With a focus on "listening to the time," Ulysse Nardin has announced the Blast Hour Striker, an evolved striking mechanism. Through its second collaboration with audio brand Devialet, the brand has achieved the highest level of performance to date in terms of both sound quality and volume.
Another collaboration with Devialet
As a new addition to its 2021 Watches & Wonders (W&W) collection, Ulysse Nardin has announced the Blast Hour Striker, a striking watch that takes sound creation seriously.
This watch is equipped with the new Cal. UN-621 movement, developed from scratch based on the know-how of striking watches, a specialty of Ulysse Nardin since the 1980s. In addition to the hour-striking mechanism that automatically strikes a gong every hour on the hour and every 30 minutes, it can also be activated on demand by pressing the button at 10 o'clock. Automatic winding (Cal. UN-621). 23 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 60 hours. 18KRG (diameter 45mm). Water resistant to 30m. Price: 12,628,000 yen (tax included).
This piece, which focuses on "listening" to the time rather than reading it, originates from medieval Europe, when the time was announced by the sound of bells. Throughout the evolution from large clock towers to desk clocks and then wristwatches, time itself has always been accompanied by sound. Inspired by this history, Ulysse Nardin has once again turned to "sound."
Having revived the development of striking mechanisms since the 1980s, the company broke new ground in 2019 with the launch of the Hour Striker Phantom. In collaboration with Devialet, a French audio brand that produces high-end speakers and earphones, the company successfully developed an entirely new striking mechanism. The technology developed in the previous model has been improved to deliver even greater acoustic performance.
A complex mechanism visible from the dial side
When developing the Blast Hour Striker, the company's engineering team set themselves two challenges: to place the chiming mechanism on the dial side, and to further improve the sound quality and volume. These goals were successfully achieved, resulting in the creation of the in-house caliber UN-621. It is no easy feat to make 330 components, which are usually located on the case back, function on the dial side. Additionally, the flying tourbillon located at 6 o'clock is the "X" shape that has become a symbol of Ulysse Nardin in recent years, and is equipped with a silicon escapement.
This timepiece's hour-striking mechanism automatically strikes the hours and 30 minutes. By pressing the button at 10 o'clock, a hammer visible through the opening strikes a gong designed to rotate around the tourbillon gauge. The gong support that supports the gong incorporates a Devialet sound amplification mechanism, so you can expect both volume and sound quality. The function can also be turned on and off by pressing the button at 8 o'clock.
(Right) The exterior of the Blast Hour Striker disassembled. The hour-striking mechanism, including the gong and hammer, can be seen on the dial side. An X-shaped opening in the case back allows access to the titanium membrane, just 0.3 mm thick, which is the core of the sound reinforcement system that amplifies the vibration of the gong.
Jean-Christophe Sabatier, Chief Product Officer at Ulysse Nardin, said, "Previous sounding technology did not allow for the leeway to make the dial openwork. This time, we developed the sounding mechanism from scratch, making the gongs and other sounding mechanisms visible from the dial side. Adding sounding mechanisms to a flying tourbillon was not a particularly difficult challenge. However, based on an existing caliber, about 50% of the parts were newly created for this watch, and the initial design stage of integrating the existing and new parts was difficult."
As for the volume, the watch takes inspiration from Devialet speakers and amplifies the vibrations of the gong by transmitting them to a 0.3mm-thick titanium membrane. However, instead of transmitting vibrations through the air, the vibrations are transmitted from the gong support via the transmission arm to the membrane on the outside of the waterproof gasket, ensuring water resistance of 30m.
Of particular note is the introduction of a new system that allows the sound quality to be adjusted by changing the vibration of the membrane by inserting or removing the membrane acoustic adjustment screw on the back cover without opening the back cover.
"What I want to emphasize most is not just the exploration of sound appreciation with the ears, but also the aesthetics of a new design that can be enjoyed with the eyes, and the comfort it provides when worn. While achieving all of this, we have maintained the same price range as conventional tourbillons."
Sabatier explains that all of these elements served as inspiration for this new work.
