When a timepiece gets an exciting (and slightly ominous) name like “Black Ocean”, how can you not be at least a little curious?  I’m referring to one of  the hottest new limited edition variations of the Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver.  UN’s 200-meter rated dive watch with crown guards, a massive screw-down winding crown, and a beautiful wave dial that borrows charm from the 1846 Chronometer has worked its charms on many a lover of luxury watches, and the addition of a number of colorful variants has only added fuel to the fire.  With stealthy all-black sports watches being incredibly hot right now (witness the number of custom PVD-coated Rolex models that have surfaced) it was only a matter of time before Ulysse Nardin entered the fray.

The Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Black Ocean watch is supremely stealthy.  There’s virtually no reflectivity at all, and you can attribute that to the DLC coating (”diamond-like carbon”) that is evenly and seamlessly applied to the 42.7mm stainless steel case.

The excellent UN rubber strap features the characteristic jointed elements bearing the brand name and “Limited Edition” seen in many other Marine Diver watches; in this model they’re manufactured from extremely scratch-resistant black ceramic, rather than brushed stainless steel, or 18-karat gold.   Ceramic  is also used for the Black Ocean’s dual-button deployant clasp.

The excellent self-winding movement offers no surprises.  It is the reliable UN-26–an ETA 2892-based motor which Ulysse Nardin has significantly upgraded through in-house modification.   This caliber earns a chronometer certificate from C.O.S.C. and offers a power reserve indicator, in addition to a date display and a small seconds function.

Evaluating the Black Ocean watch, I admire the way in which Ulysse Nardin has retained the distinctively elegant detailing of the Maxi Marine Diver line, but given customers a really sporty look that might tempt them to actually use the MMD for the task it was designed for–diving!   The finishing of the polished steel or red gold Maxi Marine Diver watches is so lovely, that many probably avoid using the watch for aquatic sports, despite the ample qualifications of this model (300 meters water resistance, a unidirectional graduated bezel, etc.) for such activity.

Whether you happen to be looking for an exclusive mechanical sports watch, or are a Ulysse Nardin watch collector with a hankering for the brand’s limited edition offerings, this is not a timepiece where too much hesitation is advised.  Ulysse Nardin will be producing just 1,846 examples worldwide–that number is not arbitrary, of course, and signifies the brand’s year of founding in the 19th century.    With a price tag of about $8,000, the UN Black Ocean is right in line, value-wise, with other models in the Maxi Marine watch group.