BY SAM DELAWARE
The Vendée Globe continues to pit the world’s most voracious sailors against each other in a feat of extreme endurance ever since its advent in 1989. This solo non-stop competition to circumnavigate the globe occurs every four years and sends only the most daring on a flat-out race across the globe’s most expansive oceans and seas. So far, only 200 sailors have made the attempt and only about half of those have successfully completed the entire route.
This year, Ulysse Nardin is acting as the official timekeeper for the second time. To mark this partnership and the 10th Anniversary of the race itself, the independent watchmaker has announced the Limited Edition Diver NET Vendée Globe.
The 44mm Diver NET Vendée Globe is Nardin’s most sustainable watch to date, crafting a case of aerospace grade Carbonium. This organic material is a carbon filament composite that maintains an incredibly high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing the Diver NET to weigh just 100 grams (~3.5oz) on the wrist.
This commemoration leaves very few surfaces unadorned, but as visually complex and engaging as it is to look at, when put to use the watch functions as a seriously adept diver. The Carbonium case is rated for 300m of water resistance and offers plenty of Super-Luminova across the dial for low-light utility.
Protected by sapphire, the sandblasted textured gray dial houses a prominent ‘X’ meant to symbolize the endpoint of the race itself. This ‘X-marks-the-spot’ motif is applied in the race’s official colors of red and blue, bright shades that are also found within small seconds at the 6, the 12’s power reserve indicator, the markers on the marbled bezel insert, and the embossed logo of the crown.
The exhibition caseback continues the dial’s complex presentation with a partially obstructed view of Nardin’s own manufacture movement through a gray-tinted sapphire crystal. Though ‘obstruction’ is perhaps a strong word choice, the illustration of the Vendée Globe’s 24,300-mile (45k km) route is as well executed as it is appropriate for a commemorative run of this nature.
As its engine, the Diver NET Vendée Globe employs the self-winding UN-118 manufacture calibre – a powerhouse that offers a 4hz beat rate, 60 hours of power on a full wind, and most notably, a DIAMonSIL escapement, Nardin’s own patented technology.
Ulysse Nardin makes all this horology look quite effortless, but its complexity cannot be understated – there are a total of 260 total components and 50 jewels which combine to power the handset and the complications.
Similarly to what we’ve seen with Tudor’s FXD family, the Diver NET Vendée Globe keeps its case secured to the wrist with a recycled textile strap. The two piece unit is available in either a bright red or medium gray, both colors matched to the palette of the case and dial, and they both conclude with unique hook-and-loop hardware.
Similar to the ‘Diver The Ocean Race’ limited to just 200 pieces, the Diver NET Vendée Globe will have a run of 300 watches and will carry a price tag of CHF 13,500/EUR 14,400.
