The Life of a Watch Enthusiast YS: "I have a Ulysse Nardin UFO in my living space and enjoy it every day."

"There's no consistency in my collection," says YS, but looking at the many watches he showed me, I sense a common thread. Y says, "I like strange things." Indeed, many of his watches have unique designs and mechanisms. The ultimate example is Ulysse Nardin's latest creation, the "UFO," which is full of surprises and looks like a mysterious object that has flown in from the future.

"A watch that is mechanically interesting and a little 'quirky' makes every day more enjoyable."

　This is a quiet residential area in Shonan. As you enter the property through the impressive gate, you'll see crimson sports cars and powerful luxury cars. He must be a serious car enthusiast. Is he the perfect example of a car and watch enthusiast? It sounds like we'll hear some interesting stories.

　The first thing that surprised me when I met Mr. Y was the Ulysse Nardin "UFO" that he recently acquired. This unusually shaped table clock, housed in a dome-shaped glass case, was developed by the company to commemorate its 175th anniversary and was released in the spring of 2021. As symbolized by the meaningful name "UFO," this unprecedented clock is not just a modern reproduction of the company's traditional marine chronometer, but, according to the brand, anticipates a 175-year leap into the future. Limited to 75 pieces, is this watch likely the only one in Japan that Mr. Y owns?

"There was information about it before the announcement, and I knew I had to get hold of it."

　When asked why, he simply replied, "Because it's interesting." It was rare to see a watch enthusiast respond so straightforwardly and without any pretense: "It's interesting." Mr. Y's criteria for evaluating watches is whether they are "interesting" as a machine, just like a car. The "UFO," with its unprecedented design and bizarre mechanisms, is full of fascinating mechanisms, so it was no wonder that it captured the heart of Mr. Y, who considers himself an avid machine enthusiast.

"You can see all the intricate gear mechanisms that drive the time display across the three dials. There's no other watch like it. Rather than keeping it in a box, I keep it in my living space and enjoy it every day. I never get bored of looking at it."

　In addition to his mechanical fascination, what's striking about Mr. Y's story is his fascination with "strange" things. Rather than being eccentric or unusual, I sense that his "strangeness" comes from his originality, from setting himself apart from the crowd and following his own path with a consistent philosophy. He also owns a Ulysse Nardin watch called the "Blast Freewheel," a tricky movement whose various gears are seemingly scattered randomly, making it impossible to understand how it works.

"Unfortunately, it's not here today, but this watch, which you can see inside, is extremely fascinating," says Y, again commenting on the fascinating nature of the machine. The more you look at it, the more you are drawn into a mysterious, other-dimensional world with this tourbillon's magical power, and the same is true for the "UFO." Incidentally, the classic Corum "Golden Bridge," which I also recently acquired, is a truly fun and interesting watch with its movement mechanism exposed, but it also shares a commonality in that it has a "weird" personality.

　Among today's luxury Swiss watches, none other than Ulysse Nardin is boldly pursuing this theme. In fact, the watches from this brand in Mr. Y's collection include the Freak, which combines a futuristic design with a carousel mechanism, the Classico Sonata, an innovative alarm watch, the Quadrato, which features an original GMT function, and the Michelangelo, which has an elegant tonneau case, all of which are unique and distinctive.

"Ulysse Nardin watches are well-made and utilize extremely high-level technology, but they're not exorbitantly expensive, which is great," he praises. Mr. Y also values ​​the feel of the watch on the wrist, adding that the smooth lug shape of the Ulysse Nardin case is wonderful.

　Now in his early 40s, there wasn't any particular reason why he became interested in watches; when he was younger, he just felt uneasy if he wasn't wearing a watch, or something like that. For about 20 years, Mr. Y has been wearing the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Turn-O-Graph on a daily basis. However, this Oyster Perpetual Datejust Turn-O-Graph is a little different from the usual favorites of Rolex enthusiasts; it seems to be positioned as a convenient watch that can be used both on and off the job.

"In the past, when people thought of a watch enthusiast, they had a strong image of someone who had a complete collection of Rolex watches. But I was different. As I got older, I gradually became more of a watch lover and started collecting attractive models. I'm not particularly picky about brands," he recalls.

　He continued, "I often wear watches like this. They come in handy when I go to the beach. They're high quality and well made for the price," and took out a well-worn Oris diver's watch, the Oris Aquis Date. In stark contrast to the UFO he first saw, this extremely practical watch is also an important part of Mr. Y's collection.

"This is about a quarter of my collection. There's no sense of unity, is there?" says Mr. Y modestly, but rather than focusing on uniformity, one style is to collect things you like and find enjoyment in actually using them. As people get older, their tastes tend to settle into standard and authentic things, but Mr. Y, who is always seeking "interesting" and is inspired by the "unusual," must be constantly curious. Perhaps it's the same with the cars he owns, with over 17 of them?