Ulysse Nardin Teams Up With One More Wave for New Diver Chronometer

In honor of Veteran’s Day last week, Ulysse Nardin revealed a new Diver Chronometer done in collaboration with a group called One More Wave. The organization, which is based in San Diego, was founded by former Navy Seal Alex West with the goal of reducing veteran suicide rates by providing them access to surfing, as well other veterans within the group. One More Wave will create custom surfboards for combat veterans allowing them to hit the waves without skipping a beat (and in style to boot). The watch created with Ulysse Nardin celebrates this organization, and looks to bring a bit of exposure to their incredibly important goals. It just so happens to be a pretty cool diver as well. 

The Diver Chronometer is the second watch to celebrate the collaboration between Ulysse Nardin and One More Wave, with the first coming in their Diver Deep Dive guise. The Diver Chronometer 44 is a bit more approachable, with a 44mm black titanium case that gets a rather short lug design, so wearability is strong even at 44mm. This is also helped in part by the articulating link set in the middle of the 6 o’clock strap side that is unique to UN. I’ll admit it looks a bit odd, but it allows for the watch to sit flush on the wrist without being propped up by any stiff sections of the strap. That said, it’s a regular lug set up so swapping to a different option is an easy spring bar tool away.

The One More Wave edition gets a gray, black, and teal blue colorway that works well together. The teal is used sparsely and makes a big impact on the overall vibe of the watch, particularly in the hands against the rough shark skin texture of the base dial. The aesthetic is unique to Ulysse Nardin, and it feels thoroughly modern while not straying too far from the typical dive watch cues we expect to see. I’d say it finds a nice balance, but since it’s doing its own thing I expect the design to be somewhat divisive. 

The dial is symmetrical with a small seconds set at 6 o’clock with a rather interesting sub dial that itself gets an inset date aperture at its bottom. A power reserve indication is set at 12 o’clock, letting you know exactly where you are within the movements 60 hours of reserve. 

Ulysse Nardin may be a polarizing brand when it comes to their design language, but there’s one thing not up for debate, and that’s their manufacturing chops. They’ve done and continue to do some pretty incredible things when it comes to their movements, as showcased in their innovative Freak range of watches. The caliber 118 at use within this Diver Chronometer makes use of their silicium balance spring, and boasts a Diamonsil escape wheel and anchor. The date mechanism allows for setting both forward and backward, and when the hands are in range of midnight, the mechanism is stopped to prevent unintended damage to the movement. This is just scratching the surface of some of the cool things UN is doing from a manufacture perspective, so keep an eye out for a deeper dive into the tech side of things soon.

The real story with this watch, however, is the partnership with One More Wave. This is an organization that empowers veterans to find healing through surf therapy, and to date has worked with nearly 600 veterans since their founding in 2015. The group provides wounded and disabled veterans with customized surfing equipment and, just as importantly, a community to surf with. Read more about their mission right here, and find out how you can help them meet their goals right here. 

If you like the watch, you can snag one of the 100 planned for production from Ulysse Nardin for the price of $11,500.