Ulysse Nardin brought the Marine Torpilleur Military US NAVY timepiece to Annapolis, an ideal ven-ue for the American launch, celebrating the ties between the brand and the United Stated Naval Academy since 1905.
A story of time
The partnership between Ulysse Nardin the United States Navy began in 1905, when the Washington Naval Observatory organised a competition for ‘Precision Torpedo Boat Timepieces’. The goal of the competition was to supply the US Navy with the best available on-board chronometers. These precision timepieces, given to superior naval officers, were meant to provide the torpedo boats with an hour of ref-erence as accurate and reliable as those on the largest naval vessels. Ulysse Nardin won the competition several years in a row and became the official supplier of the American Navy.
“SEMPER FORTIS”
“Semper fortis”, “always strong” - the US Navy motto, equally describes the philosophy of Ulysse Nardin and its engineering team. The Ulysse Nardin team called upon its horological experience to create the first on-board chronometers, which quickly gained a reputation among navies around the world.
Using that same savoir-faire today, Ulysse Nardin has perfected the Marine Torpilleur Military US Navy, the new US Navy Torpedo Boat watch. A limited edition of 173 pieces - for the 173 years since Ulysse Nardin founded the company - it pays tribute to the brand’s marine heritage. The 44 mm wrist chronome-ter carries the DNA of its ancestors, the historic US Navy timepieces of the past. Guaranteed water-resistant to 50 meters, its sapphire-protected dial is faithfully based on the first on-board timepieces to equip navy vessels. The blue hands, too, are identical to those on the earliest pieces. Precision is guar-anteed by the certified UN-118 automatic-winding movement, which uses Ulysse Nardin’s silicon technol-ogy and has a 60-hour power reserve. One of the striking elements of the design is the number “24” writ-ten in red on the power reserve indicator, a direct reference to the warning system on the original marine chronometers, which let sailors know that only 24 hours of power reserve remained and that the watch needed to be rewound immediately. The open case back is laser engraved with “US Limited Edition” and the “Semper Fortis” motto. Four oversized stitches adorn the blue sailcloth strap, another reminder of its storied past.
The Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military US Navy is a representative of the brand’s origins and prow-ess - a guardian of marine history and a modern archetype turned decisively towards the future.
