It is a statement-making piece of a skeleton watch from Ulysse Nardin – nothing new there, in some sense, and yet the new Blast collection finds an identity of its own. The three-day automatic tourbillon movement is laid bare, but it is a component of rather than the main attraction of the Blast – other strong visual elements include the X motif on the dial which is accompanied by a prominent rectangular bridge, a coloured bezel, and lugs that have been deliberate faceted to resemble a stealth aircraft. A fun highlight of the movement is that its micro-rotor is positioned on the dial side, at 12 o’clock, which adds a point of symmetry across from the tourbillon.
At 45 mm, there will be no mistaking that Blast on the wrist. It is available in four two-tone models, the highlight of which is in rose gold (RM226,800) – this model sports a black case middle, bicolour tourbillon cage in rose gold and black PVD, and black ceramic bezel.