Ulysse Nardin Unveils In-House Caliber UN-118

When ships were the only way to cross the seas and the voyage was treacherous, many lost their lives simply because they became lost. On October 22, 1707, four British Men 'O War sank just off the Cornish Coast, 2000 men were lost, because they did not know their longitude.

Finding a precise timekeeping instrument was a matter of life and death. (read about the Longitude Act  of 1714)

In the current economical ebb and flow finding a perfect time keeping instrument has more to do with the success of a company than "Men 'O Wars" sinking off coastlines.  In today's treacherous sea of competition, finding the perfect timekeeping instrument will ensure companies stay afloat. Now you may be wondering why I am stressing sea terminology, I mean this is not a nautical blog, but when it comes to reviewing a Ulysee Nardin Watch, my mind immediately takes to the open sea.  - Read about the role Ulysse Nardin played in the success of Marine Chronometers.

Now Ulysee Nardin has embarked on another voyage with newly appointed Patrik Hoffman at the helm.  Ulysee Nardin, the first brand to introduce components made from artificial diamond grown on silicon or DIAMonSil, unveiled its groundbreaking in-house Caliber UN-118.  Aside for this movements model of timekeeping efficiency,  thanks to the constant innovation efforts of Ulysse Nardin and Sigatec (Sion, Switzerland), Caliber UN-118 can be produced on a large enough scale to power 70 percent of its watches.  Sigatec is one of the most technologically advanced companies in terms of nanotechnology with the capability of creating watch components in both Silicium and DIAMonSIL.

 Caliber UN-118, containing 248 pieces,  is a culmination of many years of research.  The Caliber UN-118  comprises of an in-house-produced and patented DIAMonSIL escapement and an in-house-produced oscillator, patented in 2007,  adjustable with four screws and affixed with a silicium 1.1.1 hairspring.

 The movement is a certified Chronometer (not to be confused with a seafarers instrument - difference explained below ) and is equipped with a  power reserve of 60 hours.

After many years of hearing about watch components comprising of Silicium and Diamond on Silicon, it is a true breakthrough to finally see this groundbreaking technology used prolifically.


Distinction Between Marine Chronometer and C.O.S.C. 

A Marine Chronometer is not the same term used for a Chronometer today -A "chronometer" in today's term is a high-precision watch capable of displaying the seconds and housing a movement that has been tested over several days, in different positions and at different temperatures, by an official neutral body (COSC).
Each movement is individually measured. Any watch with the denomination "chronometer" is provided with a certified movement by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute or the C.O.S.C. All of Ulysse Nardin's Timepieces which carry the title Chronometer have been tested by the C.O.S.C and given the title of Chronometer.

Corum's Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive to 1000 Feet

Corum adds a watch to the long list of diver's watches which can dive far deeper than man can venture beneath the ocean.  However, venture or not, the new Corum's Admiral Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive is a impressive Diver's watch equipped with all the necessary diving functions.
  In all serious diving watches I always look for a Helium Valve.  In this case the Corum has one.  A helium valve is crucial in scuba diving scenarios. A helium valve enables divers who operate at great depths and spend prolonged hours under extreme pressure breathing a mix like trimix containing gases such as helium (tiny molecules) or hydrogen (smallest molecules found in nature) to release the helium molecules that have worked their way through the o-rings or other seals. The helium and hydrogen molecules cause no damage when the watch is at great depths under pressure but as soon as the diver resurfaces, a pressure difference occurs between the trapped gas(es) inside the watch case and the surrounding air. This can cause the crystal to pop off damaging the watch thus the helium valve is a crucial edition to diving watches enabling the diver to release the gas build up and restore equilibrium.

