Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Well, that’s a mouthful to start with! :D

Back story (Thanks, Neil, for pointing that out).

And thanks to everyone for the kind comments on NCWOTD thread. It arrived at work late this morning so I thought I would slip in a quick photo.

Now first off, and apologies to Lindsey here, I have made plenty of loud and unpleasant noises about white dials with white hands. This one gets away with it, because the dial is actually silver and the hands are a pale yellow (think JLC Geophysic) with distinctive black edging – so it’s very legible.

The guilloché dial is rather lovely. Very nice applied and raised indices, with little lume pips for the 5 minutes. The watch is over 20 years old, so I doubt whether the lume will be particularly effective.
4779965B-B558-4E09-A736-C19037C3018F.jpeg
The GMT +/- comes from a nifty bit of horological engineering. It is a true GMT in that it has an independent hour hand. This can be altered in one hour increments either way by means of the two pushes on the left-hand side of the dial. Home time remains unaltered in the window at 9.00 and simply moves like a jumping hour. The Grande Date is altered from the crown and can be altered either forwards or backwards. So all three mechanisms are independently changeable but of course they all move together.

498E61F2-F3C0-4323-86A2-2B3B01ADF747.jpeg
It came sized perfectly for my wrist, and the bracelet is rather lovely. It has a butterfly clasp with the Ulysse Nardin anchor on three of the links. It is less chunky than my other bracelets and feels very light on the wrist.

A29C30CB-A2C3-4698-B667-9052D510A0F8.jpeg
1CF339DC-CD56-4D69-91CD-7F1C759489BF.jpeg
The screw down crown has a lovely little insert in blue enamel (I think), again with the signature anchor on it.

A2AEA93B-183E-4425-9CFE-54149B52F6F1.jpeg
On the case back there is the lion of San Marco (think Venice here!) actually, wouldn’t this be a lovely watch for strolling around the Rialto, the Lido and Iesolo?

CAB4B98F-87C6-4982-92E1-FCFDFC64AE90.jpeg
So, just a few Q&D pictures to be going on with. I’ll get the camera out at the weekend and hopefully get some better ones and write a fuller review with a bit of brand history. Suffice to say that I’m very impressed and feeling rather pleased with myself; I’m now going to sip a couple of glasses of chilled Chardonnay.
Steve
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by missF »

No apologies necessary! :lol:
I think it's a gorgeous watch. Very cool. Slightly left field. I love big dates anyway so that's a given. The GMT mechanism is very funky. I don't have enough superlatives! Great pick up :thumbup:
watching you fail in your quest for a “one watch” has been great entertainment
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

^^^Thank you!
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

That's gorgeous Steve. Very left field and oozing class.

A fitting addition to your collection and a great companion for your Speedy, Tank and MeisterSinger.

Guy

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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by iain »

So you went from “No more watches” to “lets’s see what’s out there” to “Ooooo I like that!” to “BUY BUY BUY!!!” in a couple of weeks. I’m sure there’s a word for that, but this probably isn’t the thread for it.....

Something very different to to usual suspects, which is something I’m inclined to do myself. Looks a great pick up, enjoy wearing it.
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Bident »

Congrats Steve!
Best regards,
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Thunder1 »

Many a Watch God raise their ale filled gourds in salute to your fine a** pick-up..I'm a big fan of Big Dates and your UN executes that look very nicely.. :thumbup:
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Thegreyman »

Congratulations Steve, that is a fine and individual looking watch. I do like the dual windows for home time & date, the guilloche dial, the bracelet. Superb!
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by StrapMeister »

Congratulations Steve :clap:
That's a lovely retro vintage vibe (imo) watch from a brand that you don't see very often.
I love it :fondof:
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by downer »

You can see the quality of this watch in every picture. That quality, combined with an incredibly useful complication, will make for a fine long-term companion.

Congratulations on a terrific acquisition.
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Kip »

Congratulations Steve! A spectacular pick up!
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Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by gaf1958 »

As we say down under; there are no files on you! *

Lovely looking watch Steve, I’ve seen them for sale from time to time - I have a standing search that includes them, but they only show up occasionally (locally). I do very much like it on the bracelet; it sets it off nicely and imo it looks much better than examples I’ve seen on leather straps. Well done on this gem.

* I thought I should explain this one for other readers; it’s an Australian saying meaning that you act (move) so quickly that there’s no time for the flies to settle on you. You went from “hmm, I like that” to “here’s a pic of mine” in no time flat.
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by 0uatiOW »

Congratulations on an interesting & usual addition. I’m rather partial to GMTs myself.

This looks like a very tidy example. The waffle dial shows fine detail, the home time feature is supremely practical, the big date wonderfully legible for older gentlemen, and the sharpest of sharp hands (an often overlooked feature). All from a brand with a rich travelling heritage. Well done.
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by ajax87 »

I love this watch. What a great pickup!
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Re: Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT +/- Big Date

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Thanks, as ever, for taking the time to add such lovely comments. To answer a few...
iain wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:25 pm So you went from “No more watches” to “lets’s see what’s out there” to “Ooooo I like that!” to “BUY BUY BUY!!!” in a couple of weeks. I’m sure there’s a word for that, but this probably isn’t the thread for it.....
gaf1958 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:07 am As we say down under; there are no files on you! *

* I thought I should explain this one for other readers; it’s an Australian saying meaning that you act (move) so quickly that there’s no time for the flies to settle on you. You went from “hmm, I like that” to “here’s a pic of mine” in no time flat. Image
You noticed! Sometimes my purchases are a little more studied, but sometimes you react instinctively. :D
downer wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:59 pm You can see the quality of this watch in every picture. That quality, combined with an incredibly useful complication, will make for a fine long-term companion.
Except in water! It's in fantastic condition, but dates to c. 1999. And the quality stands out even more when you handle and wear it.
Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:21 pm That's gorgeous Steve. Very left field and oozing class.
A fitting addition to your collection and a great companion for your Speedy, Tank and MeisterSinger.
:thumbup: Thank you, Guy, for being on the end of a few PMs when I was making my mind up. It's good to bounce ideas off people you know well and trust.
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
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