor ensure enhanced anti-magnetism. Despite the cuts in weight of the new calibre, it still boasts a whopping power reserve of 90 hours. Legibility remains clear courtesy of hour markers around the flange, all generously filled with Super-LumiNova, with similarly lume-filled timekeeping hands. The watch is presented on two easily interchangeable, strechable, and extremely lightweight straps in white and orange.
Ulysse Nardin take innovation—with materials, technology and aesthetics—to the next level with the impressive Diver Air watch. Whether as a dive tool, or as a statement timepiece out of the water, the watch feels ‘wholesome’ on the wrist.