Other properties of the Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 deep Dive which makes it a hard core Diver's Watch.  The watch adheres to the strict ISO 6425  guidelines relating to Diver's Watches, which is defined as: "A watch designed to withstand diving in water at depths of at least 100 m and possessing a system to control the time"
The testing of Diving Watches occurs in still water under 125% of rated water pressure.  In other words, a watch claiming a 200 meter water resistance rating has been tested in still water at a depth of 250 meters.
Diving watches are tested in static or still water under 125% of the rated (water)pressure, thus a watch with a 200 meter rating will be water resistant if it is stationary and under 250 meters of static water.
Corum has met the criteria by crafting the watch with a Grade 5 titanium case.  Grade 5 titanium is considered an alloy as it consists of 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, 0.25% iron, 0.2%  Oxygen and the remaining percentage titanium.  Titanium Grade 5 is utilized extensively in Aerospace, Medical, Marine, and Chemical Processing as it is stronger than commercially pure titanium while maintaining its stiffness and thermal properties. Titanium Grade 5 is heat treatable, strong & corrosion resistance.
Corum has crafted the 48mm case with a thickness of 18.9mm and a screw down crown. An automatic Caliber CO947 with a power reserve of 42 hours is a certified Chronometer as certified by the COSC.

Nautical Flags fly just below the unidirectional rotating bezel- a signature of all Admiral Cup Corum Watches.  Another crucial aspect of a Diver's Watch is the readout in murky conditions.  Depending on the version, this watch is available in two, the hands and hour markers are coated in either highly luminescent bi-light orange coating (watch image above) or black superluminova.  The dial read out is clear as a result of the bold markings.  Central hours and minutes as well as a small seconds at the 9'o'clock and day and date at the 3 'o'clock provide crucial time tracking.
The Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive is available in two versions, the first which I have described above in bright orange is available in a limited edition of 200 and a PVD blackened version with a Grade 5 titanium case sports a 18 carat gold bezel, which is available in a limited edition of 100.
For a diver serious about diving, a Corum Admiral's Cup Seafender 48 Deep Dive, won't leave you high and dry.

A Breitling Barnato for the Bentley Boys

In honor of the Bentley Boys, Breitling has unveiled two winning timepieces. The Bentley Barnato and the Bentley Barnato Racing chronographs. The watches carry the name of the most famous and triumphant of the Bentley Boys -Woolf "Babe" Barnato, heir to his father, Barney Barnato's fortune.

Barnato used part of his multi-million dollar fortune to pursue his passion for the race track. In the 1920's Barnato was a member of an elite circle of wealthy British motorists ,the Bentley Boys , who would only be seen in W.O. Bentley's. The highest point was from 1927 to 1930 when the group won four consecutive victories at the 24 hours of Le Man. The latter three were won by Barnato himself, the only races he ever entered, making him the only Le Mans driver with a perfect wins to start ratio.

Barnato is closely tied to the history of Bentley. So inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato dug into his multi million dollar fortune and agreed to finance Bentley's business becoming a majority shareholder and chairman in 1925.

Breitling has a long standing relationship with Bentley, affixing Breitling impeccable time keeper to every Bentley and presenting a long line of Breitling for Bentley timepieces such as the Breitling for Bentley Flying B and Mark IV.

The new Breitling Barnato Collection makes its namesake proud. The dial represents a passion for racing, three sub dials emblazoned on the white dial represents the shape of a steering wheel clutched while careening around hairpin bends. The raised knurled motif of the bezel brings to mind the dials on the control panel of Bentley's racing cars of the 1920's.
(inset - 1929 " Blower Bentley")

Via a scratch resistant sapphire crystal, an attractive oscillating weight, powers the COSC movement, which is equipped with an innovative "30 second chronograph" function. The oscillating weight is fashioned after wheel rims of the new Bentley Continental GT.

The Breitling Bentley Barnato timepiece represents the "golden age of sports".

An Omega Seamaster for the Ladies

One of the most popular watches, the Omega Seamaster now caters to the ladies. The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph 600mm has a subtle softer look without removing its look of adventurous durability. The Planet Ocean dial has been scaled down from its 45.5mm wide to 37.5 mm wide to suit the smaller wrist of a women.

The watch is fitted with a helium escape valve which allows for maximum functionality needed by professional divers exploring great ocean depths for lengthy periods of time. In great depths divers often spend time in diving bells under pressure breathing a mixture of gases like trimax. This gas mixture contains helium. Helium molecules are tiny, the second smallest found in nature and are able to work their way around the gaskets and other seals and into the watch. This does not present a problem as long as the diver remains under pressure; however during resurfacing when decompression stops, a pressure difference builds up between the interior of the watch with the trapped helium and the environment. This pressure difference can cause the watch crystal to pop off. This is where the helium escape valve is required. The helium escape valve allows the extra helium molecules built up in the watch to escape and thus equalising the pressure between the watch interior and the environment.

