Getting back to my ONLY Watch 2011 previews (see all my watch previews here), today we look at the Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo “Only Watch 2011″ edition.   This watch is another evolution of the iconic “Freak” that was first introduced by Ulysse Nardin in 2001. The originally Freak was revolutionary at the time in that it possessed no true dial, crown or hands, and was the first timepiece to successfully present escapement wheels constructed of silicium.  The Freak Diavolo “Only Watch” pays tribute to — and advances upon — the original Freak’s pioneering spirit.   Silicum is used throughout most of the escapement, and the watch also features a flying tourbillon that indicates the seconds, among other technical advancements. Note also the lack of a crown — the Freak Diavolo is wound by turning the lower bezel, and the time is adjusted by turning the upper bezel.

Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo for ONLY WATCH 2011

Unique Piece

44.5mm stainless steel case, 60-second tourbillon

The two specially conceived ball bearing systems enable the “flying” function of the minute movement and of the seconds-indicator tourbillon without the need for a supporting bridge.

“Only Watch” is a biennial charity auction of one-of-a-kind watches created by many of the most renowned watch brands in Switzerland.  This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.   All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research which is why many of these watches go extraordinarily high prices.

Starting today Perpetuelle will begin its coverage of Only Watch 2011.  Stay tuned in because over the next few months, you will get to see awesome “piece unique” watches from each of the participating brands for the 2011 event:

Click through to see our in-depth preview of each watch:

• Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon
• Patek Philippe Ref 3939A Minute Repeater
• Urwerk UR-103 “Phoenix”
• Romain Jerome “Rock the Rock”
• Hublot Oceanographic 4000m dive watch
• MB&F HM-4 “Flying Panda”
• TAG Heuer “Monaco Mikrograph”
• Bell & Ross Pink Gold “Casino”
• Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Chronograph
• Blancpain Villeret Grand Decoration
• Piaget Altiplano Skeleton
• Breguet Reveil Musical Watch
• Audemars Piguet Gstaad Classic
• Jaquet Droz Petit Heure Minute
• Van Cleef & Arpel “From the Earth to the Moon” Watch
• Girard-Perregaux ww.TC
• Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium
  
• Vulcain Anniversary Heart Watch
• Chanel J12 Marine Watch
• Franck Muller “Totally Switzerland”
• Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo
• Vacheron Constantin “Dove” Watch (M.C. Escher-inspired)
  
• Zenith El Primero “Destro” watches
• Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph
• Ikepod Red Hourglass by Marc Newson
• Bovet Fleurier, Celsius, Chaumet, Chopard, De Bethune, Delacour, De Witt, Frédérique Constant, Hermès, Laurent Ferrier, Maurice Lacroix, Richard Mille
  

Only Watch 2011 will be held September 24, 2011 and managed by watch auction house Antiquorum.  But you don’t have to wait this long — because part of the excitement leading up to the September 24, 2011 event is the release of each participating brand’s special edition watch.

ONLY WATCH 2009

If you are interested in looking back, I covered the Only Watch 2009 auction extensively including blogging about several of my favorites inlcluding:  Piaget Emperador Coussin, MB&F Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau Jump Hour, Louis Vuitton Tambour, Chanel J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain 500 Fathoms.   You can see all 34 “Only Watch 2009″ watches here on the Perpeuelle World Watch Forum.  The Only Watch 2009 auction was hosted by Patrizzi & Co.

Perpetuelle Special Report…Bond on the Scene…

This past weekend Perpetuelle.com Sr. Forum Editor and “Man About Town” James Bond was on hand at esteemed Boston watch and jewelry store Shreve, Crump & Low for the company’s second annual Swiss Watch Fair.  As with his prior special reports (see Moda Cucina, Rolex Red Daytona, Evening with Breguet) James does not disappoint us with his coverage of this wonderful event.  In addition to trying his (shaky?) hand at the Omega watchmaker’s bench, Bond managed to wrist and photograph an Omega JFK Commemorative watch (Ref ref. 516.53.25.00.02.001), a Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea (Ref 166600), a Panerai Submersible (circa 1990′s), a Panerai PAM 270, and several more enviable wristwatches.  Nice work James!

Click through to see Mr. Bond’s full report:  Celebrating Swiss Watches at Shreve, Crump & Low.

Raindrops in the ocean…

…by which I mean that this new Ulysse Nardin (“yoo-liss nar-din”) does not make a big splash in my book.  While the brand seeks to honor its nautical roots (marine chronometers have been a specialty since Ulysse Nardin opened his doors in Le Locle in 1846), this new addition to its Marine Collection – the Hammerhead Shark — seems gimmicky to a landlubber like myself.  Also not evident to me are the “engravings of the mysterious hammerhead shark [which] decorate the case”.  That’s all I’ve got to say about this one.

Ulysse Nardin Hammerhead Shark

45mm polished titanium+gold or steel case, water resistant = 200 meters, automatic movement with exhibition caseback, blue rubber strap with rose-gold or titanium elements

Hammerhead motif on dial

Individually numbered limited edition of 350 pieces in 18-karat gold and titanium and 999 pieces in titanium and steel.  No word on price.

