Ulysse Nardin Sonata Silicium Review

SJX, a respected voice in the watch community, offers a candid review of the Ulysse Nardin Sonata Silicium. His initial skepticism about Ulysse Nardin's design choices, particularly the Sonata's hands, gives way to admiration for the Silicium variant. This post highlights the watch's technical innovations and unique aesthetic appeal, making it a valuable read for those interested in Ulysse Nardin's pioneering use of silicon in watchmaking.

I have always respected the achievements of Ulysse-Nardin and its owner, Rolf Schnyder. But at the same I have always found a good number of UN watches to be unattractive, the designs tend to be, well, odd.

The Freak was unorthodox but it was extreme, so the resulting watch looked good. On the other hand most other UN watches are largely conventional, but with one or two design cues that are way off. A case in point is the UN Sonata with its incredibly clumsy skeleton hands. It contains a clever movement housed in a well made case, but the hands; I detested those hands the moment I saw them. Those hands killed any appeal the Sonata had, notwithstanding the brilliant chiming alarm calibre.

But when I interviewed Rolf Schnyder late last year, I noticed he was wearing an unusual Sonata. It turned out to be the Sonata Silicum and it looked amazing, in spite of the hands.

The Sonata Silicium features elements first seen in the Innovision Freak, which are being used for the first time in larger scale, production timepiece (the Sonata Silicium will be made in editions of 300 each in white and rose gold). The hairspring, pallet fork and escape wheel of the Sonata Silicium are made of silicon, so the watch is technically interesting – but for me the highlight is the silicon dial. Given how much has been invested in making silicon components for the escapement by several different brands, it is surprising that no one thought of this before.

There are so many things wrong with the design of this watch. The two subdials are so close together the watch looks cross-eyed. Throw in the cartoonish hands, the “Sonata Silicium” written in italics with a cheesy treble clef, “Limited Edition” proudly slung across the bezel, and you would think that the resulting watch would be a disaster. But it is not.

The central portion of the dial is cut from a silicon wafer. It is mirror finished and retains the natural greyish colour of silicon. But depending on the light, can appear to be purple, black or even brown. Coupled with the grey ruthenium and blue screws, the entire dial looks incredible. In fact, the watch looks so incredible I can forgive the silly hands and even more ridiculous “Limited Edition” unashamedly engraved on the bezel.

As with all UN watches, the build quality of the Sonata Silicium is excellent. Dial, case and movement finish are good and the attention to detail is evident. The movement bridges are finished in ruthenium like the dial. Uncharacteristically the rotor possesses a subtle, but beautiful, irregular guilloche motif.

UN is one of the most attractive firms because of its philosophy. It is innovative, adventurous, and importantly, it doesn’t make watches consumers expect. That is thanks to the inimitable Rolf Schnyder. This watch is one of the company’s best works and could potentially become a landmark timepiece, thanks to its use of silicium in the movement as well as the dial.

The rest of the photos follow below. Enjoy!

- SJX