Nardin and Poljot Chronometer Watches – Please Post Yours

[Leigh Callaway]

I recently bought the book Ein neues Uhrenformat entsteht, Die Evolution des Ulysse Nardin Kalibers 22|24''' (A New Watch is Born, the Evolution of the Ulysse Nardin Calibers 22|24'') by William Attree copyright 2015. The book describes these calibers from their beginning in 1894 to the final ones in the 1970s, some mounted in gimbals.

This reminded me of an older thread which discussed the Nardin and its Soviet presumed (alleged?) makeover, the Poljot Chronometer Watch | NAWCC Forums.

These are very high grade navigation timepieces – please post pictures from your collection and add anything you know about your watches.

I'll start with two examples. The Nardin (SN 28741) dates to 1939, the Poljot (SN N-7931) dates to 1968:






Obvious differences are:
- finish of the plates,
- placement of the center transfer wheel,
- quality of the cases. The Nardin is held in a silver screw-back, the Poljot in a chromium plated brass case with snap covers and an inner dust cover. Why the purple stuff?
- the Nardin today costs an order of magnitude more than the Poljot.
- When locked, the Nardin box protects the watch from "growing legs." The Poljot has no such lock.

The Attree book says the Nardin has a Guillame balance. Another interesting note about the Nardin comes from page 265 of Anthony G. Randall's book Time Museum Catalog of Chronometers where he describes Nardin SN 28069. The sweep center seconds "was forced on them [Nardin] by various Admiralties who insisted on centre seconds instead of off-set seconds." This because "the minute and hour hands could obscure the seconds hand so that precise reading of the time became difficult." Rather than going to the expense of a new design, they [Nardin] "adopted the clumsy and inefficient expedient of fitting a wheel on an extended third arbor pivot, meshing with a centre seconds pinion."

 

[yaorener]

My Ulysse Nadin deck watch chronometer has a Guillame balanc?

 

[Leigh Callaway]

Yaorener post 2: " My Ulysse Nadin deck watch chronometer has a Guillame balanc?"

I am not qualified to visually evaluate the balance in your watch. What follows is based on the William Attree book (post #1).

Page 80 of the book shows a watch just like yours with SN five numbers higher. The book describes the illustrated watch as having a Guillaume balance. So it's a good bet that yours does also.

The book is available here:
Ein neues Uhrenformat entsteht - Die Evolution des Ulysse Nardin Kalibers 22/24´´´ from William Attree (uhren-hidding.de)

Your watch was entered at Neuchatel and Kew Teddington. Bulletin abstracts are available here:
Chronometer-Database (uhren-hidding.de)

 

[Dr. Jon]

Looks like Guillaume to me. Indicator is cut position.

Guillaume had better middle temp performance and more rigidity due to shorter long side of arms.

 

[roughbarked]

According to Ranfft, The Poljot also had a bimetallic Guillaume screw balance
Breguet hairspring
barrel with Geneva stopwork (5 revolutions)
Reed's regulator.

 

[Bernhard J.]

Proof (my 1968 "Kirowa", without "purple stuff):

 

[Leigh Callaway]

Ulysse Nardin SN 25176, caliber 24", Guillaume balance, wind indicator, original box with key. Per Nardin Client Service "production" was 1923. According to the book referenced above, it was in a "prod. menge" (production amount) of 144 which were delivered between 1938 and 1941.
Just back from overhaul, some replacement wind indicator parts were fabricated. Runs just fine.
Placed number 12 of 56 "Chronometres de Bord" at Neuchatel in 1939 (translation is mine).
I found a timing sheet in Chinese dated 1941 behind the worn padding. I had the sheet professionally translated and notarized.
Came to me from someone in Vermont.

 

[Paul Regan]

Beautiful chronometer Leigh and great provenance!
Paul

 

[yaorener]

Yaorener post 2: " My Ulysse Nadin deck watch chronometer has a Guillame balanc?"

I am not qualified to visually evaluate the balance in your watch. What follows is based on the William Attree book (post #1).

Page 80 of the book shows a watch just like yours with SN five numbers higher. The book describes the illustrated watch as having a Guillaume balance. So it's a good bet that yours does also.