Ulysse Nardin is again (2nd year) the official sponsor of the 2010 Monaco Yacht Show, one of UN Chief Rolf Schnyder’s favorite soirees.  This year is the 20^th anniversary of the superyacht show (there’s still time!  September 22-25 at Port Hercules) and so UN decided to put out a limited edition “Monaco” watch based on its Marine collection.

Wide angle view of the 2009 Monaco Yacht Show

At first glance of the images I was a little disappointed in this watch.  Yes, it is a limited and individually numbered series (better than I can seem to say for some of IWC’s LE’s these days), but is this just another color change?  Well, kinda sorta but not exactly.  UN did a bit more — the case is specially treated and coated in vulcanized rubber.  Interesting, but definitely have to see this one in person to get a feel for it, though.  I wonder how something like this would hold up to nicks/dings/bumps that might be encountered while out on the high seas.  UN is not the first to rubberize their cases (Corum and others, if I recall, have similar watches).  Even with this “special” case, the watch really isn’t much more exciting that other Ulysse Nardin Marine watches.  What do you think of it?

Ulysse Nardin Monaco Marine Diver Limited Edition 2010

45.8mm rubberized case, rubber strap with black ceramic folding clasp

specially marked rotor (*yawn*)

UN Chief Rolf Schnyder hanging with HRH Prince Albert II

Rolf Turns 75…Releases Freak special…

Rolf Schnyder, the owner and president of Ulysse Nardin, turned 75 this year, and to commemorate his many achievements, he decided to introduce a new limited edition Freak Diavolo.   It is a fitting commemorative piece because when it was first launched in 2001 “the Freak” shook up the watchmaking industry with its carrousel tourbillion without crown, hands, or dial and with a novel silicium escapement which required no lubrication.  Not to mention that it was the first silicum escapement wheel in watchmaking — and silicum was more or less unheard of in watchmaking at the time.

Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo “Rolf 75″

Limited Edition of 75 pieces

Platinum case, “Rolf 75″ case embellishment, 60-second tourbillon, manual winding manufacture movement w/8+ day power reserve

Looking back on the decades, Rolf is right to give himself some credit for being a visionary:

“Almost 30 years ago, I bought Ulysse Nardin, a calculated risk as I believed there was a strong chance that unique, innovative mechanical watches could thrive, and it turns out I was right,”

“I fell in love with this grand old brand and our new innovative direction. To celebrate my 75^th birthday, I’ve chosen the Freak because it was an historic breakthrough for Ulysse Nardin and for the watch industry in general, and it is by far our most important piece.”

What a watch, eh?  Note the beautiful silicum escapement (blue colored thingy)

This is an amazing watch that builds upon the Freaks that have come before it.  The tourbillon (developed entirely in-house) is impressive with its 8+ day power reserve and that a a yellow-half circle cage which serves to mark the seconds.  Note also there is no crown on the watch — the watch is wound and the time is set by turning the split-level bezel.  Price is unknown, but don’t think anything less than $100,000.

Did you know?

During one of his annual visits to St. Moritz, where Schnyder competes on the famous Cresta Skeleton Run he learned that Ulysse Nardin was for sale. That was in 1983 when Switzerland’s watch industry was in the doldrums due to the arrival of the quartz age. Ulysse Nardin was little more than a shell, a carcass with a famous name he describes it, and he set about transforming the brand with an emphasis on unique, complicated watchmaking with innovation at its core. Watches like the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, the Planetarium Copernicus, the Tellurium Johannes Kepler, the Minute Repeater Jaquemart San Marco, the Freak, the Genghis Khan and more followed, all having a common theme – innovation. Ulysse Nardin has been a leader in the adopting of new materials, new technologies and new ways of doing things since Schnyder relaunched the brand.

El Toro es En Fuego

Ulysse Nardin combined the Moonstruck case with the UN-32 COSC-certified perpetual calendar movement.  43mm red gold or platinum case.  Ceramic pushpieces and bezel.  An exclusive fast-action time-zone system, permanent indication of the original time, forward and backward adjustment of all the date indicators, and the synchronised adjustment of these elements using the hour hand.  Rubber or leather strap with titanium/ceramic folding clasp, or crocodile with red gold or platinum folding clasp.

What a cool watch.  Dare I wish that they had hidden the sub-dials for the date and days?  I should be so petulant.

Ulysse Nardin “El Toro”

Limited to 500 pieces

Ulysse Nardin announced today a new limited edition (100 pieces) Maxi Marine Diver – the “Monaco YS”.  That’s “YS” as in “Yacht Show” – because the brand is participating this year (for the first time) in the Monaco Yacht Show.  It’s actually a pretty cool looking watch, although I find the timing of this announcement to be a bit strange – why didn’t Ulysse Nardin just get in on the “Only Watch 2009″ charity auction held yesterday as part of the same Monaco Yacht Show festivities?  Anyway, here’s the watch:

The case is 42.7mm in diamter, in black DLC (diamond-like-carbon) treated and hardened stainless steel, with a see-through caseback so you can admire the movement. Water resistant to 200 meters.  As for the watch’s functions – it has a small power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and a small seconds and round date window at 6 o’clock.   The partially skeletonized hour and minute hands are equipped with dark grey luminous material which glows in the dark (presumably in the normal yellow-green color of most lume).  The dial has UN’s distinctive black wave-patterned bezel, accendted with 18 ct rose gold inlay.  Interestingly, rubber strap has a black ceramic folding clasp as well as black ceramic accents which can be seen in the above photo.  Here’s the watch from a different angle:

While this watch could certainly do without the cheesy “Limited Edition” stamp on the strap, the rose gold inlays contrast nicely with the black DLC and make this overall sharp looking dive watch.

