Ulysse Nardin

Recent development

Due to the quartz crisis, Ulysse Nardin faced significant challenges in late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983, the company was acquired by businessman Rolf Schnyder who, in conjunction with watchmakers such as Ludwig Oechslin, revived the brand. Rolf Schnyder served as its chief executive and transformed the company into a healthy business. Schnyder and Oechslin would aim to produce complication timepieces using modern materials and manufacturing techniques. Ulysse Nardin has introduced several innovations. In 1996, Ulysse Nardin released its first marine chronometer wristwatch "Marine Chronometer 1846", and first perpetual calendar "Perpetual Ludwig". These timepieces were designed by Ludwig Oechslin for the 150th anniversary of the brand.

After Schnyder' sudden death in 2011, Chai Schnyder, his wife, took over the company till it was acquired by the Kering group in 2014.

In 2011, Ulysse Nardin acquired a Swiss enameler workshop, Donzé Cadrans, that has provided the brand the opportunity to use enamel in its watch dials. In 2012, Ulysse Nardin launched its first automatic caliber, entirely conceived and manufactured in-house: UN-118. One year later, Ulysse Nardin released five new in-house calibers (UN-690, UN-310, UN-170, UN-150 and UN-205).

In 2014, Ulysse Nardin was acquired by the French luxury group Kering, which took a 100% stake in the watch brand. In 2017, the company appointed Patrick Pruniaux, a previous executive of Apple, as its new CEO. In 2019, Ulysse Nardin has released three new calibers (UN-230, UN-371 and UN-631).

The company still occupies its original headquarters in Le Locle, one of the main watch production hubs in northwest Switzerland and has three manufacturing plants in: La Chaux-de-Fonds (R&D and movement production site), Le Locle (Donzé Cadrans site, which belongs to Ulysse Nardin but also produces enamel dials for other companies) and Sion (Sigatec site, which produces micromechanics components in silicium).

While marine wrist chronometers are still a specialty for the brand, it also produces luxury complicated timepieces for men and women.

The company sells its products through a network of distributors and several boutiques around the globe, as well as through retailers in Europe, America, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, China and Russia.

Ulysse Nardin is part of the exclusive circle of Swiss watchmaking the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.

Notable models

Freak

Ulysse Nardin introduced the Freak wristwatches in 2001. The first timepiece of this collection was the "Laboratory on the wrist" Freak watch. The model contains a revolutionary 7-day carrousel-tourbillon, and has no (true) dial, crown or hands. The movement contains silicon escapement components, and would rotate on itself to indicate time. The watch model was named "Watch of the Year" in innovation category in 2002. This use of silicon parts in a mechanical movement was an industry first.

In 2005, the brand launched the "Freak Diamond Heart" watch, featuring a patented escapement made from synthetic diamonds.

In 2007, the company presented a new material, Diamonsil, which combines silicium and synthetic diamonds. It eliminates friction and removes the need for lubrication of the escapement. The brand also launched the "Freak Diamonsil" watch, using this nanotechnology for the escapement. The same year, the brand released "Innovision 1" watch, featuring 10 innovations.

In 2017, the brand presented ten innovations, gathered within a new Freak watch, named "Innovision 2". One year later, the company launched the "Freak Vision" with three patents out of "Innovision 2": "Grinder" winding system, constant power escapement and balance wheel in silicium with micro palets.

The current Freak model includes two series: Freak Out and Freak Vision (introduced in 2017).

In October 2025, Ulysse Nardin released the Freak S Enamel, offered with a brushed and polished titanium case and two colors: ruby red and turquoise blue. One month later, in November 2025, Ulysse Nardin unveiled their collaboration with URWERK releasing the watch UR-FREAK, a watch developed with a new movement, called UN-241 which is based on the movement UN-240.

Trilogy of Time

The first major advancement of the company after quartz crisis was the launch of "Trilogy of Time". This collection incorporated three different astronomical pieces starting in 1985 with the release of the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, named after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. The Astrolabium displays local and solar time, the orbits and eclipses of the sun and the moon and the positions of several major stars. It was named by the Guinness Book of Records in 1989 as the world's most-functional watch (with 21 distinct functions).

Dr. Oechslin then followed the Astrolabium up with two other astronomical watches: in 1988 the Planetarium Copernicus (named after the stargazing theaters called planetariums and of astronomer Copernicus) and in 1992 the Tellurium Johannes Kepler (named after the Latin 'Tellus' meaning Earth, a Tellurian and astronomer Johannes Kepler). The Cloisonné dial of the Tellurium takes fifty-four processes, twelve baking operations and more than fifty hours of work by a skilled craftsman to transform a draft sketch on a small metal disc into a unique work of art - each and every Tellurium is unique.