Ulysse Classics: Hourstriker Phantom
Devialet, the French company that’s revolutionizing high definition audio with its luxury oval speakers, and the legendary watchmakers Ulysse Nardin have been working together to create a limited edition of 85 striking watches: an enhanced audible experience worn on the wrist.
By combining the strengths of their two Research and Development departments, the two brands have come together to create a unique sound experience in the form of one exceptional watch: the Hourstriker Phantom. The acoustic performance and sound quality make it an unparalleled striking watch in the watchmaking industry.
HEAR THE TIME
Before there was electric lighting, striking watches were originally conceived with the aim to ring on the hour in the dark and are the embodiment of a genuine dream. Since the 1980s, under the impetus of Rolf Schnyder, Ulysse Nardin is one of the first watchmakers to bring these timekeepers back to life.
Hand in hand, Devialet engineers, experts in distortion phenomena, collaborated with Ulysse Nardin's watchmakers specialized in sound to redefine each step in the audio signal chain sent from Ulysse Nardin's striking mechanisms to deliver the best performance ever recorded on a striking watch, 85 dB to 100mm.
Torsion arms system
With a classic striking mechanism, a hammer hits a timbre generating sound frequencies, when emitted, tells the time on command. However, in the Hourstriker Phantom, the heel of the timbre is fixed by a system of torsion arms that change the direction of the action forces induced by the timbre's vibrations. In a classic system, the forces produced are essentially in the watch's movement, which generates a small amount of air that is then displaced by the various components of the watch.
Thin membrane
With the Hourstriker Phantom, the action forces created by the timbre thus find their way outside of the watch itself. These forces are vigorously transferred using a transmission arm to a thin membrane, which is found on the bottom side of the watch. As the membrane has a large surface area, a large amount of air is displaced, which results in a high sound level. One could compare this to a loudspeaker and its cone and membrane.
85 decibels
The bottom side of the watch is perforated with eight openings under its membrane that allows the sound to travel and contains the UN-610 automatic manufacture movement. The result is stunning and all the sonic potential of this timepiece appears to be released, amplified, and enhanced. Its fully polished 43 mm titanium case also amplifies the sound and extends its resonance to 85 decibels, an unrivaled level of sound in the world of watchmaking.