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 · Marine
Ulysse Nardin Marine 36 mm Slate Grade
Reference 91870OR.86
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Ulysse Nardin
- Collection
- Marine
- Model
- Ulysse Nardin Marine 36 mm Slate Grade
- Reference number
- 91870OR.86
- Year / era
- 1958 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 17E — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1958 – 1963
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Ulysse Nardin Marine 36 mm Slate Grade sits within Ulysse Nardin's Marine line, introduced in 1958. It carries the house codes established since 1846 — grade 5 titanium case, slate grey dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.