Style & Beauty

ULYSSE NARDIN & ONE MORE WAVE RELEASE NEW DIVER CHRONOMETER TO SUPPORT U.S. VETERANS

By Joseph DeAcetis

November 11, 2022

ULYSSE NARDIN & ONE MORE WAVE RELEASE NEW DIVER CHRONOMETER TO CELEBRATE PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT U.S. VETERANS

The timepiece is resistant to 1000 meters (3,280 feet) and comes engraved with “One More Wave” on the caseback. At 46mm, this is a big watch that’s ready for active duty.

Veteran’s Day November 11, 2022: The black DLC Titanium diver was created for One More Wave, a non-profit surfing charity created by a Navy Seal:

Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin honors Veteran’s Day and their historic connection to U.S. military with the second iteration of collaboration with nonprofit organization One More Wave. To commemorate the partnership, Ulysse Nardin and One More Wave are releasing new limited-edition Diver Chronometer 44mm OMW.

Their relationship began in 2019 when Ulysse Nardin and One More Wave announced their partnership and released the Diver Deep Dive OMW timepiece. This year, the latest collaboration reveals the Diver Chronometer 44mm One More Wave, launching on Veteran’s Day to honor the incredible community of wounded and disabled U.S. veterans. The promotional partnership with Ulysse Nardin and nonprofit organization One More Wave is an interesting exercise in what can happen when luxury watch brands actually leverage their greatest marketing asset — and that is to bring brand awareness and charitable organizations together.

The president of Ulysse Nardin North America, Francois- Xavier Hotier, understands the importance of watch brand marketing in the American market. Under his leadership, the Swiss brand has been able to achieve great enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause. His brand strategy, along with top-management at Ulysse Nardin HQ, aims to bring luxury watches together with a strong and caring brand message.

François-Xavier Hotier, President of Ulysse Nardin Americas, shares, “We are thrilled to release our latest timepiece with One More Wave and couldn’t imagine a better partner to support U.S. veterans. We thought this would be the perfect timepiece to launch on Veteran’s Day to celebrate U.S. veterans and give back to their community. We hope to bring more awareness to One More Wave and will do whatever we can to support this inspiring organization.”

Today, in the Swiss towns of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Ulysse Nardin has four collections: Marine, Diver, Blast and Freak. The luxury watchmaker produces advanced timepieces for ocean explorers who are in pursuit of freedom. Founded by Mr. Ulysse Nardin in 1846, the company owes its reputation to its links with the sea: its onboard marine chronometers help keep that reputation in tack. A pioneer in innovative technologies and the use of high-tech materials such as silicium, Ulysse Nardin stands alone as manufacturer maintaining expertise in components and movements – all in-house.

Ulysse Nardin is active in supporting the preservation of the Ocean, focusing on two major areas: encouraging upcycling to reduce marine plastic pollution and developing scientific knowledge concerning the preservation of the sharks, its emblem. As of 2022, Ulysse Nardin and sister Maison Girard-Perregaux have formed an independent collective of high horology Manufactures

One More Wave came to be by U.S. Navy SEAL Alex West and is a certified non-profit 501(c)(3). The San Diego-based organization has helped disabled veterans since 2015. One More Wave owns and operates its surfboard factory, making custom surfboards for wounded and disabled veterans that fit their needs. One More Wave helps veterans benefit from the unique therapeutic qualities of surfing and community access to their four other chapters across the country. Their mission to help veterans through ocean therapy resonate strongly with Ulysse Nardin, which has long-standing ties to the sea.

One More Wave aims to decrease the veteran suicide rate by providing wounded and disabled veterans access to surfing. By providing these veterans with customized surfing equipment and connecting them to their global community of surfing volunteers, One More Wave enables the veterans to achieve surf therapy all over the world.

Ulysse Nardin’s deep rooted connection to the U.S. Navy stems from 1905, when Ulysse Nardin won a competition to create the most precise marine chronometer and subsequently became the official supplier to the American Navy. The partnership introduces a limited edition Diver Deep Dive honoring the organization. Ulysse Nardin hopes to bring awareness and raise funds for the organization through the launch of the Diver Deep Dive “One More Wave.” The timepiece features a striking yellow and black design, with a black DLC titanium case and 1000m water resistance. The case- back is engraved with the “One More Wave” logo to signify the partnership. Members of OMW designed the limited edition timepiece as a watch that would stand up to the highly variable pressures experienced while surfing, while also subtly reflecting the founders’ background in amphibious warfare.

“When I joined the Navy in 1999, I was hoping to see a lot of action in the water,” said former Navy Seal Kyle Buckett. “The irony is that most of the action I saw was on sand.”

It’s fitting then that Buckett is now leading One More Wave, the non-profit he founded in 2015 to help wounded veterans hit the water and ride the waves on custom-fit surfboards. It’s proved to be so therapeutic for vets, Buckett says local Veterans Association centers around the country are actually starting to prescribe it. “Our need has dramatically been increasing over the last two quarters,” Buckett told the press. “Last month alone we had 57 applications. A custom suite of equipment for a veteran runs around $2,500, so our needs are really rising.”

Enter Ulysse Nardin: The watchmaker has donated an undisclosed amount to One More Wave, and to announce its commitment the brand has created the new Diver Deep Dive “One More Wave” ($13,500), a new blacked-out version of its Diver Deep Dive in DLC-coated Titanium.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but Navy Seals are amateur connoisseurs of watches because you change your watch for every deployment,” says Buckett. “We’re always looking for something durable, so when they said they wanted something MilSpec, I said, ‘Well, you’ve got to do something that’s extremely durable.’ I wanted something that was in Titanium and was black, that could be dragged through the ocean and taken diving. Yellow was my favorite color, so I wanted that for the markers.”

Alex West, One More Wave Founder, and former U.S. Navy Seal say, “We would not be the same organization we are today without the support from Ulysse Nardin.”

The newest Ulysse Nardin x One More Wave timepiece features a turquoise and black design, with a black DLC titanium case and 300m water resistance. The case back is engraved with the “One More Wave” logo to signify the partnership. The Diver Chronometer 44mm members of One More Wave designed OMW as a watch that withstands the highly variable pressures experienced while surfing and subtly reflects the founders’ background in amphibious warfare.