Marcus Hanke
[PuristSPro Moderator]
11296
Some comments ...
Unfortunately, I am not aware of the official list prices where you live. I am sure that UN will gladly help you to supply you with price and dealers lists. Generally, the PuristS has a well-known tradition to keep away from any price or dealer discussion, and we would prefer to keep it that way. Of course, nobody of us is standing above prices, and even the most dedicated and wealthy collector does keep more than an eye to the price of the product he purchases. However, pricing, dealer and particular service discussions tend to distort the discussion about the brand and its products as such. Therefore, we would ask anybody who wants to reply to your query, to do this by private e-mail, rather than here. Thank you very much your understanding!
However, I cannot close without making a brief comment about the 'value' of UN's Perpetual GMT: Fact is, within the line of 'simple' perpetuals, its list price is in the upper region. However, the clean - some say 'sober', even 'simple' - dial layout with the calendar windows has the disadvantage of looking less complicated than those of more traditional perpetuals with their many hands and subdials. Some people therefore think that 'simple looks' must also mean lower price.
This, however, ignores the massive amount of development and engineering invested into Ulysse Nardin's perpetual. The simplicity of use and its high legibility could be achieved only after massive investments. Additionally, it is also a question of production numbers, on how many watches these development and machinery costs can divided. Take IWC's Da Vinci, for example. A wonderful watch, with a mechanism that was very innovative at its time. I believe it is the perpetual produced in the highest numbers of all perpetuals on the market. Certainly, its price can be calculated a little bit different than that of a watch which is produced in small numbers only. Beyond that, one must keep in mind, that UN's perpetual has set the mark for a perpetual mechanism: The only one that can be adjusted by the user, forward and backward. And you get one of the most intelligently made GMT mechanisms, too.
If you ask me, if UN's perpetual is worth the price charged for it, then I say yes, without any reservation (even if this keeps the watch out of my reach yet). And since the watch prices seemingly have gone frenzy with some brands, I think so even more: Just saw a pink gold Zenith El Primero full calendar with about the same list price than UN's perpetual GMT in gold. I love the El Primero, but this is weird.
Hope this helps at least a little bit,
Marcus