FROM TECHNICAL TO ARTISTIC
Known for its unrivaled technical properties, the silicon bluish-toned material moves from mechanical to aesthetic and dresses the face of an exceptional timepiece in the form of a geometric mosaic.
The setting lies on a fusion of poetic art and mechanical mastery: the exceptional Blast Free Wheel Marquetry provokes a sensation of freedom and stimulates the imagination. Indeed, at first glance, this horological work signed Ulysse Nardin and presented at the end of the summer during Geneva Watch Days projects us towards the azure infinity of a crystalline sea cradled by the sun’s caress. It diffuses an intense, nuanced bluish light thanks to the presence of a material known for its unequalled technical properties, usually hidden at the heart of the movement, which is transformed for the occasion into an artistic expression: silicon.
Worked in geometric tesserae of different shapes, thicknesses and finishes to compose an original mosaic, silicon covers the watch face and settles on the barrel at 12 o’clock. Beneath the “ultra-glassbox” sapphire crystal, which offers an unrestricted view of the various elements from the front and sides, a flying tourbillon rotates at 6 o’clock. It is accompanied by an indicator at 4 o’clock that displays the power reserve delivered by the hand-wound UN-176 caliber, which amounts to one week. In the center, two luminescent gray hands indicate the hours and minutes. The Blast Free Wheel Marquetry‘s imposing white gold case measures 45mm in diameter and is attached to a velvety-smooth blue rubber strap fastened by a folding clasp machined from the same precious metal.
