Ulysse Nardin Celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with New Classico Rabbit

In Chinese culture, the rabbit is the fourth in the 12-year cycle of animals and is known to be luckiest of the bunch.

Photo Credit: Ulysse Nardin

This year, Ulysse Nardin highlights this moment by celebrating the kind-hearted and fortunate animal with a new timepiece that embodies the Manufacture’s craftsmanship, the Classico Rabbit.

The rabbit symbolizes longevity, peace and hope, and promises prosperity and elegance. With this in mind, the process in which Ulysse Nardin employed to produce this timepiece makes all the more sense. The Classico Rabbit was made possible through two key enameling methods which have been perpetuated over time in Donzé Cadrans, Ulysse Nardin’s in-house workshop.

Enameling is a decorative art mastered by a handful of craftsmen and it only found on the timepieces of the world’s most prestigious watchmakers. Of the many enameling methods available, Ulysse Nardin employed the champlevé and cloisonné techniques.

Photo Credit: Ulysse Nardin

The champlevé technique involves carving directly onto the dial, creating individual “cells” that are then filled with enamel. The colors come from a careful blending of different metallic oxides. The dial is fired until the enamel melts before being smoothed and polished when cooled down. The final and most delicate step involves enriching the motif by chiseling metal elements onto the surface.

The cloisonné technique is the revival of a very ancient method. Dating before the Middle Ages, it was extensively used during the Byzantine Empire and in the West as early as the fourth century. This method consists of creating compartments using a very thin gold wire to deposit the enamel with utmost precision. Folding alone represents up to 15 working hours per dial.

Photo Credit: Ulysse Nardin

The Classico Rabbit 40 mm – produced in a limited-edition series of 88 timepieces – is powered by the UN-815 self-winding movement with 42 hours power reserve. It features a black alligator strap with a rose-gold buckle and an open sapphire case-back. Water-resistant up to 50 meters, the rose-gold 5N polished case sets off the rabbit motif to perfection.