Swiss extremely rare Swiss ship’s chronometer Circa 1970

Large deck chronometer by Ulysse Nardin
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An extremely rare Swiss ship’s chronometer with eight day movement, power reserve indicator, mahogany transport box and papers, circa 1970.
Mahogany box, brass inlays, with screwed on signature shield, applied handles, three body, lacquered gimbals and bowl. And with lid and glass. Silvered signed and numbered dial with inlaid radial Roman numerals, large auxiliary seconds, eight day power reserve indicator and blued spade hands. Brass movement, frosted, gilt, with moulded pillars, two barrels with click works on top, spring detent escapement, nickel steel Guillaume balance with two screws and four weights, freesprung helical Palladium balance spring and chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
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Dimensions: 190 x 185 x 190 mm
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Signed: Ulysse Nardin, Le Locle Suisse
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Ulysse Nardin 8 day chronometer, calibre M.8.100
Pierre Béguin invented the 8 day chronometer around 1945 in Le Locle; the new type, which was to build on the advantages of the 2 day chronometer, was introduced with the intention of modernizing the range of the Nardin company. Its prototype was developed on May 7, 1943 and submitted to official tests from October 25 to December 27, 1943. The tests compared directly with those of the Neuchâtel observatory for the Bulletin de 1ère classe for marine chronometers and the required precision was achieved during the very first tests. About 80 copies of the calibre were produced between 1944 and 1963. Only a few of them were actually sold – not to a national navy but to geodetic institutes, a number of geographical boards and some scientific labs. The new product had been developed in a time of worldwide crisis, which made it extra difficult to judge the demand for a new calibre and make decisions on investments to be taken.