The movement is clearly sandwiched between two sapphire crystals so that you can examine it richly from both sides. That also means that you get to examine your wrist right through the watch. Watches like this are for people who love their own skin, or want a cool watch movement-style set of tan lines. The UN-170 movement operates at 18,000 bph which is on the slower side and more akin to old pocket watch movements. Ulysse Nardin includes something lovely like a silicon escapement that helps with accuracy, but it would have been nice to see the watch operate at or closer to 28,800 bph. Having said that, sometimes a slower movement is “better” when trying to examine the “movement” of the movement better.
As noted above, the case of the Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture is 44mm wide and Ulysse Nardin will offer it in both 18k rose gold and platinum (sorry, no steel). The case is round and traditional in design, but the larger diameter makes it a modern feeling timepiece. Personally I felt quite fantastic with it on the wrist. When it comes to a watch with a movement that is meant to be seen, you want it to be as large as possible, and Ulysse Nardin very infrequently lets you down in this area. I like how the flange ring has hour indicators on it so that you can read the time more easily.
The dial is (quite literally) topped off with blued steel hands, which mark the final classic touch of this timepieces. Oh, and it is worth mentioning that the color of the movement is slightly different on the platinum and rose gold version of the watch. Compared with the darker rhodium finishing of the 18k rose/red gold version’s (ref. 1702-129) movement, the platinum version (ref. 1709-129) as a lighter movement metal color to better match the platinum case material.
Ulysse Nardin offers something truly special here with the Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture in terms of a complicated and beautiful, yet modern-sized dress watch. This is of course in contrast to the more diminutive Classico watch collection. Nevertheless, for me, Ulysse Nardin is gonna always be the more wild and experimental luxury type of watches that only an independent watchmaker would release (e.g. Freak, Moonstruck, etc..). The Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture watch will be limited to just 99 pieces in each of the two case materials. Price is $75,000 in 18k rose gold and $85,000 in platinum. ulysse-nardin.com
