Free-floating components under space-age crystal: Ulysse Nardin’s most spectacular innovation to date literally turns watchmaking upside down.

In sumptuous white or rose gold, with a brand-new movement that seems to defy gravity and a startlingly innovative box-domed sapphire that took months to research and develop, the Executive Tourbillon “Free Wheel” soars high above all expectations of what contemporary watchmaking craft and technology can achieve.

The modern-sized 44mm dial for the 18ct rose gold version is in dark stone, carved from a slab of slate. The 18ct white gold version is built on a sleek black honeycomb grid.
The most astonishing features are the dial’s tourbillon bridges and the 7-day power reserve indicator at four o’clock, which are shaped like boomerangs and look like they are miraculously floating in the air. So too do the other ‘skeletonized’ components, the hour and minute indicators and the gorgeous gear trains.

The sapphire glass box housing these ‘flying’ elements is another standout achievement. The structure’s complexity and finish—especially the polishing of the box angles—were extremely difficult to achieve, requiring lengthy and painstaking experimentation. The case back too, is in sapphire, except there’s nothing to see inside, as, in a complete reversal of watchmaking convention, all the exquisite components are visible on the dial side.

The mechanical movement powering all this beauty is the brand-new UN-176, entirely developed in-house in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Its flying tourbillon is the “Ulysse Anchor Escapement”, a pioneering technology that replaces the traditional Swiss lever escapement system and uses Ulysse Nardin’s signature low-friction silicium instead of metal or synthetic rubies.
The strap is “carbon leather” in matte alligator, exceptionally soft and silky to the touch.

Unlike other Ulysse Nardin tourbillons, the Executive Tourbillon “Free Wheel” is not a limited edition, but a full-run production launch. Visually stunning, it is a true technological mar-vel, destined for those who take delight in the leading edge of engineering and aesthetics.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

References: 1760-176 / 1766-176

Movement: Calibre UN-176 Manufacture Movement with UN Certificate, Silicium technology, Manual winding

Power reserve: Around 7 days

Functions: H/M Ulys-se Nardin Anchor tourbillon Power Reserve indicator at 4 o’clock.

DialP: Flying components on a grid or slate dial

Diameter: 44mm

Water Resistance: 30m

Crystal: Ultra box-domed sapphire glass

Caseback: Sapphire crystal

Strap: ‘Carbon Leather’ matte alligator

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