34 Distinct One-of-Kind Pieces Estimated to Auction At $10,000 to as much as $735,000

Less than 24 hours from “hammer time” and we wanted to share with you the “suggested” prices for each of the 34 “Only Watch” watches in case you are thinking about putting in a bid.

But first, what a difference two years social media can make for a special event such as this! The watch blogosphere has been buzzing for months with excitement over the 34 unique pieces that will be auctioned in Monaco less than 24 hours from now in what is sure to be a spectacular event. In fact we learned just yesterday that the event will be live-Tweeted by watch journalist Beth Doerr – so put her in your Twit-Stream now (Twitter: @doerrelizabeth)!!

If you follow watches, it is highly unlikely that you haven’t come across a blog or forum post highlighting one or all of these watches – of course First In Watches was the first to kick things off back in early-June with our feature article giving you a first look at each of the 34 pieces (see: ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches), and since then we have gone more in-depth on some of our favorites including the following: MB&F’s Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet’s 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau’s Jump Hour, Piaget’s Emperador Coussin, Louis Vuitton’s Tambour, Chanel’s J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain’s 500 Fathoms. Some of our watch-blogging friends have also written some good articles about their favorites, too. In particular we enjoyed this recent article from Hodinkee with some great pics of some of the more “unique” unique pieces including Cabestan’s Winch Tourbillon Vertical, Confrere Horlogere’s La Clef du Temps Tourbillon, and MB&F’s Sage Vaugh HM-2.

So what are the “odds” on what these watches will sell for? Due to their rarity and the fact that there is now reserve price, it really is hard to say! But here is where the bidding is likely to start, courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. who will be running the auction:

• Confrerie Horlogere $514,500 – $735,000
• Cabestan $411,600 – $514,500
• Patek Philippe $264,600 – $470,400
• Bovet $147,000 – $220,500
• Cartier $132,300 – $220,500
• Audemars Piguet $132,300 – $220,500
• De Bethune $132,300 – $205,800
• Breguet $117,600 – $176,400
• Tag Heuer $102,900 – $132,300
• MB&F $102,900 – $176,400
• Van Cleef & Arpels $102,900 – $132,300
• Ateliers deMonaco $88,200 – $132,300
• Louis Vuitton $88,200 – $132,300
• Ulysse Nardin $88,200 – $132,300
• Chanel $73,500 – $88,200
• Montblanc $66,150 – $88,200
• Piaget $51,450 – $73,500
• Franck Muller $51,450 – $73,500
• Bell & Ross $51,450 – $73,500
• Gerald Charles $51,450 – $73,500
• Omega $44,100 – $73,500
• Chaumet $36,750 – $51,450
• Vacheron Constantin$36,750 – $51,450
• Franc Vila $29,400 – $58,800
• Girard-Perregaux $29,400 – $44,100
• Hermes $29,400 – $44,100
• deLaCour $29,400 – $44,100
• Jaquet Droz $22,050 – $36,750
• Tourneau $22,050 – $36,750
• Blancpain $22,050 – $36,750
• Hublot $22,050 – $36,750
• Corum $17,640 – $29,400
• Frederique Constant $11,760 – $23,520
• Zenith $10,290 – $17,640

In closing, First In Watches will leave you with this cool “Only Watch preview” video produced by TheTimeTV, which is probably as close as most watch fans will ever come to these amazing watches:

Perpetuelle.com Moderator James Bond recently attended a splendid “Get Together” (or “GTG” as the hard core watch enthusiasts refer to them) in Boston, MA.  The watches in attendance at this GTG were phenomenal and I wish I could have been there to enjoy them (I’m sure the people were nice, too).  In addition to a beautiful Rolex Red Daytona, the lineup of vintage watches was amazing.  I am sharing a couple teasers below, but you’ll need to click here to check out Mr. Bond’s full report on the Perpetuelle.com World Watch Forum.  Partial Listing of Watches in attendance include: Rolex “Red Daytona”, Vintage Ulysse Nardin, Vintage Omega Seamster 300, Vintage IWC, Pink dial Minerva, Omega Seamaster Broad Arrow, Chopard, Breguet Type XX, Omega SMP, (Vincent?) Calabrese.

Thanks for the great GTG report, James!

Rolex Red Daytona

Photo: James Bond

“Group Shot”

Photo: James Bond

Again, click here to check out Mr. Bond’s full report on the Perpetuelle.com World Watch Forum.