A diver in it's own lane! The Ulysse Nardin Diver Air
As if a trip to Jura wasn’t enough, UN have kindly let me get my geeky little mitts on their latest and greatest dive watch, the Diver Air, and let me get this out out the way immediately - I LOVE IT.
I first laid eyes on it when it was released at watches and wonders earlier this year and was already pretty excited about it, but having had the chance to wear this thing, it’s phenomenal, and with good reason.
This is the worlds lightest dive watch weighing in at 51.5 grams including the strap.
To put that into real terms, its a 44m fully functioning 200m water resitant diver, that weighs about the same as a kiwi, or a medium sized egg.
That is insane.
It is also a masterclass in ingenuity, and responsible manufacture as the majority of the watch is made using recycled materials.
The case is a product of UN working with several cutting edge companies to create something really special. It is a mix of titanium, carbon fiber, and a composite called Nylo-foil.
A leading titanium production company called TiFast recycled titanium tht originated from the Swiss biomedical industry, and Thyssenkrup, an automotive and marine engineering company had the job of thermally treating and strengthening the material so that it was tougher than nails and perfectly suited to diving application.
This was used to make the “bones” of the case, caseback, and movement baseplate and bridges etc.
The rest of the case is created using “Nylo-foil” which is a super lightweight carbon composite which is 60% recycled polymer from fishing nets, and 40% recycled carbon fibre from sailing boats.
Topping the case, is a 100% recycled carbon fibre bezel, once again reclaimed from the sailing industry.
The level of detail and eco-awareness going on here is just fantastic from UN, but it doesnt stop there, why would it?!
The elasticated strap, which is both a glorious zesty bright orange and so light that you completely forget about it is manufactured in its entirety from recycled fishing nets.
It’s adjusted using velcro so you can get a perfect fit, and is quite possibly one of the most comfortable straps ive ever worn.
If orange isn’t your cup of tea, it also comes with an infinitely calmer white one as part of the package.
The case and strap aren’t the only components to get the super-light treatment though.
The movement is the real gem of engineering here.
it has been skeletonised to the extent that 80% of the internal case is “Air” and it weighs a mind-bending 5 grams - to put that into context, that’s the weight of a teaspoon of water - minus the spoon.
Everything has been stripped back, strengthened, and clarified to the point that even the mainspring is “flying” as UN have done away with its bridges to shave off milligrams.
The escapement and hairspring are ultralight silicone, and while this seems almost “normal” in watchmaking these days - it was UN that pioneered the use of silicone in the 2001 release of the Freak, so this is entirely their jam and its no surprise that this skinny little unit provides a bonkers 90 hour power reserve.
Traditionally openworked movements arent *the most* legible at a glance, but thick blackened hands with two wide strips of superluminova on each compensate for the skeletonisation really well.
It’s not as legible as a Pilot, obviously, but you have to make some sacrifices when pushing boundaries, and I’d say that this was one of the easiest to read skeletons I’ve seen in a long time, I dont think ive had to look twice yet.
As a package, this is a watch that just brings joy.
It’s innovative, its crazy comfortable, responsibly manufactured, completely different, and at the moment its a record holder.
Whats not to love?
I’ve REALLY enjoyed wearing this watch, and I really don’t want to give it back, but I dont think theyre gonna let me steal it.