These days only a certain kind of person wears a watch. The need to know what time the time is, could be dispensed with by a number of gadgets on my person at any one time. No, wearing a watch has become indicative of a lifestyle and a culture. Its Old School, its classy and its something your mother and father told you to do, right up there with keeping a handkerchief in your pocket. Old world values mean something these days. Fashion knows this and respects this. Read an article by that guy Andy, about something else a real man and quintessential gentlemen should be concerned about.
You’ve been working for a while now since graduating from university & you went through the usual job searches. Finally you landed a decent opportunity, started at the bottom and have just been promoted for your years of work that did not go unnoticed. Now you can stretch your legs and proliferate of certain personal style. Your wardrobe is repectable, your apartment is kitted out and your whip hows social upward progression. Part and parcel of who you are aspiring to be, is to build a collection. Everyone collects something. My friend Tebogo is all about his sneakers. My brother Umar and I seem to be about camera gear as an example. Some have fragrances and colognes for everything. Then there’s collecting cars and watches. You may even have a few already. The watch your dad gave you for your 16th, a Fossil or Guess number from your girl way back when; and then a Michael Kors from last season. But whats the next big thing? We believe its this: The Ulysee Nardin range.
The Brand breakdown
Founded in 1846, in Le Locle Switzerland; it is one of the few companies that has remained in continuous production for over 165 years; even operating out of the same building since 1865. Historically, the company is best known for its manufacture of highly accurate marine chronometers supplied at one point during the 1800s to over fifty of the worlds navies.
In 1983, the late Rolf Schnyder & watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin relaunched the brand, going against the mainstream current of Swiss watchmaking; combining both science and innovation to give flight to producing ground breaking complicationtimepieces (real heads know what’s up), using modern materials and manufacturing techniques. Today, Ulysse Nardin continues these traditions to develop and produce specialized timepiece of the highest technical level in limited quantity.
The model I posted up here is known as the Blue Cruiser, although I’ve seen it advertised as well under the pseudonyms DIAMonSIL and DIAVOLO. It features a floating mechanical (automatic) movement known as a the flying Carrousel-Tourbillon; no crown, no centre pins and none of the typical watch features. It is adjusted via an upper and lower rotating bezel. With a glass underside and all the cogs and gears visible from above, the skeletal design work makes for an elegant & ornate package. It is available in 18 ct white or rose gold, this avant-garde vessel measures 45 mm in diameter and is teamed up with a blue or brown alligator strap with deployment clasp.
Heres a video of the mechanical movement in action:
The range starts at R9 674.63. The watch retails in South Africa for around R1 209 329.10. Yup, soak that up. although other watches down the range go for around R9 674.63. My personal favourite is the GMT Dual Time Blue Dial. This dude has a more conventional automatic movement, with stopwatch facility and usability in water. It retails for R49 327.90 – a bit more in my area of affordability.
Overall an awesome site, easy to navigate, and interesting articles. Must say this watch tho…The Freak Cruiser 2050-131 Is my Clear winner…