Ocean Race Diver
Ulysse Nardin fake is accelerating the use of innovative alternative materials and announces the first DIVER model composed primarily of recycled fishing nets
Ulysse Nardin and The Ocean Race have witnessed their shared commitment, fulfilled with THE OCEAN RACE DIVER, which will become the official timekeeper for the high seas sailing race scheduled to begin on 15 January 2023 from Alicante, Spain. Eco-friendly watchmaking creations, two partners pledge to protect the oceans and begin the countdown to positive results by 2030.
Ocean Race Diver: From the ocean, for the ocean
The beginning of a new era for Ulysse Nardin. Since 1846, the Swiss watchmaker has been making marine chronometers of unrivaled reliability for explorers. Today’s navigators inevitably face plastic pollution, with 5 trillion pieces floating at sea. Fishing nets (mainly made of polyamide) are one of the main sources of this marine plastic pollution: as much as 640,000 metric tons are lost or discarded each year (UN), adding to the 9 million metric tons of plastic released into the sea (Science).
“How can we turn some of these plastics into luxury goods? With the help of start-ups such as FIL&FAB, we have successfully manufactured and sold watches made from recycled fishing nets,” said Ulysse Nardin CEO Patrick Pruniaux.
Peter Thomson, UN special envoy for the oceans, praised the effort during a session at the IUCN World Congress in Marseille in September 2021: “Drift nets are a huge part of the plastic pollution problem. They are harmful to marine life such as corals and sea turtles. Extremely destructive. The fact that you are upgrading them is a positive because there are so many of them in the ocean.”
“The way we make people aware of the problem is by upcycling. Finding suppliers is a key factor in this process,” Patrick Pruniaux confirms. review replica watches
In September 2020, Ulysse Nardin marks its first milestone in its commitment to a circular economy that supports the oceans, with the launch of the R-STRAP wristband, made entirely from recycled fishing nets that can be used with MARINE, DIVER and FREAK X watch. Then in November 2020, the brand launched the DIVER NET, an experimental concept watch in which every element has been designed with durability in mind and is as environmentally friendly as possible. A completely innovative and upgraded watch. Two significant positive developments for the brand and the watchmaking industry.
From design projects to commercialized objects
Always keep your promises…
The brand had promised to move quickly from concept to marketing. In June 2022, a diver’s watch made from recycled fishing nets will be the first sustainable luxury watch to hit the market in a limited edition of 200 pieces. It confirms the global upcycling trend that the luxury industry has already adopted by the high fashion industry. The goal is to raise awareness through “trade-ins” and recycled materials, especially plastics. With this web regeneration movement, Ulysse Nardin is finally making the transition to a circular economy. Thanks to the work of the French start-up FIL&FAB, the brand has thus focused on “less noble” materials enhanced by the method of the “100% Manufacture” watchmaker,
Features of the watch
The designers of Ulysse Nardin have meticulously decorated this watch, which is water-resistant to 300 meters and embellished with bright green, a reflection of nature. These are everywhere: from the stitching on the strap to the hour markers and bezel, including the “Double X” logo on the dial, the power reserve indicator at noon, the small seconds at 6 o’clock, the etched Ulysse Nardin logo on the crown, Crown protector and separate bridge. The combination of white, grey and black completes the watch’s palette, echoing the rhythm of the Manufacture’s signature movement, UN-118, which uses silicon technology.
95% of the components of this movement are sourced within a 30km radius of the watchmaking factory, half of which come from recycled sources (especially recycled steel and brass: 100% of Ulysse Nardin’s movements use recycled brass). The OCEAN RACE DIVER embodies innovation and tradition as its movement retains its historic know-how. The movement of a watch of this quality is inherently a sustainable product because it relies on the power of the wrist to work.
The dial is softer than the DIVER NET concept, even if it still has obvious parenthood: the white U and N initials in the oversized capitals have disappeared to make way for a neutral textured anthracite (ruthenium) finish. The iconic double X remains In its place, it is printed on the dial in a semi-matte, semi-satin finish. The sapphire crystal on the caseback features the white logo of brand partner The Ocean Race.
Border trim in Carbonium® design
The unidirectional bezel is completely decorated with Carbonium® (Lavoisier composite). Carbonium® is made from the same fibers used in the fuselage and wings of the latest generation of aircraft. Carbonium® is manufactured with a 40% lower environmental impact than other carbon composite materials because it utilizes offcuts from aircraft parts. Made using a complex process at high temperature and pressure, Carbonium® is a high-performance material that reveals the inherent beauty of organic patterns formed from carbon fibers as small as 7 µm in diameter. The use of this recycled material once again clearly underlines the brand’s bold and innovative spirit. In fact, Ulysse Nardin 2019 is the first watchmaking brand to use this new material in a fake watches for sale.
The case is designed with two main materials: Nylo® + Carbonium® (60% + 40%) and at least 80-85% recycled steel
The side case and case back of the 44mm THE OCEAN RACE DIVER are the result of an interesting combination of materials: 40% Carbonium® (Lavoisier composite) and 60% polyamide, Nylo® (FIL&FAB), recycled from fishing nets. Ulysse Nardin trusts the young Breton designers who created the first fishing net recycling business in France. FIL&FAB, a start-up in the field of industrial design and transformation, recycles discarded fishing nets in French fishing ports and recycles them in the form of polyamide pellets called Nylo®.
Building on this virtuous cycle of 360° circular escalation, Ulysse Nardin’s engineering office team took their eco-responsible approach a step further and opted for a recycled steel for some of the case components, at least for the case back. 80% is recycled. The brand’s supplier, Voestalpine Boehler’s renowned Austrian steel mill, has embarked on a process of comprehensive sustainable transformation and is actively committed to supplying watchmaking customers with very high-quality steel, guaranteed recycling, and soon guaranteed upcycling. As a result, 80% to 85% of the steel that is partially trimmed in THE OCEAN RACE DIVER is recycled from steel recycling channels in the automotive industry.
