Luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin has unveiled a Marine Annual Calendar Chronometer that comes with a Grand Feu enamel dial.

COSC-certified, this precision mechanical timepiece combines the extraordinary annual calendar feature, 60-hour power reserve, in-house manufactured movement and a genuine Grand Feu enamel dial in an eye-catching blue.

The eternal elegance of the Marine collection is highlighted with the beauty of this enamel from Ulysse Nardin company Donzé Cadrans, specialists in this complex and ancient art. On the dial, delicate enamel waves form the centerpiece for the power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, and the annual calendar and date displays at 6 o’clock.

The distinctive hands and roman numerals of the Marine Collection indicate minutes and hours. A fluted bezel and a screw-down crown guaranteeing excellent water-resistance to 100 m, are part of the generous 43 mm stainless steel case.

The reputation of Ulysse Nardin has always been intimately connected with its achievements in the development of the marine chronometer. In its 171-year history, the Swiss watchmaker has been honoured with more than 4,300 first prizes and 18 gold medals at world fairs and international exhibitions. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Ulysse Nardin marine chronometers equipped over 50 navies on all five continents.

Today, these precision navigation instruments are no longer used by sailors to steer their course through the world’s oceans. However, their impressive mechanical perfection is prized more than ever by collectors and enthusiasts.

Now, inspired by the historic marine chronometers upon which the reputation of Ulysse Nardin was founded, a new seafaring icon emerges: the Marine Annual Calendar Chronometer with a Grand Feu enamel dial.

As always at Ulysse Nardin, the pursuit of excellence in technical avant-garde has advanced in line with the search for timekeeping simplicity. In 2016, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Marine Collection, a Marine Chronograph incorporated an annual calendar for the first time.

The typical annual calendar, which is mechanically programmed for one year, can require up to thirty components. But watchmakers at Ulysse Nardin managed to streamline the system to only seven elements. Simple to use, this piece is the epitome of innovation in the service of practicality, as it requires a date adjustment only once a year, in February.

This achievement in pared-down functionality personifies the spirit of Ludwig Oechslin, the creator for whom simplicity is an enduring philosophy. A philosophy which is upheld too in the UN-113 calibre, a Ulysse Nardin movement made entirely in-house, including the silicium balance-spring. It enables the calendar date-setting both forwards and backwards – yet another simplification.