The watch case is steel with a metal bracelet. The watch is resistant to 600 meters crafted specifically for divers. The chronograph pushers are available with either black or orange tips. In the orange versions the color is extended to parts of the rotating diver's bezel.

The watch has endured rigorous testing by the COSC and thus is a certified chronometer. The watch is powered by an Omega Co-Axial Calibre 3313 automatic mechanical movement.

The spirit of the Omega Speedmaster.

Since 1957, Omega Speedmaster has accompanied man on many missions from an inspiring six round trips to the moon, one Apollo-Soyuz test project to a future project aimed to take flight this year. A Speedmaster will take to the skies on board an entirely solar airplane. This solar impulse prototype with a wingspan like that of an airbus A340 and weighing only 1.5 tons will try to circumnavigate the earth solely utilizing solar energy to power of the aircraft. In great human accomplishments, Speedmaster is the timepiece to withstand the elements and witness the spirit of achievement.














It was with a Speedmaster strapped to his wrist ,Ralph Plaisted, a St. Paul, Minnesota insurance man and amateur explorer set out on Wednesday, February 21st, 1968 to be the first undisputed expedition to travel overland and stand on the North Pole. (Robert Peary claimed to be the first in 1909, although his claim is fraught with decades of skepticism). It took Ralph Plaisted and 3 fellow explorers, 44 days and 474 mile trek across the polar ice cap to arrive at the North Pole. They traveled by four gasoline powered snowmobiles with a horsepower of 16. The party spent a day at the Pole to allow a US Air force C135 weather reconnaissance plane to confirm their position and take pictures. It was Ralph Plaisted second attempt that was successful, his first in 1967, was a failure, as he was forced to turn back just 370 miles from the pole as a result of storms and open water.
His pioneering spirit was unstoppable and he tried again in 1968. Once asked why he would try the dangerous arctic journey a second time, Ralph Plaisted said,

" It's there and the challenge is ours. Even if we fail, we have more satisfaction than those who remain in the gray area - the warm house, the television set- of those who never try and can never know success or failure."

It is amazing to note that an Omega Speedmaster accompanied Ralph Plaisted on his frigid voyage to the North Pole. The Omega Speedmaster is still manufactured with the same attention to excellence. It is still in a class of its own. Each timepiece is manufactured over a 14 month period whereby all the 195 separate parts are carefully crafted. It takes 80 hand held operations to create the main plate for a single Speedmaster. Just like the pioneering spirit of those that surged forward and into the light, Omega Speedmaster has kept up with cutting-edge technology in terms of digitization and new man-made materials.
To own a Omega Speedmaster is to own a touch of humankind. It is with the Omega Speedmaster that man will finally step on the red dust of Mars and it is with the Omega Speedmaster that mankind's next greatest achievement will be documented in time.

Omega Speedmaster Date Chronograph Automatic Men's Watch

Omega Speedmasters are crafted for voyages of discovery and the strive to stretch man's survival to the limits. The hands and hour markers are luminous useful in the face of darkness. The movement is an automatic chronograph chronometer. To achieve the title of Chronometer, a watches movements has to undergo rigorous testing by the COSC (The Official Swiss Control Office for Chronometers) The movements are individually tested for 15 days, in 5 different positions at 3 different temperatures. The Watch has a power reserve of 44 hours to and scratch resistant sapphire crystal.

If ever you would like to embark on that voyage of a lifetime, take an Omega Speedmaster along, it will ensure your success.

My Luxury Watch is COSC Certified. What does that mean?

The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or COSC (The Official Swiss Control Office for Chronometers) reported record figures for 2007. The number of certificates registered in 2007 was up 13.3 per cent from 2006 making that a total number of 1,538,676 registrations.


The top three companies applying for registration were Rolex with 728,255 certificates, Omega with 341,161 and Breitling with 222,650.


