Technical Architecture: Ulysse Nardin Skeleton X

Skeleton watches have a long and great tradition. Many brands have used this type of watch to highlight their craftsmanship and the beauty of the movements. This is also what Ulysse Nardin does with the Skeleton X, only they give a distinctly contemporary twist to it, using innovative materials and mixing them with extraordinary design.

While also available in rose gold, titanium, and titanium with a black DLC coating, is it the Carbonium Gold version that introduces a new material into the world of watchmaking. Carbonium is not only very light but also extremely strong. It is generally used in the world of aeronautics, where fuselages and wings are crafted from it. Ulysse Nardin doesn’t use it in the same form, but mixes in gold, creating an understated material with a lot of character.

What makes the Skeleton X also so exceptional is that the movement becomes part of the creation as a whole. Because of the way that Ulysse Nardin integrated the bridges into the dial design, it becomes a watch of harmony, with each element contributing to its unique appearance. Here we also find an innovative material as the balance wheel, and part of the gear train is crafted from silicium. Because this watch is skeletonized, it can be admired in full. The balance wheel is quite a sight, with its characteristic stabilizing micro-blades and nickel flyweights. The movement itself is manual wind and has a very generous power reserve of 96 hours, from a single mainspring barrel located at the twelve o’clock position.

Ulysse Nardin also didn’t forget the back of the Skeleton X. Here it becomes clear how very little metal keeps all the parts that makeup caliber UN-371 together. This also leads to the very pleasing conclusion that even though the Skeleton X is a watch with a very avant-garde design, it is created with old-school craftsmanship. This is also what makes this watch so tempting, as you get the best of the past in a future-focused watch.