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Lot Essay
The extraordinary Ulysse Nardin 'Trilogy of Time' set is arguably the ultimate neo-vintage collection. These three remarkable, completely original, and highly complicated astronomical wristwatches draw direct inspiration from historic scientific instruments and the great astronomers and innovators of history.
The three wristwatches of the Trilogy - the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, the Planetarium-Copernicus, and the Tellurium Johannes Kepler - were conceived and developed by Rolf Schnyder, owner and CEO of Ulysse Nardin, and the genius horologist Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, now the curator of the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds. As collectors increasingly focus on neo-vintage wristwatches from the 1980s and '90s, impressive and complicated models like these are being rediscovered and recognized as some of the most innovative wristwatches created in the last quarter of the 20th century.
Astrolabium Galileo Galilei
An Astrolabe is an instrument used to indicate the positions of the sun, moon, and stars as seen from the earth. The Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, launched in 1985, is the only astrolabe watch designed to be worn on the wrist, and shows the wearer a number of accurate astronomical indications. They include the display of local and solar time, the orbits and eclipses of the sun and the moon and the positions of several major stars. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), after developing the telescope, found evidence to support Copernicus' theory. He discovered Jupiter’s four moons, Galilean satellites, that orbit the planet and this, along with other discoveries, became evidence supporting Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory.
Planetarium Copernicus
Launched in 1988, the Planetarium Copernicus combines Ptolemy's geocentric universe with the Earth at its centre and Copernicus' heliocentric universe with the Sun at its centre. This allows the reading of the astronomical positions of the planets in relation to the Sun and the Earth. The moon rotates around the Earth. A perpetual calendar indicating the months and the sign of the Zodiac rotates once in 365.24 days at the exterior. During the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) refused to believe the geocentric theory of the solar system and demonstrated that the Sun must be at the centre of the solar system and that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Tellerium Johannes Kepler
Introduced in 1992 and the last of the three great watches in the Trilogy of Time, the Tellurium indicates the relative position of the Earth in regards to the Moon and the Sun. The Earth is represented on the dial in beautiful blue and polychrome cloisonné enamel. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) developed the laws of planetary motion confirming Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory. He was a key player in the 17th century scientific revolution.
The three wristwatches of the Trilogy - the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, the Planetarium-Copernicus, and the Tellurium Johannes Kepler - were conceived and developed by Rolf Schnyder, owner and CEO of Ulysse Nardin, and the genius horologist Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, now the curator of the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds. As collectors increasingly focus on neo-vintage wristwatches from the 1980s and '90s, impressive and complicated models like these are being rediscovered and recognized as some of the most innovative wristwatches created in the last quarter of the 20th century.
Astrolabium Galileo Galilei
An Astrolabe is an instrument used to indicate the positions of the sun, moon, and stars as seen from the earth. The Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, launched in 1985, is the only astrolabe watch designed to be worn on the wrist, and shows the wearer a number of accurate astronomical indications. They include the display of local and solar time, the orbits and eclipses of the sun and the moon and the positions of several major stars. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), after developing the telescope, found evidence to support Copernicus' theory. He discovered Jupiter’s four moons, Galilean satellites, that orbit the planet and this, along with other discoveries, became evidence supporting Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory.
Planetarium Copernicus
Launched in 1988, the Planetarium Copernicus combines Ptolemy's geocentric universe with the Earth at its centre and Copernicus' heliocentric universe with the Sun at its centre. This allows the reading of the astronomical positions of the planets in relation to the Sun and the Earth. The moon rotates around the Earth. A perpetual calendar indicating the months and the sign of the Zodiac rotates once in 365.24 days at the exterior. During the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) refused to believe the geocentric theory of the solar system and demonstrated that the Sun must be at the centre of the solar system and that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Tellerium Johannes Kepler
Introduced in 1992 and the last of the three great watches in the Trilogy of Time, the Tellurium indicates the relative position of the Earth in regards to the Moon and the Sun. The Earth is represented on the dial in beautiful blue and polychrome cloisonné enamel. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) developed the laws of planetary motion confirming Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory. He was a key player in the 17th century scientific revolution.