Ulysse Nardin Lights Up Dubai Watch Week with Unique Timepiece Created Especially for the Middle East

Luxury Swiss watchmaking company, Ulysse Nardin, took the glorious occasion of Dubai Watch Week to unveil an inimitable and elegant timepiece especially crafted for the Middle East. Among the timepieces on display at the brand’s special in-store exhibition, The Art of Time, Ulysse Nardin’s latest timepiece is a true homage to the Middle East and has been named ‘Classico Dunes.’ The exceptionality of Classico Dunes lies in its distinct dial which sports a Horse and a Falcon, two creatures that are extremely close to the hearts of the people of the Middle East. Held between the 18th and 22nd of October at the Dubai Mall, guests and visitors were invited to discover and experience the brand’s proficiency in the artistic skill of Enamel, predominantly Cloisonné and Champlevé.

For the occasion, the Ulysse Nardin boutique at the Dubai Mall was deployed with showcases carrying the timepieces, Classico Dunes included, and tripods with images of the brand’s Cloisonné know-how. The exterior of the boutique was decorated with a sticker on one side of the façade and animation on the showcases behind it. Ulysse Nardin boasts of a rich legacy in the diverse art of enamel, a skill that was fortified after the brand’s acquisition of famed specialist luxury watch Manufacture dial enameller Donzé Cadrans in 2011. The first to utilize novel materials and bring forth fresh design sensibility, enamel has been featured prominently in Ulysse Nardin’s beautiful collections over the past 25 years. The brand is expressly renowned in the artisan skills of Cloisonné Enamel and Champlevé Enamel among other types. 

Cloisonné Enamel

Cloisonné is an enameling technique in which the outline of the dial design is produced either on the dial itself, or on paper. Extremely fine strips of gold wire (no larger than a human hair) are hand bent and applied to the outline using two pliers. The individual cells that give the image detail, dimension and nuance are also formed by gold wire and placed within the outline. Colors are then picked out for each cell in order to create the cloister effect. Five layers of enamel are applied to the cloisonné dial. 

Champlevé Enamel

Champlevé is an enameling technique in which cells are carved with a chisel on the metal plate (dial), and filled with vitreous enamel. The piece is then fired until the enamel melts.