The Incredibly Light Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air)

Switzerland might be landlocked, but Ulysse Nardin, a young watchmaker from Le Locle, consolidated his reputation by producing precision marine chronometers. By the 1870s, the manufacture supplied more than 50 navies and merchant marine companies with chronometers to calculate longitude at sea. These days, Ulysse Nardin plays on its marine heritage with its classical Marine collection and contemporary lineup of Divers. The brand’s Diver X Skeleton collection defied logic with its robust diving credentials and radically skeletonised movement. Pushing the envelope, the latest Diver (Air) takes the concept to the extreme and is, according to the brand, the world’s lightest mechanical dive watch. By combining high-tech materials and taking skeletonisation to even greater heights, the new Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air) weighs in at just 52 grams, including the strap.  

With their exposed mechanics, skeletonised watches are not usually pitched as sporty dive watches. Rowing against the tide, UN’s Diver X Skeleton did just that, pairing skeletonisation with a 200m depth rating. For comparison, the first 44mm Diver X Skeleton of 2021 weighed 105.8g, meaning the new Diver (Air) weighs 50% less.

One of the first places to shave off weight was the movement. Using the existing automatic UN-372, the challenge was to remove mass but make what was left behind more robust and resilient. Redesigned to become the UN-374 calibre, the new movement incorporates slender, hollowed-out bridges forming the signature X shape of this family. The mass of the top bridge of the mainspring barrel has been reduced to a bare minimum without tampering with its impressive 90-hour power reserve. While most movements are made from brass, the UN has selected lightweight yet resilient titanium for the bridges and mainplate, and, as the precursor of silicium technology, the escapement is silicon.

Despite its radical skeletonisation, the brand states that the calibre can withstand impacts of 5,000g. The reason for not removing the heavier automatic winding mechanism lies in the official standards a dive watch must meet, automatic winding being one of them.

The 44mm case has reduced its height to 14.7mm, and its new modular construction is built from recycled titanium and low-density carbon fibre. However, since carbon is not waterproof, the movement is cased in a titanium middle case ensuring the 200m water-resistance. Like the Diver Net, many of the components are recycled.

The mottled and notched carbon fibre bezel features a classic diver’s scale. The indices are applied to the flange and suspended over the movement. Like the hour, minute and second hands, the indices are treated with white Super-LumiNova.

The Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air) is delivered with two interchangeable straps: an orange elastic fabric strap with scratch closing and a white one. The straps weigh just 6 grams. The watch retails for CHF 36,000 (incl. VAT), EUR 38,400 (incl. VAT), GBP 33,420 (incl. VAT) and USD 38,000 (excl. VAT). More information at ulysse-nardin.com.