Blue and rose gold or black DLC titanium: which Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon do you prefer?
Jamie WeissUlysse Nardin is a brand of extremes. On the one hand, they make very traditionally styled pieces, such as those found in their marine chronometer-inspired Marine collection or the minimal (and occasionally erotic) designs of the Classico collection. On the other hand – and perhaps what they’re best known for these days – they deal in avant-garde, high-tech creations, such as the famous Freak range or their modern Diver offerings. The Blast definitively belongs in the latter camp, offering large diameters and horological treats for the eyes, whether that’s contemporary takes on marquetry, astronomical instruments or impressive tourbillons, two of which we’ll examine in this article.
The case
As of publishing, there are eight different versions of the Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon, in a variety of case material and colour combinations, but today we’re going to look at two of the most emblematic models: one that’s quite sporty, and one that leans more dressy. The former features a case made entirely from black DLC titanium, while the latter’s case is primarily 18k rose gold with some titanium elements, such as its blue DLC titanium bezel.
Despite a somewhat intimidating 45mm diameter, the Blast Tourbillon is only 12.6mm thick, with its lugs creating a slight camber that nicely situates the watch on your wrist, flowing nicely into its integrated rubber strap.
In black DLC, it looks villainous and foreboding, like something Black Manta would wear. In rose gold, however, the deep brushing of its top surfaces combined with its dark blue accents gives it a highly royal appearance.
The dial
When it comes to talking about watches with skeletonised movements, it’s pretty hard to separate discussing the dial from discussing the movement, as they’re really one and the same. However, just before I dive into explaining why the Blast Tourbillon’s movement is so noteworthy, I’ll have a stab at talking about its dial aesthetics. The armatures of the movement form a rectangular letterbox shape in the centre of the dial, crisscrossed by an X-shaped structure: these harsh angles within a circular watch case create a striking look.
I appreciate the subtle differences in colouring and finishing between these two models, too. For the blue/gold model, these armatures are uniformly blue, with a gold rehaut, indices, hands and tourbillon plus a gold ring around the rotor gearing providing pops of contrast. In comparison, the black model adds hits of devilish red among its mostly murdered-out look, while blacking out movement elements such as the central rotor gear and stem mechanism that the blue/gold model leaves in bare metal.
These subtle differences speak to Ulysse Nardin’s attention to detail, differentiating the different colourways of the same watch in small yet meaningful ways. I also appreciate how legible both models remain. Some skeletonised watches either don’t go far enough in exposing their movements (or are technically not even skeletonised), while others sacrifice usability in favour of more dramatic openworking. UN has found a happy medium here.
The movement
So, let’s talk about the movement found in these two Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillons! It’s called the UN-172, and boasts a micro-rotor visible on the dial side at 12 o’clock and a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, which is highly anti-magnetic thanks to an escapement wheel, anchor, and balance spring all made from silicon, a material Ulysse Nardin is a pioneer in using. The Blast Tourbillon is actually the first Ulysse Nardin Skeleton model featuring an automatic tourbillon.
Ulysse Nardin often uses X-shaped motifs in their watches, and the X-shaped armatures of the movement are repeated in the UN-172’s tourbillon’s X-shaped cage, which is much more open than most tourbillons. Watching the purple silicon escapement wheel dance off-centre as the tourbillon rotates is a real treat, as is being able to see the rotor spin from the dial side. In general, it’s a very aesthetically pleasing movement.
The UN-172 also benefits from a weekend-proof 72-hour power reserve, although this comes at the expense of frequency, beating at a somewhat leisurely 2.5 Hz. However, I’d personally trade frequency for power reserve any day of the week.
The straps
Both of these variants of the Blast Tourbillon come mounted on integrated rubber straps, which have butterfly clasps made from titanium paired with case material-matching buckles. The blue/gold model’s strap has a velvet inlay on its upper side, while the black model can have either a wholly rubber strap with a hobnail upper texture (pictured in this article) or an upper with a black alligator leather inlay. I’m not a fan of pairing exotic leathers with rubber; counter-intuitively, it makes a watch look cheaper than it is, in my opinion at least.
The verdict
Ulysse Nardin does visually dramatic watchmaking better than most, but it takes something very special to go up against the Freak. Realistically, I think that’s what potential customers will be doing – they’ll be internally cross-shopping. Weirdly though, I think what the Blast Tourbillon offers is a more legible and conventional watch than a Freak, but doesn’t skimp on being visually impressive. It’s just a very cohesive design.
As for the blue/gold versus the black, I’d probably go for the former, as I think it’s just more eye-catching. However, I like how evil the black model looks too… And if neither is to your fancy, there are also plain titanium, ceramic and iced-out white gold versions available, among others. Call it a Blast wave…
Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon pricing and availability
The Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon range is available now from Ulysse Nardin retailers. Price: US$56,100, CHF 53,200, A$92,100 (black DLC titanium, red dial), US$67,300, CHF 63,800, A$110,300 (rose gold, blue dial)
| Brand | Ulysse Nardin |
| Model | Blast Tourbillon |
| Reference Number | 1723-400-3A/BLACK (black DLC titanium, red dial) 1725-400-3A/3A (rose gold, blue dial) |
| Case Dimensions | 45mm (D) x 12.6mm (T) x 54mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Black DLC titanium (1723-400-3A/BLACK) 18ct rose gold and titanium (1725-400-3A/3A) |
| Weight | 99.64 g (1723-400-3A/BLACK) 127.90 g (1725-400-3A/3A) |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Skeletonised |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Strap | Textured rubber, alligator leather upper (1723-400-3A/BLACK) Textured rubber, velvet upper (1725-400-3A/3A) |
| Movement | Calibre UN-172, in-house, micro-rotor automatic |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | US$56,100, CHF 53,200, A$92,100 (1723-400-3A/BLACK) US$67,300, CHF 63,800, A$110,300 (1725-400-3A/3A) |