Le Locle, Switzerland, situated in the Jura Mountains, is well known for long and bitter winters, the kind of place that has a short time to plant and sow for sustenance over the snow-laden days to come. As a way to supplement their resources, many of the inhabitants learned to produce timekeeping instruments for sale and trade. Ulysse Nardin was born in Le Locle in 1823 and first trained under his father, Léonard-Frédéric Nardin. Later he would continue to perfect his skills by working with two master watchmakers, Frédéric-William Dubois and Louis JeanRichard-dit-Bressel.
At only 23 years old, Nardin founded his own company in Le Locle in 1846. His love of the sea led the company to become one of the first manufacturers to design and produce all manner of seafaring instruments. His work on both pocket and marine chronometers has since become a standard of reference for civil, military and scientific timekeeping tools.
SETTING THE STANDARD
In 1860, Nardin acquired a high precision astronomical regulator by Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, a device that would allow him to calibrate his pocket chronometers to a high degree of
