What We Know

There's high-end watchmaking where you throw everything and the kitchen sink into a watch. Then, there's the complete opposite route, where you remove as much as possible. And that's what Ulysse Nardin has chosen to do for its latest release for Watches and Wonders 2025, with the Diver [AIR]. This new 44mm diver, the brand proudly claims, is the world's lightest mechanical dive watch, weighing a scant 52g on the wrist and 46g if you take off the elastic fabric strap.

Before we get to the movement, where most of the technical achievement takes place, we have to start with the case's lightness. To reduce weight while maintaining strength, the brand opts for a modular construction of titanium and carbon fiber. A middle case in titanium, 90% recycled, ensures the 200m of water-resistance, while the side parts of the case, including the lugs, are made from a combination of recycled fishing nets and upcycled carbon fiber called Nylo-Foil. Meanwhile, the luminous bezel insert within the titanium bezel is forged from carbon fiber taken from upcycled IMOCA sailing boats, chopped, then compressed to get the randomized pattern typical in forged carbon processes.

That's the (relatively speaking, at least) easier part of it all. But Ulysse Nardin has developed a new caliber, the UN-374, to keep whittling off the weight of the Diver [AIR]. Those who are familiar with the brand's current offerings will surely remember the current skeletonized Diver X, and even while it's also in titanium and carbon, it's around double the weight of this new model. Here, this new caliber maintains the same architecture as the older skeletonized UN-372 movement but takes some big steps in removing material. Most noticeable is the removal of the giant top movement plate that formed an X on the Diver X, leaving more of the movement visually exposed. Titanium bridges have been reduced in width and hollowed out in the center. The mainspring barrel holding 90 hours of power, now geared in a flying arrangement due to the lack of a top movement plate, has the exterior hollowed out on the top and bottom, leaving wheel-like spokes in its construction. And of course, like many of the brand's other divers, a silicon escapement anchors the caliber.

With all of these modifications, the Diver [AIR] is now appropriately 80% air inside the case and 20% of movement. But the significant removal of material, leaving the caliber at just 7g, does not make for a weaker structure. Ulysse Nardin says that this diver, despite the skeletonized construction, is able to withstand an impact of 5000g, in line with many dive watches that have been METAS certified.

The Ulysse Nardin Diver [AIR] ref. 3743-170-2A/0A is available now and retails for $38,000.

What We Think

The pursuit of ultralight watchmaking has always been a fascinating subject for me. There's sort of a deliberate irony in a radical pursuit of minimalism (from a material standpoint, certainly not aesthetically) whilst partaking in essentially a maximalist way of telling time. But as far as skeletonized calibers go, this one is very attractive, with a great depth to the movement and the contrasting sandblasting and brushing to be a visually striking look for a pretty monochromatic color scheme. The silicon escapement is certainly a nice testament to the brand's often overlooked horological capabilities, and let's not forget that they were the folks to first produce a watch with one in the Freak back in 2001. Overall, the reduction of the visually somewhat overbearing "X" motif found on many divers from UN makes this new Diver [AIR] the best-looking diver from the brand, in my humble opinion.

But now we get to the price point, a hefty $38,000. I have a hunch that the collectors looking at the Diver [AIR] are not necessarily cross-shopping with most of the other divers in this segment, which usually come in precious metal cases. At the same time, record-breaking R&D doesn't tend to come cheap, and that's certainly the case with this watch. Whether you think this is purely a horological stunt or an important advancement in this category of ultralight watchmaking, there's no denying that the effort is apparent in this watch, and seeing someone wear this out in the ocean would surely start a conversation.

Stay tuned for more over the coming days from Watches and Wonders – you can follow all of the show's new releases right here.

The Basics

Brand: Ulysse Nardin
Model: Diver [AIR]
Reference Number: 3743-170-2A/0A

Diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 14.7mm
Case Material: Carbon fiber and titanium
Dial Color: Skeletonized
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes, Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap/Bracelet: Orange and white elastic fabric straps

The Movement

Caliber: UN-374
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Power Reserve: 90 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 VpH
Jewels: 21

Pricing & Availability

Price: $38,000
Availability: Ulysse Nardin Retailers
Limited Edition: No.

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