Pre-SIHH 2019: Ulysse Nardin Launches New Diver Timepieces in 42mm

The time for pre-SIHH news is well upon us and Ulysse Nardin is joining in, showing a sneak peek of what’s to come in January 2019 with a group of new Diver timepieces in 42mm. Opting for a more retro-cool twist, the new Diver 42mm pieces show touches of vintage backed by Ulysse Nardin’s silicium technology, all in a more wearable 42mm case that’s also city-friendly.

Earlier this year, Ulysse Nardin added to its Diver Chronometer Collection four new models in 44mm titanium cases, all of which featured an inverted, concave bezel and domed sapphire glass that remain water-resistant up to 300 meters—an innovation in dive watches. Keeping in line with that innovation, the new Diver 42mm pieces feature the same concave bezel and domed sapphire glass, as well as the same water-resistance as its Chronometer siblings.

The design, however, is what differentiates these new Diver pieces—Ulysse Nardin has stripped it back, opting for a cleaner, sleeker look with an uncluttered dial design (the seconds are indicated by a central second hand rather than a small second counter), a sandblasted dial, and touches of beige, all reminiscent of the brand’s 1964 dive watch, the “Diver Le Locle.” In a sweet touch, Ulysse Nardin also added the GPS coordinates on the dial to Le Locle, the home of its manufacture since 1846. All the essentials in a dive watch are here (SuperLumiNova on the “0”, a legible unidirectional rotating bezel, 300m water-resistance), and it’s all powered by Ulysse Nardin’s 21st-century silicium technology, which the brand first introduced to the watch market many years ago and has been continuously adding to a wider range of its watches.

A standout of this new launch is, without a doubt, the Diver Blue Shark Limited Edition. Limited to 300 pieces, it comes with a PVD blue bezel and blue dial, with a matching fabric strap, all with punchy, bright orange notes added to the “0”, bezel, and stitching on the strap and a blue shark stamped on the caseback. It’s a little less vintage than the rest of the family, but is very complimentary to the range, much like its big brother, the Diver Great White 44mm, which was also introduced earlier this year.

But back to the rest of the Diver 42mm lineup: the watches come with a blue or black dial, in a stainless steel case, and with a range of strap options, such as blue fabric, black calfskin, stainless steel bracelet and, a first for Ulysse Nardin, a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet. For its first use of this type of bracelet, the brand went for a thick mesh, stamped from sheet steel and then stitched together by hand, and then finished off with a butterfly buckle. The bracelet is strong enough to have internally earned the nickname “shark-proof”; though we pray that that won’t ever actually be tested. The result is a dressier and more comfortable strap—combined with the slimmer and smaller case size, the Diver 42mm is a new option for the swimmers that want to be as “city” as they are “sea.”

Technical Specifications

Movement

Self-winding Calibre UN-816, with hours, minutes, seconds functions and date at 6 o’clock; Power reserve of 42 hours; Water-resistant to 300m

Case

42mm Stainless steel case, with inverted concave unidirectional rotating bezel; anchor engraved on caseback and blue shark stamped on limited edition caseback

Strap

Available in blue or black fabric, calfskin, 3-row stainless steel bracelet or stainless steel Milanese mesh strap

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