The book is available here:
Ein neues Uhrenformat entsteht - Die Evolution des Ulysse Nardin Kalibers 22/24´´´ from William Attree (uhren-hidding.de)

Your watch was entered at Neuchatel and Kew Teddington. Bulletin abstracts are available here:
Chronometer-Database (uhren-hidding.de)

Deeply thanks! This's my other Ulysse Nadin pocket watch. Is it Guillame balance?

 

[Leigh Callaway]

Deeply thanks! This's my other Ulysse Nadin pocket watch. Is it Guillame balance?

The book to which I refer above does not illustrate an exact match to your watch. So I won't venture a guess.
Perhaps others more qualified than I will respond.
Thanks for the excellent photos.

 

[Dr. Jon]

Here is another but it's on a different ebauche. I beleive they bought is a few and covered them on a single page of their ledger.

I have not found any information of Celestino Risso but I have a lot of the manufacture of the watch. This is the ledger page courtesy of the MIH in Le Cheaux de Fonds. Note the the chronometer marking were added after it passed.

Here is a copy of a duplicate Bulletin

The duplicate is signed but required some rework because they had changed to form since the original issue.

 

[Incroyable]

Ulysse Nardin SN 25176, caliber 24", Guillaume balance, wind indicator, original box with key. Per Nardin Client Service "production" was 1923. According to the book referenced above, it was in a "prod. menge" (production amount) of 144 which were delivered between 1938 and 1941.
Just back from overhaul, some replacement wind indicator parts were fabricated. Runs just fine.
Placed number 12 of 56 "Chronometres de Bord" at Neuchatel in 1939 (translation is mine).
I found a timing sheet in Chinese dated 1941 behind the worn padding. I had the sheet professionally translated and notarized.
Came to me from someone in Vermont.

View attachment 738283 View attachment 738284 View attachment 738285

View attachment 738286

View attachment 738287 View attachment 738288
View attachment 738289 View attachment 738290

This would have been used by a Japanese ship since the translation says Showa 16 which means the 16th year of the Reign of the Showa Emperor who was of course Hirohito.

In those days formal Japanese writing would have all used Chinese characters known as Kanji rather than what we typically think of Japanese characters now.

 

[Leigh Callaway]

This would have been used by a Japanese ship since the translation says Showa 16 which means the 16th year of the Reign of the Showa Emperor who was of course Hirohito.

In those days formal Japanese writing would have all used Chinese characters known as Kanji rather than what we typically think of Japanese characters now.

Thank you. You are correct. Here is a comparison of the characters:

On the timing slip:

and a Google hit for the Japanese calendar:

Look the same to me. Thanks again.

 

[Incroyable]

Thank you. You are correct. Here is a comparison of the characters:

On the timing slip:
View attachment 739547

and a Google hit for the Japanese calendar:
View attachment 739548

Look the same to me. Thanks again.

It'd be very interesting to find out which ship used this.

I wonder if it was a military vessel.

Apparently the Japanese attempted to make their own chronometers but didn't quite achieve the success of the US and Hamilton:

Marine chronometry in Japan

Marine chronometers play a special role in the history of timepieces. Their importance rests mainly on two factors that the case of Japanese watchmaking industry illustrates perfectly. Here are some explanations.

www.watchonista.com

 

[Incroyable]

Does Ulysse Nardin offer an archive service like Patek or Omega?

 

[Bernhard J.]

According to the German website: yes. But no information with respect to costs, if any, is provided.

 

[Leigh Callaway]

Does Ulysse Nardin offer an archive service like Patek or Omega?

I have received responses from CLIENT SERVICE ULYSSE NARDIN <clientservice.usa@ulysse-nardin.com>. I haven't tried the German website.
Their caveat was "We will do our best to satisfy your request, but please be aware that our historical archives may not go back as far as your watch, or we may not have the specific information you require."
The response was an email with caliber and production date.
Include the serial number and photos of the dial, the movement and the case back.
The response was about three weeks and there was no charge.

 

[Dr. Jon]

Nardin turned their records over to the MIH and I have had responses from them. They provided my records.