Who is the COSC? C.O.S.C. was founded as it is currently known in 1973. It is a Swiss non-profit organization that tests Swiss-made chronometers.


Who founded COSC? COSC was founded by five watchmaking regions of Switzerland: Bern, Geneva, Neuchatel, Solothurn and Vaud, in conjunction with the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS). It includes the laboratories/ observatories that were created independantly of each other from the late 1800's.


What is the role of COSC? COSC tests the movements of timepieces submitted by individual watch manufacturers to be granted the status of chronometer.




Where is COSC located? COSC have testing laboratories in three different locations: Biel/Bienne, Geneva and Le Locle. The Laboratories in Geneva and Biel are almost completely dedicated to testing Rolex movements.



Which movements calibres obtain most of the COSC certificates? The Rolex 3135 (since 1988) variations of which are 3155,3175,3185,4130; Rolex 2235; the ETA 2892A2, and its variants; Valjoux 7750. Each of these movements operate at 28,800 beats per hour.


Bretling claims that all its watches that have been manufactured since 2000 are COSC certified, Rolex and Omega watches have a large selection of their watches which are COSC certified.


How can you tell if a watch is COSC certified ? A Certified Chronometer has a serial number engraved on its movement and a certification number provided by the COSC.

What are the testing criteria for a chronometer? Testing criteria are based on ISO 3159 which defines a wrist chronometer with spring-balance oscillator. Only movements that meet the precision criteria are provided with an official chronometer certificate.

How is the watch tested? Actually only the uncased movements are tested, not the entire watch. The movements are individually tested for 15 days, in 5 different positions at 3 different temperatures. The movements are fitted with a seconds hand. The automatic winding movement is disengaged for the test. Daily measurements are made with the assistance of a camera. Once these measurements have been obtained, 7 criteria are calculated, each of which must meet the standards of the COSC.

I know that these criteria are solely for mechanical watches. What about quartz watches? Currently there are no ISO standards for quartz timepieces, but COSC has developed its own standard for testing quartz chronometer with eight eliminatory criteria.

How difficult is it for a watch to become an Official COSC Certified Chronometer? Well judging from the fact that only 3% of the entire swiss watch production is COSC Certified, exceptionally difficult. This percentage only accentuates the fact of the outstanding nature of the chronometer. Inorder to receive the chronometer certificate, a movement must be crafted from the highest quality components, and be crafted with special care, by the finest watchmakers and timers during assembly.

Which are some of the high-end brands submit their movements to the COSC? Invicta, Bauem & Mercier, Breitling, Chopard, Ebel, Girard-Perregaux, Omega, Patek Phillipe, Rolex, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin and Zenith.

Which are some of the high-end brands do not submit their movement to the COSC? Audemars Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Sohne and Piaget.

My Watch has a Chronograph, does that mean it is a Chronometer? NO! Chronograph and Chronometer are two completely different terms used in association with a timepiece.

A "Chronograph" is a timepiece that is fitted with an additional mechanism that may be set in motion by knobs to enable the measurement of the duration of an event.

A "chronometer" is a high-precision watch capable of displaying the seconds and housing a movement that has been tested over several days, in different positions and at different temperatures, by an official neutral body (COSC).
Each movement is individually measured. Any watch with the denomination "chronometer" is provided with a certified movement.

The perfect accuracy of a chronometer can be destroyed with rough handling and little maintenance

There is an ongoing debate, by watch enthusiasts whether the COSC Certification is a significant test or simply a marketing gimmick? A watch maker proposing to submit a movement for COSC testing, they add additional jeweling (i.e. to the barrel) and superior quality "assortment" parts - better quality hairspring, mainsprings, balance wheels, regulators and so on). The aim is to obtain the highly regarded COSC Chronometer Certification. Alternatively, many watch enthusiasts believe that with today's innovations utilized in watch making, most high-end, good quality movements are capable of being adjusted and timed so that they will fall between the COSC criteria of -4/+6 average daily rate. Movements that are presented are more likely than not, presented with better quality parts, and as a result may be less likely to maintain better timekeeping rates over longer periods.