Introducing Ulysse Nardin Searches For Success At The End Of The Rainbow

Geneva Watch Days takes place in the Swiss cultural capital from Monday, August 29, to Thursday, September 1, 2022, so stay tuned to HODINKEE in the days ahead for detailed coverage of all the top releases, from brands such as Bulgari, MB&F, Oris, Urwerk, and many more.

Both watches, different though they may be, have the same family heirloom, a bezel of multi-colored precious and semi-precious stones like rubies, tsavorite, peridot topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, and sapphire, in ROYGBIV (hello, elementary school color spectrum memorization tip!) formation. The Blast Tourbillon Rainbow has 38 of these twinkling beauties and gem indices. The  Lady Diver Rainbow has 40 of them and diamond indices. Both come with several strap options.

I have to admit that a quick glance led me to think these watches had been made for Pride Month, and I'm not trying to be funny or cute – I literally thought, "Oh, Pride watches. Alright." But no. Pride was back in June and, in point of fact, the rainbow design is in homage to the element silicium (commercially known as silicon).

Most watch nerds know that Ulysse Nardin is bullish on silicon/silicium (they made the first watch to use it, the iconic Freak from 2001). Exactly how this material led, in a design sense, to the Rainbow Collection is the sort of thing you'll never guess and will simply have to be told: The Rainbow Collection is inspired by the "iridescent rainbow colors of silicium … the shimmering colors of this revolutionary material."

It seems like a bit of a stretch for me, but to be honest whenever design people tell me what they were inspired by I almost never buy it and I'm not going to make an exception here.

You can also see this rainbow trend in Rolex's famous Rainbow Daytona from 2012, the Breitling Superocean Heritage '57 Rainbow from 2020, and the Hublot Rainbow Big Bang Tourbillon from 2021. Compare this collection to those as you wish.

A very brief history of Ulysse Nardin for the people in the back, i.e., me: The brand started off in 1846 making marine chronometers. This explains the anchor logo in case you were wondering, as I did, if it originated as a Nantucket shop that sells floating ice buckets shaped like lobsters. Since the brand was revived in the '80s, it has generally been known for marine chronometer-inspired watches, and a focus on promoting specific technical innovations (aside from silicon, the Freak told time without the use of hands), and more broadly, the European seafaring lifestyle.

The company was acquired by Kering in 2014, and earlier this year it was un-acquired by Kering. Having shrugged off the mantle of its corporate conglomerate, it is presenting its new independent face to the world with these rainbow watches.

Here's why those watches work: The Hublot is so over the top and garish that it tips into ultra-luxury. The Zenith is not quite over the top and its color scheme is fresh, imaginative, and it's also not hideously expensive. And the Timex is just so tacky that it rounds the bend to gorgeous. Also, it is not thousands of dollars, it is hundreds, which definitely helps.

The Rainbow Collection watches, in my view, are both too much and not really enough. Even as they insist that they are bold, they emit an insecure knowledge that they are not bold at all, as the color scheme is one we have seen countless times, and the trend to use it in watches peaked at least a year ago.

I wrote Nick Manousos, our technical director, and asked him what he thought of Ulysse Nardin. He said it is among the top brands for technical innovation, and that its work with silicon was groundbreaking. So it seems unfair of me to be totally dismissive. These watches may have a home with someone enamored with what's inside, and who feels the rainbow exterior somehow adds or does not at least detract from the whole package. And since these are limited editions, only 50 such people for the Blast, and 300 for the black and 300 for the white Lady Diver need exist. I am sure, perhaps among the seafarers of Europe, the brand will find a few individuals to come forward to stake their claim.

Brand: Ulysse Nardin
Model: Blast Tourbillon Rainbow, Lady Diver Rainbow White, Lady Diver Rainbow Black
Reference Number: 1723-400B1LE-2B-RAIN/3, 8163-182B1LE-1A-RAIN/3A, 8163-182B1LE-2A-RAIN/3A

Diameter: 45mm, 39mm
Thickness: 13mm, 11mm
Case Material: Black DLC titanium middle-case, black ceramic polished & sandblasted upper-case, stainless steel polished case,  black stainless steel case for the Blast. For the Lady Diver Rainbow in White, stainless steel polished case; for Lady Rainbow Diver in Black, black stainless steel case.
Dial Color: Skeleton/Rectangle and double X in black/Black indexes set with 12 rainbow baguette gemstones for the Blast. For the Lady Rainbow Diver in White, silver dial, 11 diamonds, 0.12 CTS. For the Lady Rainbow Diver in Black, black dial,  11 diamonds, 0.12 CTS (Black).
Lume: Black hands in Super-LumiNova on the Blast; 12 o'clock index and hands with Super-LumiNova on the Rainbow Lady Divers.
Water Resistance: 50 meters for the Blast; 300 for the Lady Divers
Strap/Bracelet: For the Blast, black velvet waterproof rubber or black alligator strap. For the Lady Rainbow Diver in White, white structured strap, and a white alligator strap with a stainless-steel tang buckle. For the Lady Rainbow Diver in Black, black structured rubber strap, black alligator strap with white stitching and black ceramic tang buckle.

Caliber: UN-172; UN-816
Functions: Blast: Automatic skeleton movement, flying tourbillon, hours, minutes, micro-rotor in platinum at 12 o'clock, escapement wheel, anchor & balance spring in silicium. Divers: Hours, minutes, seconds, date,  escapement wheel.
Power Reserve: 72 hours; 42 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 2.5 Hz / oscillations 18'000 vph; 4Hz / oscillations 28'800 vph
Jewels: 25; 19

Price: Blast: CHF 85,000 / €80,800  / $89,700. Divers: CHF 12,900 / €12,300 / $13,600
Limited Edition: 50 Blasts and 300 each of the Divers

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