Founded in 1846, Ulysse Nardin are one of watchmaking’s most famed brands in the world of seafaring due to their highly accurate marine chronometers and complicated timepieces. In service across more than fifty of the world's navies from the end of the 19th century till 1950, Ulysse Nardin’s modern brand is built upon this maritime heritage, with a host of their offerings linked to the sea. However, they also have a slew of offerings that break from that seafaring tradition, much like the Tellurium Johannes Kepler ref. 889-99 that we have here, which instead feeds into the brand’s fascination with the other great frontier of human exploration, space. Launched in the 1990s as a limited edition collection of just 99 pieces, the Tellurium Johannes Kepler ref. 889-99 boasts a 43mm platinum construction, and takes inspiration from Johannes Kepler’s work as the astronomy pioneer who discovered the three laws of planetary motion. A world-timer with a cloisonne enamel dial that features a moon indicator rotating around the earth in real time, solar and lunar eclipse indication, dragon head and tail hand indicating month and Zodiac signs, a flexible spring bending from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn to reveal the part of the earth lit by the sun and an indication of time and location of sunrise and sunset, this timepiece is designed with planetary motion at its very core. Boasting a bezel with platinum Roman and Arabic champlevé enamel numerals, the timepiece’s construction caps off what is an incredible display in a manner that it deserves.

Combining mechanical engineering with a truly exceptional level of craftsmanship and artistry, the ref. 889-99 is a wonderful celebration of the cosmos and Kepler's work in redefining our understanding of planetary motion.