Ulysse Nardin goes to orbit with new Blast Moonstruck
The brand based on Le Locle presents a bold and modern watch with its stunning World Time astronomical replica watch with precise moon phase and tide indications.
Well, it all happened at Ulysse Nardin. Just last week, Sowind’s board announced that its parent company, Sowind Group SA, had been acquired from Kering, including UN chief Patrick Pruniaux. Now, the Le Locle-based brand has unveiled its first exciting release for 2022: the dark, dashing and ultra-sophisticated Blast Moonstruck.
Exciting astronomical watch
Blast Moonstruck continues the tradition of Ulysse Nardin’s stunning Ludwig Oeschlin-designed astronomical watches that began with Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, Planetarium Copernicus and Tellurium Johannes Kepler in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2009, Oeschlin continued his magic with the debut of the first Moonstruck, followed by the Executive Moonstruck Worldtimer in 2017.
Bold, sleek and modern…it’s a blast
Essentially, the new Blast Moonstruck is a cleaner, sleeker and more modern interpretation of the Executive Moonstruck Worldtimer. It contains the same complex astronomical instruments as the latter, including local time, universal time, date, phases of the moon, dates of lunar months, indications of the position of the sun and moon phases relative to Earth, and tidal cycles.
But now, the Blast Moonstruck has come to define the brand’s Blast collection in the bold, stealthy jet-inspired packaging. That means the black, gold and aventurine dials are housed in a 45mm black ceramic and black DLC titanium case with geometric lugs and a scalloped crown. Finally, the case and dial are paired with a black strap made of alligator leather, rubber or velvet.
Precision indication
The time – indicated by tapered, gold-plated, luminous-filled hands – can be set quickly forward or backward (using pushers on the case) to any of the 24 time zones represented by world cities printed on the dial flange. One. Additionally, to complement the 24-hour numerals inside the flange, the globe as seen from above the North Pole is micro-engraved on the inside of the domed portion of the sapphire crystal. In turn, it is surrounded by a date ring.
Meanwhile, the precise moon phase is indicated by a circular aperture, while the sun is represented using a three-dimensional bronze stone disc. Not only does Blast Moonstruck depict the real-time position of the two entities relative to Earth—from which you can read the state of the tides—but the moon gets brighter or dimmer depending on the lunar calendar.
Powering all these precise indications is the UN-106 self-winding movement with a 50-hour power reserve and a 22K gold winding rotor, visible through the transparent display caseba.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – ULYSSE NARDIN BLAST MOONSTRUCK
Case: Diameter 45mm – Black ceramic and black DLC titanium – Sapphire crystal and case back – 30m water resistance – Two buttons on the left side of the case advance the main display in one hour increments
Dial: Domed sapphire crystal representing Earth from the North Pole, engraved with land – moon phases and days of the lunar month – orbiting the sun – world time and dual time, 24 hour day and night scale – 24 reference cities printed on flange – moon Tidal coefficient phase for measurement – Date ring around the central area of the dome – Triangular hands for date and hour and minute hands, treated with luminous material
Movement: UN-106 manufacture automatic movement – 335 components – 42 jewels – 4Hz/28,800vph – 50 hour power reserve – silicon escapement and spring – rose gold rotor
Strap: Choice of black alligator, velvet or rubber – black DLC titanium and rose gold folding clasp
Reference: 1063 400 2A/3A