Swiss 7750 Valjoux Kering Group Acquires 100% Of Ulysse Nardin Japanese Movement Replica
The trend of luxury groups taking over independent watch manufacturers continues, as the Kering Group (formerly known as PPR) announced today that it acquires 100% of the capital of Ulysse Nardin. The Kering Group is among the larger and more important luxury groups in the watch industry, as it comprises luxury brands such as Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Boucheron, and now, Ulysse Nardin.
The reason why Ulysse-Nardin was likely a clever addition – even if we are presently unaware of how much exactly the Le Locle based manufacturer was valued at – is that it is vertically integrated, being one of the few manufacturers in the Swiss watch industry with ample and high-tech capabilities when it comes to the manufacturing of escapement parts. It was just a few months ago that they announced their proprietary Anchor Escapement in silicon (which we discussed at length here).
The Kering Group has every reason to try and further develop the component manufacturing capacities of Ulysse Nardin Watches Pronunciation Replica and try and make it a supplier to its other, aforementioned watch brands. Interestingly, Ulysse Nardin has been one of the very first Swiss watchmakers to start experimenting with using silicon to craft escapement components (namely hairsprings and escape wheels), while Girard Perregaux – another Kering brand – has also made significant efforts in developing silicon components, with their Constant Escapement LM first coming to mind.
Ulysse Nardin has numerous strong collections and provocative, technically intriguing watches for us to discuss. In the innovative Freak set to complicated chiming watches, artistic dials, and much more, their Executive collection may get overlooked. The last time we covered a Ulysse Nardin Executive collection watch, in fact, was with the Executive Double Time reviewed here back in 2012. The Executive is characterized with a very contemporary and even slightly sporty case with triple-pronged lugs (necessitating proprietary straps), oversized Roman numerals at the compass points of the dial, along with also the flat rectangle in the center. The name – and all the Roman numerals, possibly – appears to suggest a conservative and business theme.If that the Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon is to be exploited by some kind of executive or CEO, but I imagine he would function as Richard Branson variety. The Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon was introduced in 2016, and this model increases the case’s size and provides it in blue – since it is still, apparently, the watch business’s current couleur du jour. The 2016 Executive Skeleton Tourbillon arrived in a 43mm titanium case with black highlights, along with the new Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Blue is 45mm wide with a great deal of blue, from the ceramic bezel and carbon fiber-patterned leather strap into elements of the dial along with movement.Visually, the plan of this Executive Skeleton Tourbillon dial is striking. UN has stripped down both the dial and the movement to create a three-dimensional appearance of negative space and architectural depth. A number of those cleverly designed dial elements support the movement while others don’t. The Roman numerals and central square are all separate components, and while we’re only looking at leaves and pictures in the brand for the time being, we can trust that the completing will be expertly executed.
How Kering will eventually integrate Ulysse Nardin into its present portfolio and what exact roles it will assign to it we do not yet know, but we are confident in that Ulysse Nardin will remain – and likely develop – as a strong, vertically integrated manufacturer. The deal, at this point, is also waiting for the approval of Swiss competition authorities and so the Kering Group said it expects to be able to seal the deal “during the second half of 2014”. What is for certain, however, is that the brand’s management will remain in place, with Patrick Hoffmann (whom Ariel interviewed last year at Baselworld) remaining as CEO of the company. ulysse-nardin.com
