Famous erotic comic book artist Milo Manara was the guest of Ulysse Nardin watches with his drawings of based on the ‘love of mermaid Ulyssa and Nadia’ theme.
Erotic watches have an important place in luxury watchmaking. This old design concept dates back to the 17th century, when enamel dials were widely used. The Swiss auction house Antiquorum, which brought modern and vintage watches to the new owners by auction, says the first erotic watches were produced for the Chinese market, while the most luxurious versions were prepared for the emperor and his circle of friends.
In the 18th century, watches with moving figures on the dial, namely automatons, added reality to erotic designs. These sophisticated pocket watches are very delicate, rare and often have gold ornaments. The value of those, who continue to exist by defying years, is increasing exponentially with each passing day.
Many of the more than 30 erotic watches belonging to a private collector, which was sold at an auction held by Antiquorum a few years ago, found very serious buyers. Henry Capt Musique d’Amour, one of the major models of the auction, was sold for $ 210,000. Of course, the features that increase the value of these watches are not only their complications and their relevance to old times. The share of quality craftsmanship cannot be ignored...
Today, only luxury watch manufacturers are interested in the world of erotic watches, and this design is often found in the case backs, and sometimes on the dial. Some brands use automatons while others benefit from illustrations only. Ulysse Nardin is one of the brands that chose to portray eroticism in the dials. At the SIHH 2019, the Swiss luxury watch brand introduced the Classico Manara collection, which was designed in collaboration with famous Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara. Manara’s drawings are about the meeting of the mermaid Ulyssa and Nadia and their love under the sea.
Milo Manara has created 10 illustrations for the collection. The artists in the at the Ulysse Nardin factory in Le Locle transferred these drawings to the dials. Let us add that it takes about 50 hours for each model to depict these scenes on dials that are 10 times smaller than Manara’s original drawings. Given the difficulty of the work, it is appropriate to say that each model is an excellent example of miniature painting mastery with all the details.
Available in polished 40mm stainless steel case or 5N 18K rose gold, the watches are water-resistant to 30 meters and equipped with sapphire crystal display case backs.
The models are powered by the Caliber UN-320, which offers a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound.
The hands used in the time-only display models blend perfectly with the background images, which makes them almost hidden on the dials.
Classico Manara models are complemented by dark blue alligator straps. The collection consists of a total of 200 pieces, 10 stainless steel and pink gold for each drawing. Each watch is accompanied by an original Milo Manara print numbered and signed by the artist himself.
