Ulysse Nardin Diver Air: World’s Lightest Mechanical Dive Watch
In the previous two editions of Watches and Wonders Geneva (WWG), Ulysse Nardin brought just one watch to the party. That watch was the Freak, in various forms, and the idea was to focus the world’s attention on just the one watch. In the case of the Freak, this made a lot of sense, and we told the top brass at Ulysse Nardin so; the Freak needs time to grow on a collector and the model should be far more successful than it is. This year, Ulysse Nardin switches gears with the watch models but it maintains the ‘one watch at a time,’ strategy. The Ulysse Nardin Diver Air, or as the brand has it Diver (Air) is basically the brand’s take on a skeletonised diver’s watch, paired with ultra-light materials, resulting in a record-breaking, world’s lightest mechanical dive watch.
This perhaps is a thrilling space for Ulysse Nardin to play in because usually records broken when it comes to diving watches always relate to depth; nobody is even looking at weight. Additionally, the contrast between the chunkiness of a dive watch versus the Diver Air’s supreme lightness is sure to surprise anyone who picks it up. And perhaps the third reason this is good for Ulysse Nardin is that alongside its Freak series, the diver collection tends to fall to the wayside and this new watch is the talking point the collection needs.
At just 52g in weight, this thing is just ultralight. The brand spared no expense to cut weight for the watch, incorporating titanium not just in the case but in the components of the movement as well. We were even told that the fabric strap paired with the watch was a result of a collaboration between Ulysse Nardin and suppliers who make lightweight wear for top-level athletes.
The most obvious way they have cut all that mass is by skeletonizing the movement to an insane degree. Bridges are cut to the bare minimum and even then hollowed out to reduce weight. The result is the space inside the watch consisting of 80% air and only 20% material. Now the last question to ask is that at 52g, will its weight completely disappear underwater considering the amount of air and its buoyant nature?
This story was first seen as part of the WOW #79 Summer 2025 Issue
For more on the latest in luxury watch reads, click here.
The post Ulysse Nardin Diver Air: World’s Lightest Mechanical Dive Watch appeared first on LUXUO.
