Hands-On With The Ulysse Nardin Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection — A Stylish Summer Sports Watch

In its Signature Collection, Wempe presents special limited editions of watches created in collaboration with the brands the renowned retailer sells. This collection already includes some good-looking special editions of famous watch models, such as the Breitling Navitimer. Now it is Ulysse Nardin’s turn with the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection.

Fitting the season, this exclusive edition of Ulysse Nardin’s Diver Net model features bright orange accents and a matching strap. Nacho and Jorg introduced the Azure and OPS editions of Ulysse Nardin’s divers, which differ greatly. The new Signature Collection edition impressively shows how versatile this model is. Wempe lent me the watch for an extended weekend so I could explore it in detail.

Orange, like a sunset in paradise

Jorg described many details of the Diver Net in his article on the OPS edition. Therefore, I will try not to repeat everything but concentrate on the differences and highlight some details that piqued my interest. Unlike the OPS edition in particular, on which one color dominates the whole watch, the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection comes in a combination of orange and black. While orange accents on the dial and the bezel jolly up the look of the watch head, the orange strap completes the package.

The texture of the black dial is hardly visible in most lighting conditions. When searching for something to illustrate the structure of this surface, the only fitting association that came to my mind was goosebumps. Thin orange lines discreetly outline the vertically brushed letter X across the dial’s center. The hour indexes at 1, 5, 6, 7, and 11 o’clock are printed to interfere with the X as little as possible, and the other hour indexes are applied.

The indexes and hour and minute hands show a moderate amount of blue lume in the dark. However, the orange-filled hands on the sub-dials do not light up. The unusual shape of the hour and minute hands with a polished rhodium-finished center line provides a surprisingly exact reading. Like Jorg, I find the date window integrated quite nicely into the small seconds sub-dial. The power reserve indicator at 12 is a practical feature for a dive watch as well. Thankfully, despite the many details on the dial, the readability is good.

To dive or not to dive

It’s common to hear that the deepest most dive watches will go is the bottom of a bathtub. Today, hardly anyone uses dive watches for diving. I, however, learned how to dive when dive computers were not yet commonplace. Back then, divers took a depth gauge, a decompression table, and a dive watch with them to ensure a safe dive. Therefore, for me, a dive watch is a diving instrument first and foremost, not a sportive fashion accessory. For this reason, it matters to me whether a dive watch is suitable as a diving instrument.

The Carbonium insert of the bezel of the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection provides an interesting and unusual view. However, the irregular marbled background impairs the readability of the markings. The numbers 0, 15, 30, and 45 on the bezel illuminate like the hour and minute hands. So, at least in darkness, the swirly Carbonium has no negative effect. When starting a dive, a diver will align the bezel’s zero position with the minute hand. During the dive, the current position of the minute hand indicates the elapsed dive time along the bezel. Using the numeral 0 as the index for the zero position is not optimal because no tip clearly shows the exact position. This inconvenience is even worse in combination with the useless 120 click positions of the bezel, which only complicate the setting procedure and increase the probability of a false reading.

The bezel does offer a good grip and produces bright, audible clicks when turning it. However, the ratchet is a little too smooth, and it’s easy to knock the bezel out of its precise position with a slight jolt.

Tying the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection to the wrist

The strap in vibrant orange completes the summer vibes of the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection. This rubber strap is very supple. The ceramic insert in the lower part of the strap carries the Wempe logo instead of the Ulysse Nardin signature as on the regular models. I like this detail. For those in the know, the Wempe logo is immediately recognizable, while for others, it appears like an abstract symbol. A black version of this strap with the same ceramic insert comes with the watch.

The special black screws on the outer sides of the case fasten the side parts made of a mix of Nylo and Carbonium to the steel core. Since the strap is held by common spring bars, it can be changed with a normal strap-changing tool. The signed butterfly clasp made of ceramic and titanium appears extremely delicate. I’d like to trust that Ulysse Nardin tested it to be appropriate for use on a sports watch. When closed, the folding clasp looks like a pin buckle. You open it by pressing the small round pushers at the base of the buckle part. This folding clasp never opened accidentally when I wore the watch.

The motor inside

The display back of the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection offers an attractive view of Ulysse Nardin’s caliber UN-118. As decoration, we find circular stripes on the bridges and perlage on the base plate. There are also some nice, broad bevels on the edges of the bridges and accentuated sinks for the jewels and screws. You can find blued screws along the rim of the movement and three of them to fasten the open-worked and vertically brushed rotor. The movement parts are not finished by hand, but that is not the aim of this movement. Even though it looks rather attractive and the rotor is designed to reveal most of it, the strength of the UN-118 lies in the materials used.

Ulysse Nardin was the first watch brand to establish silicon as a material for movement parts on an industrial level. The Freak not only became famous for its unique design but also for the application of silicon parts. In the UN-118, the anchor and escape wheel are made of DiamonSil, which is silicon coated with a thin layer of artificial diamond. The anticipated benefits of such a material include extremely precise and reproducible manufacturing, less wear, and less friction. An owner of a watch containing a movement including parts of such a material should experience longer service intervals. The hairspring is made of high-quality silicon, which is antimagnetic and relatively easy to produce.

Wearing the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection

To me, this edition of Ulysse Nardin’s Diver Net is easily the most attractive. It’s a great summer watch that provides enough well-designed details not to become boring. If you want to tame its appearance a bit, you can put it on the black strap that comes with the watch. With its 44mm diameter and 14.81mm thickness, this watch is big and wears that way. If you worry about the lug-to-lug length, it is too big for you. The wrist shot shows it on my currently 19.5cm (7.7″) wrist. Thanks to the modern materials accompanying the inner steel case, the watch is relatively light and comfortable. The signed titanium screw-down crown offers a good grip and facilitates easy operation of the watch.

The fact that the Nylo and Carbonium used for the sides and bottom of the case are upcycled materials and 95% of the steel is recycled may help justify wearing such a luxury piece on the beach. At €15,750, the Wempe Signature Collection edition of the Diver Net unfortunately costs almost 20% more than the already-expensive regular model. In return, though, you receive an extraordinary watch limited to 75 pieces that will set you apart from all those wearing the usual suspects on their wrists.

Visit Wempe’s online shop to get more information. What do you think of the Ulysse Nardin Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection? Do you wear more colorful watches in summer?