The Astrolabium was the first to be launched, in 1985, while the Planetarium came in 1988 and the Tellurium, in 1992.
The first Astrolabium ( I can't remember who to credit for this photo. sorry ) :
The first Planetarium:
And the Tellurium, which as you can see, had conventional lugs:
Made of yellow gold, these watches weren't, logically, available as a set. We had to wait a bit before seeing them offered as a set, with the new cases. ( Early 2000, if I remember correctly )
Here is a picture I found of the three Astronomical watches with the new cases:
Then came the platinum versions, which were available as a set.
The Astrolabium:
The Planetarium:
And the Tellurium, which adds another sophistication to the complication, Poetry on Poetry, a enamel cloisonné dial.
Through years, the Astrolabium and the Planetarium saw their respective cases increasing in size, even if I can't tell, precisly, the size of the originals. But now, these 2 astronomical watches are 41 mm big, at the contrary of the Tellurium whose size is identical: 43 mm.
The dials of the three have been slightly re designed, which is better if you want to get the whole set.
The set, available in platinum only, is limited to 100 pieces.
I pasted here the official informations about each of these watches for you to btter understand their functions and their level of complexity:
Astrolabium Galileo Galilei:
999-70 (ø 41 mm)
Astronomical wristwatch.
Caliber UN-99. Self-winding perpetual
movement. Platinum case.
Water-resistant to 30 m.
Sapphire crystals. Leather strap.
Available with a dial (planisphere)for different latitudes.The Astrolabe was developed by
ancient astronomers to measure the altitude and direction of celestial bodies over the horizon,
calculate the seasons, the movements of the zodiac and to foretell eclipses. This highly
complex instrument indicates the position of the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky at any given
hour as seen from Earth. It also indicates sunrise and sunset, dawn and dusk, moonphases,
moonrise and moonset, eclipses of sun and moon, the month and the day of the week.
Planetarium Copernicus:
839-70 (ø 41 mm)
Astronomical wristwatch.
Caliber UN-83. Self-winding perpetual movement.
Quick corrector. Platinum case.
Water-resistant to 30 m.
Sapphire crystals. Leather strap.
One single movement of mechanical excellency plus a stroke of pure genius combine
Ptolemy’s geocentric universe with the Earth at its center, and Copernicus' heliocentric universe with the Sun at its center. This allows the reading of the astronomical positions of
the planets in relation to the Sun and the Earth. The moon rotates around the Earth.
A perpetual calendar indicating the months and the sign of the zodiac completes one turn in 365.24 days at the exterior.
Tellurium Johannes Kepler:
889-70 (ø 43 mm)
Astronomical wristwatch.
Caliber UN-88. Self-winding perpetual movement.
Moon phases. 24-hour indicator.
Quick corrector. Platinum case.
Water-resistant to 30 m. Sapphire crystals. Hand painted enamel Earth.
Leather strap.
A revolutionary timepiece that rotates the Earth in its true geographical shape seen from above the North Pole. A flexible spring bends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn to reveal the part of the Earth lit by the Sun and to indicate the time and place of sunrise and sunset. The moon rotates around the Earth. The dragon hand indicates the eclipses of the sun and the moon.
The perpetual calendar completes one turn each year.
To be complete, and as if it was not enough, Ulysse Nardin released two other crazy creations.
In 2009, they gave birth to the Moonstruck, another astronomical watch with a painted Earth on a Mother of Pearl dial, showing the moon phases, the postion of moon and sun, the tides, and which offers a second time zone, for the dreamers and travellers, available in a limited edition of 500 pieces in Rose Gold, and 500 pieces in Platinum;
And, in the same year, Ulysse Nardin unveiled one of the most beautiful, and certainly the most complicated desk clock in the world, the Planet Earth.
With a power reserve of 30 days, this clock shows the civilian time, the sidereal time, the location of the moon and the sun, the signs of the Zodiac, the months and the stars.
It is available in a limited edition of 99 pieces.
We are, indeed, a step above the clouds, here, with such an armada of astronomical tools.
Which one do I prefer?
Any of them would constitute a dream, to say the truth.
But if I was lucky to have the opportunity to choose one, and only one, I would hesitate between two of them.
The Astrolabium, because it was the first, and because its tortured dial, in this case, works very well with the purpose of the watch.
The Tellurium, because of its extra poetic dimension, with its cloisonné enamel dial.
I find several issues to these watches.
First of all, astronomical watches work in pair with astronomical prices... And U.N is no exception, here.
Then, the effort you have to make to fully understand such a watch, and to master all its possibilities / functions.
But as for the price, the effort is worth being made to reach the Extraordinary.
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts on these pieces of Dream,
Best.
Nicolas
This message has been edited by amanico on 2016-07-17 00:38:39
