Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Ulysse Nardin · Executive Skeleton
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 44 mm Meteorite Platinum
Reference 54948OR.74
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Ulysse Nardin
- Collection
- Executive Skeleton
- Model
- Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 44 mm Meteorite Platinum
- Reference number
- 54948OR.74
- Year / era
- 1963 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 23E — In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1963 – 1968
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 44 mm Meteorite Platinum sits within Ulysse Nardin's Executive Skeleton line, introduced in 1963. It carries the house codes established since 1846 — platinum 950 case, meteorite dial and in-house automatic, superlative chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Ulysse Nardin
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1846
- Founder
- Ulysse Nardin
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Freak, Diver, Marine, Blast, Executive Skeleton
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Ulysse Nardin Freak 44 mm Slate Carbon (1957) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 40 mm Blue 18k (1960) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz (1989) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 37 mm Silvered 18k (2001)
Brand history
Ulysse Nardin has spent more than 180 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Freak, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Ulysse Nardin established Ulysse Nardin in 1846, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Ulysse Nardin calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1846
Ulysse Nardin founds Ulysse Nardin in Switzerland.
1886
Ulysse Nardin earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Ulysse Nardin to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Ulysse Nardin enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Ulysse Nardin continues to produce Freak, Diver, Marine and other icons in limited numbers.
More Executive Skeleton
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 40 mm Ice Sapphire
Ref. 12773OR.48
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 43 mm Blue Quartz
Ref. 87622OR.46
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 38 mm Blue 18k
Ref. 87411OR.33
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 42 mm Black Stainless
Ref. 35876ST.97
Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton 38 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Ref. 45165OR.47