The (Very) Bearable Lightness of the Ulysse Nardin Diver Air
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Watches and Wonders

Watches and Wonders: Ulysse Nardin's Diver [AIR] Sets a New Standard in Lightness

The watchmaker’s category-stretching timepiece breaks new ground in the elevated sport watch world by diving (pun intended) into the brand’s inventive use of technology and floating into its signature approach to visibility.

By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor

There’s an Italian term used in the performance car world to refer to production vehicles that have been stripped of weight without compromising luxury: Superleggera, or “super light.” Given the Le Locle-based watchmaker Ulysse Nardin’s focus on performance, engineering, and technology, I think that phrase is particularly apt in describing the new Diver Air.

Wait, Diver Air? Isn’t this something of a mixed elemental metaphor? Yes and no:

The new watch is based on Ulysse Nardin’s Diver collection DNA, and, according to the brand, it is, in fact, the world’s lightest (52 grams!) mechanical dive watch. However, you can think of the visually bold, featherweight timepiece as an all-around sport watch that opens new (and less-encumbered) possibilities on land and in the air as well.

Ocean Skeletons?

You can track some of the DNA leading to the new Diver Air from the recent Diver X Skeleton OPS from last year. However, with its Carbonium-cum-military spec vibe, that skeletonized timepiece felt less airy and less generalist; more like a sophisticated yet bad-ass dive watch. The new Diver Air is more of a colorful, technical, and gender-neutral statement.
 

So, while an even greater degree of skeletonization is a key ingredient of the technical success of the Diver [AIR] (which clocks in at about half the weight of the Ulysse Nardin Diver 44mm released in 2019), there’s more to the story: namely, movement innovation and materials.
 

Moving Light

The Diver [AIR] is powered by a brand-new highly technical calibre, the UN-374. Pulling materials from a movement to make it lighter is a fairly counterintuitive exercise for watchmakers; in general, a movement is improved and made stronger by adding more to it.
 

Here, material was shaved off the mainspring barrel, which was reconfigured into a “flying” arrangement to reduce the mass. Slenderizing bridges in a triangular form added even more resilience to the movement while reducing weight.
 

Despite the challenges of manipulating the notoriously tough material, the movement itself is crafted from titanium (generally watch movements are created with heavier, but easier to work, brass).
 

This thoughtful weight-cutting paid off in spades. The inside of the Dive [AIR] is 80 percent air and 20 percent movement materials, and yet the UN-374 can still withstand an impact of 5,000 grams. The maker’s real-world shock-testing backs up that toughness. In addition, stringent dive watch standards were not compromised, and automatic winding is retained as well as an impressive 90-hour power reserve.
 

Lighter Luggage

The 44mm case of the Diver [AIR] also received some material overhaul to subtract every possible gram of overall weight. Here, a modular case construction was adopted, consisting of titanium (90 percent recycled, in fact) and carbon fiber (more specifically the compound Nylo material created from 60 percent recovered ocean fishing nets and 40 percent carbon fiber – fun fact: the carbon portion of Nylo comes from recycled material from IMOCA racing boats.)
 

However, carbon fiber is not particularly waterproof (not a good look for a watch named “Diver’). To combat that, a recycled titanium middle case was used, granting the new timepiece a dive-worthy 200 meters of water resistance.
 

By Sea, By Air?

While ocean-awareness informs the Diver [AIR], you can cipher some of Ulysse Nardin’s intent of this watch by simply looking at the imagery supplied with the announcement details.
 

Yes, there are many dive-inspired images to review, but there’s also quite a few photographs that are inspired by sky diving. (In fact, Watchonista’s own Ashken Longet volunteered to prove her unrivaled bravery by attempting her first sky dive while wearing the Diver [AIR]! Here's the video.)
 

Pricing & Availability

Accompanied by two lightweight (under 6 grams each), interchangeable elasticized fabric straps in brilliant orange and super-clean white, the 44mm Diver [AIR] lists for $38,000 (w/o VAT). You can learn more at the Ulysse Nardin website.

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Introducing the world's lightest mechanical dive watch: the Diver [AIR]