Ulysse Nardin Blast Skeleton X Rose Gold — Black Dial | Ref. 3716-260B/02

Skeleton X represents Ulysse Nardin's most direct statement of what silicon-based movement architecture makes possible when the constraints of conventional watchmaking are set aside entirely. The 42mm 18K rose gold case — warm, precious, its 5N alloy delivering the distinctively red-toned warmth that distinguishes Ulysse Nardin's gold from lesser alloys — contains Caliber UN-371, a manual-winding skeletonised movement whose architecture is almost entirely constructed from silicon components: balance wheel, escapement wheel, balance spring, and anchor are all executed in this advanced material. The result is a movement that is simultaneously lighter, stronger, and more magnetically resistant than any conventional lever-escapement architecture.

Calibrer UN-371's silicon construction is not merely a materials substitution but a fundamental rethinking of what a movement can look like when released from the constraints of metal fabrication tolerances. Silicon can be etched to geometries that no metal-cutting process can achieve, allowing movement designers to create structures of extraordinary delicacy and visual complexity that function with the precision of micro-engineering rather than the tolerances of traditional horology. The oversized oscillator — visible through the skeletonised dial and case back — swings with a visual authority that makes the movement's operation an aesthetic event rather than merely a mechanical one. Approximately 96 hours of power reserve from a manual-winding architecture reflects both the efficiency of the silicon escapement and the capacity of the mainspring barrel.

The black leather strap provides the darkest possible visual ground for the rose gold case — a pairing that maximises the warmth of the metal while preventing the ensemble from reading as excessively precious. The skeletonised black dial allows direct visual access to the UN-371's architectural drama: the silicon components, the decorated bridges, the oversized oscillator's arc all visible through the open dial plane. Sapphire crystal protects this visual theatre with clarity and anti-reflective treatment. Water resistance to 50 metres confirms that the Blast Skeleton X, despite its precious-metal construction, is built for active wear. For the collector drawn to the intersection of avant-garde engineering and luxury materials, this is a definitive Ulysse Nardin expression.