Designing and developing new watches is not always as easy as it looks. They need to stay true to the DNA of the brand, yet at the same time also tantalize the senses of existing clients, and preferably some new ones as well. The DNA of Ulysse Nardin has always been very expressive, which has resulted in an instantly recognizable style. Their watches often take us in the uncharted territory of design, presenting us with models beyond our imagination, yet that feels like such an organic expansion of the existing collection. This is also the case with the Blast, the brands' latest creation that they just launched during the Geneva Watch Days.

'One More Wave' is a unique charity that helps wounded and disabled veterans with customized surfing equipment and connects them to a worldwide community of volunteers to catch some waves together and relish their therapeutic power. These surfboards are all handmade in the workshop of 'One More Wave' in San Diego, California. While these boards would typically cost $2,500 but are entirely free for the disabled and wounded veterans, the organization serves. They can do this thanks to volunteers, donations, sponsors, and partners like Ulysse Nardin and Watches of Switzerland.

For the first time in brand history, Ulysse Nardin has launched its e-commerce site for the US & UK, starting with the DIVER X NEMO POINT watch.

Haute Time held a special webinar this afternoon with Ulysse Nardin President of Americas François-Xavier Hotier, and retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief and Managing Director of non-profit One More Wave, Kyle Buckett. They engaged in a conversation about the value of time under current conditions and the relationship that has developed between the luxury brand and the non-profit organization that serves veterans.

Boiling hot or ice-cold? Whatever your preference, Ulysse Nardin is now offering both of these extremes in two new versions of their Freak X model. Introduced in 2019, the Freak X took the legacy of this extraordinary Ulysse Nardin collection to new heights by offering many of its highlights into a smaller and more affordable package. Fitted into a 43mm case, we find caliber UN-230. As always, with the Freak makes its carrousel-type movement the balance wheel an intricate part of telling time. Prominently placed on the dial side as part of the minute hand, is it quite the eyecatcher. For optimum performance, Ulysse Nardin made it out of silicon and fitted it with micro-blades and nickel flyweights for stabilization.

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 it a distinctly contemporary twist to it, using innovative materials and mixing them with extraordinary design.

Standing out in the competitive field of water-loving watches is quite a task these days. Nearly every brand has a watch in its collection that likes to get wet, all competing for the favor of the consumer. Many brands utilize tried and tested designs, often inspired by the icons in this category, but a few brands take a more original approach. The following four watches are most certainly making waves;

Color is serious business at Pantone and along with standardizing colors across the board, the company has also selected a “Color of the Year” since 2000. This year’s choice from Pantone is Classic Blue, “a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on” Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman notes.

Owners of the priced watches no longer have to keep a paper copy of their warranty. They will be able to access their digital warranty on their user account in the Ulysse Nardin website or on the blockchain. The blockchain's decentralized certification will make it impossible for the warranty to be lost or hacked.

Two or three hands that tell the time, sometimes with a date complication added to the mix; the majority of the watches produced these days follow this format. Nearly every brand has multiple models that follow this concept in their collection, which makes standing out, or even going a step further and making a mark on the industry, is challenging. The following four watches did, however, just that in 2019:

Ulysse Nardin has always had a very close connection to the world's oceans. This is evident from their Marine Chronometer, one of their signature timepieces, but also from their diving watches. That collection is now expended with three new chronograph models with among them the Diver Chronograph 44mm Hammerhead Shark, a limited edition of 300 pieces. The case of the watch is crafted from titanium and houses caliber UN-150. This automatic manufacture movement features the brand's signature silicium escapement and has a 48-hour power reserve. The dial, bezel and rubber strap are all in ocean blue, while distinct red details bring the watch in line with previous limited editions dedicated to the hammerhead shark. We also find an image of this magnificent beast engraved on the backside of the case.

The moon has always had a great attraction to humankind. So when the first clocks where developed, displaying the moon phase was among the first complications that where added. It went the same with the pocket watch, and even on the wristwatch, the moon phase indicator made an early entrance. The majority of these watches utilize a disc on which two moons are displayed and which is shown behind a window on the dial. But some watches are different and show the heavenly body closest to earth in its three-dimensional fashion.

Kering, the parent company of Swiss luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin, hosted the "Banquet sur la Banquise" (Banquet on the Ice Floe) gala at its headquarters in Paris's 7th arrondissement to celebrate the "Xploration" to come in 2020.

The 2019 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show sailed off into the sunset "majestically" as it crowned Majesty 140 as Best Of Show.

There is something extremely tricky about being a Swiss watch brand and using very progressive, close to experimental technology in the wristwatches that you actually sell to the public. Even when extensively tested, the technology can malfunction in the client's watch, and also when fixed, reputations are often damaged. Yet this didn't stop Ulysse Nardin from launching their 'Freak' model in 2001. It would be the first of a lineage of watches that is now close to two decades in the making. It was and still is, a watch in which Ulysse Nardin boldly brought cutting technology to the wrists of their fans.

Haute Living, with Ulysse Nardin, XO & Louis XIII raised over $100k for One More Wave—a nonprofit that helps disabled veterans.