The Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin teams up with Norwegian outdoor sportswear brand Norrøna, known for its sustainable and premium outerwear, to launch the new DIVER NORRØNA Arctic Night. Through their collaboration, Norrøna and Ulysse Nardin achieve their shared environmental commitments through the use of alternative and sustainable materials.

To accompany the launch, Ulysse Nardin is proud to announce its partnership with Norwegian polar explorer Børge Ousland and an active member of the Norrøna family. The timepiece is a limited edition of 29 pieces and is sold with a Norrøna arktis Gore-Tex Pro Jacket Ulysse Nardin Edition.

A UNION WITH PURPOSE
It is no surprise that both brands decided to connect as they share the same love for nature and the same ambition of shifting to a more “circular model” by using alternative materials in their respective domains. Both brands are on a decisive path to more sustainable creations.

• 1860: Ulysse Nardin, a Swiss watchmaker based in the majestic Jura Mountains, began to sell onboard marine chronometers for explorers, sailors and navigators all over the world, enabling them to navigate their route at sea. Today, five generations later, Ulysse Nardin is an independent manufacture.
• 1929: Jørgen Jørgensen, a Norwegian outdoor enthusiast, began his search for more durable outdoor equipment to perform in Norway´s harsh and rugged land. Today, four generations later, Norrøna is still a family-owned and run company.

Ulysse Nardin unveils the DIVER NORRØNA Arctic Night, a watch that bears both brands’ iconic logo, DNA and sustainability commitments. Only six months after the launch of THE OCEAN RACE DIVER in association with THE OCEAN RACE, the DIVER NORRØNA Arctic Night is a new black iteration of the most sustainable watch in Ulysse Nardin’s portfolio to this day. Inspired by the reflection of Norwegian nature that conjures up images of the Fjords and volcanic rocks, the black, gray and white color palette of this watch invokes the deep, dark, ancestral geologic formations that are the Earth’s oldest, most well-preserved sedimentary rocks.

This new joint project symbolizes both companies’ commitment to safeguarding a future for the planet, starting with the poles. Polar sea ice helps regulate Earth’s climate and we know that the warming of polar oceans has powerful implications for organisms living there—and for us. This collaboration is a call to action.

Norwegian explorer and writer Børge Ousland is a fearless adventurer. The first person to complete solo crossings of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, Børge is curious, confident and courageous. Hauling supply sleds weighing nearly 150 kilograms, he endured limb-freezing temperatures and encounters with polar bears in pursuit of his extreme goals. A former deep-sea diver and Norwegian Navy seal, Børge undertook his first expedition across Greenland in 1986. On subsequent expeditions, he has partnered with French explorer Vincent Colliard and, most recently, Mike Horn.

“Be the change you want to see in the world. If you are part of the problem, you also have to be part of the solution. Since I first set foot on the Polar Ocean in 1990, the ice coverage has declined by more than 60%. I have seen how it has changed. In my lifetime. It’s a totally different landscape, and it is happening due to climate change. But nothing is just bad. Even problems are in one way good. Because it is how we deal with the challenges we meet, that defines who we really are. And maybe, we can use this enormous challenge that climate change truly represents, to bring out the best in us, and reveal what humanity can become.”

— Børge Ousland, famous Polar explorer of our time

ABOUT THE NORRØNA ARKTIS GORE-TEX PRO JACKET ULYSSE NARDIN EDITION
The development of the Norrøna arktis jacket started in 2005 with the contribution of Børge Ousland. This jacket is the result of Norrøna’s decades of product development experience and Ousland’s expedition experience, to create the perfect equipment for Arctic explorations. For this exclusive edition in partnership with Ulysse Nardin, the jacket has been enriched with the logo of the watchmaker.

The jacket is made in 70D GORE-TEX PRO fabric with a 100% recycled Nylon face. The fabric chosen by Norrøna, is known for its world class quality: durable and waterproof, optimized breathability and totally wind proof.

The jacket is designed to exceed every polar requirement. Main features include: a special hood that creates an air pillow to protect you from the harshest elements; a customized 3D pullers for easier grip when using mittens ; waist adjustment, which traps air in to provide extra heat around vital organs and the elastic cord in the back, which can be attached to a push button in the front to keep the jacket in place regardless of wind and weather conditions. The hood has a one-pull system that can adjust the circumference and height at once. It has several Velcro pockets and a fidlock closure on the collar to make it easier to handle with gloves.

ABOUT THE DIVER NORRØNA ARTIC NIGHT RECYCLED PARTS
The side-case and the case-back of the new DIVER NORRØNA are made of 40% Carbonium and of 60% recycled fishing nets Nylo (suppliers: Lavoisier Composite and FIL&FAB, France)

• The stainless-steel watch case is made up of 80% recycled automotive materials (supplier: Voestalpine Boehler, Austria)
• The bezel decoration is made of 100% Carbonium
• The wrist strap with scratch closing is made from 100% recycled fishing nets (supplier: JTTI, France)
• Finally, all components of the UN-118 automatic manufacture movement are sourced in Switzerland, almost all within a 30 km radius

Carbonium is made of the same fibers that are used for the fuselage and wings of the latest-generation aircrafts. The manufacture of Carbonium has a 40% lower environmental impact than other carbon composites, since it makes use of the offcuts of aircraft parts. The use of regenerated material again clearly underlines the brand’s spirit of boldness and innovation.

The other alternative material used in the watch is called Nylo (supplier FIL&FAB). The goal is to raise awareness by creating “new from old” and regenerating materials, especially plastic. This movement of regeneration of nets marks Ulysse Nardin’s interest in a circular economic model. In fact, the brand has placed its trust in young Breton designers who have created the very first fishing net recycling business in France. FIL&FAB, a start-up in the field of industrial design and transition, recovers disused nets in French fishing ports and recycles them in the form of polyamide granules called Nylo.

The DIVER NORRØNA Arctic Night is a limited edition of only 29 pieces (a nod to 1929, the year NORRØNA was founded), all numbered from 1 to 29, and therefore unique. The watch will be sold with a Norrøna arktis Gore-Tex Pro Jacket Ulysse Nardin Edition on www.ulysse-nardin.com, www.norrona.com, and in Norrøna’s flagship stores in New York, Munich, Oslo and Stockholm from November 2, 2022, at a price of 11’900 CHF/11’300 EUR/ 12’600 USD