Whenever reading through Ulysse Nardin's history it is somewhat funny, or weird that a Swiss watch manufacturer became on e of the most respected producer of marine chronometers. I mean, what has Switzerland to do with the blue waters? Well, the Swiss Army indeed has a few boats on Lake Constance and Lake Geneva, but navigation in these waters should not depend on marine chronometers. If these clocks have a tradition in England, America, or France, it is understandable, but Switzerland?

Yet this is how it was, and the uniqueness of this tradition is confronting the brand Ulysse Nardin with problems even today:

If you are a watch manufacturer firmly rooted in the tradition of marine timepieces, what better way of advertising there is than presenting oneself aboard a big sailing vessel? Now these kind of ships are rare in Switzerland, so you have to transport one from the sea into the Alps.

Since sailing ships need those tall thingies they are tacking the cloth on, which catches the wind, technical history has found that: sailship + bridges=big problem.

When Renato Bonina, ever agile boss of Ulysse Nardin's European distribution office in Weil, near Basel, started organizing a sailship for the celebration of Ulysse Nardin's 160th anniversary, he certainly would have thought twice about it, if he had been aware of the challenge before.

The Ship:

The Dutch schooner "Willem Barentz", named after the Dutch explorer, was built in 1931, and served as a cargo vessel in the North and Baltic Seas. In 1988, it was rebuilt as a luxury passenger and event ship, and is still cruising the North Sea.

It is 50 metres long and six metres wide. Its three masts had to be taken down, as the ship was tugged all the way to Basel. There, its complete rigging had to be redone within a short time. See how this happened in these pics, kindly provided by Renato Bonina:

On a foggy morning, the "Willem Barentz" arrives in Basel, stripped of its rigging, which is tied to the deck.

A huge crane is first lifting a large gangway into position.

Then, the masts are raised, positioned vertically, and with astonishing accuracy, positioned into their holes in the deck.

Note the hammocks are left on the mast. Ship modellers are certainly envious, since for them, the rigging needs mor time than a day!

And this is how the "Willem Barentz" appears now, ready to welcome the guests of Ulysse Nardin:

With best regards,
Marcus

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