8025Σ
Ulysse Nardin
Ref. 749-80
Circus Minute Repeater
A whimsical, incredibly fine and rare limited edition platinum minute repeating automata wristwatch with onyx dial, small seconds and presentation box, numbered 12 of a limited edition of 30 pieces
- Estimate
- HK$400,000 - 800,000€47,300 - 94,600$51,300 - 103,000
HK$698,500
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Ulysse Nardin
- Year
- Circa 2005
- Reference No
- 749-80
- Case No
- 12/30
- Model Name
- Circus Minute Repeater
- Material
- Platinum
- Calibre
- Manual, cal. UN-74, 32 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Crocodile
- Clasp/Buckle
- Platinum Ulysse Nardin deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 42mm diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Ulysse Nardin fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
- In 1983, Rolf Schnyder acquired the esteemed Ulysse Nardin manufacture, transforming the storied brand into a leading innovator alongside the ingenious watchmaker/philosopher/poet extraordinaire, Ludwig Oechslin. Together they crafted remarkable wristwatches with ingenious complications once considered exclusive to pocket watches and clocks, their whimsical creations astounding the watch world. The present Circus Minute Repeater encapsulates this inventive spirit with captivating charm.
- Housed within a 42mm platinum case, the dial steals the show by bringing the circus to life through a magical menagerie of chiming automatons. Hand-carved in luminous 18K white gold, the circus performers include a playful monkey attempting to snatch balls juggled by a clown, a prowling tiger and its trainer wielding a whip, and a dancing bear twirling with a ballerina. In synchronized choreography with the minute repeater's enchanting chime sequence, each exquisitely detailed figure performs in harmony, indicating the hours, quarters, and minutes on command.
- Powered by Ulysse Nardin's manually wound cal. UN-74, the watch can chime the time for up to 36 hours when fully wound. With only 30 limited editions made, this remarkable example dazzles as number 12. Offered in excellent overall condition, this Circus Minute Repeater is an inspired masterpiece of automata timepieces that epitomizes Ulysse Nardin's creativity and whimsical ingenuity.
- Housed within a 42mm platinum case, the dial steals the show by bringing the circus to life through a magical menagerie of chiming automatons. Hand-carved in luminous 18K white gold, the circus performers include a playful monkey attempting to snatch balls juggled by a clown, a prowling tiger and its trainer wielding a whip, and a dancing bear twirling with a ballerina. In synchronized choreography with the minute repeater's enchanting chime sequence, each exquisitely detailed figure performs in harmony, indicating the hours, quarters, and minutes on command.
- Powered by Ulysse Nardin's manually wound cal. UN-74, the watch can chime the time for up to 36 hours when fully wound. With only 30 limited editions made, this remarkable example dazzles as number 12. Offered in excellent overall condition, this Circus Minute Repeater is an inspired masterpiece of automata timepieces that epitomizes Ulysse Nardin's creativity and whimsical ingenuity.
Ulysse Nardin
Swiss | 1846Founded in 1846 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Ulysse Nardin is a widely acclaimed Swiss watch manufacturer that earned recognition for its precision chronometers during the early to mid-twentieth century. Ulysse Nardin himself was a trained watchmaker under the guidance of his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, as well as master watchmakers Frederic William Dubois and Louis Jean Richard-dit-Bressel. Collectors in particular seek this brand's oversized vintage chronograph wristwatches, including the reference 7536-2.
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