I Thought I’d Seen Every Kind of Dive Watch. Then I Saw This

The lightest mechanical dive watch ever is also rugged as hell.

Published March 31, 2025

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Ulysse Nardin’s Diver Air is the lightest mechanical dive watch ever made
The tool watch clocks in at just 46 grams, roughly the weight of two AA batteries
The watch’s light weight is derived from a combination of high-tech materials like titanium, carbon fiber, silicon and Nylo-Foil

Ulysse Nardin is not a brand that does things by the book. Its flagship Freak, for example, was the first-ever watch to utilize amagnetic silicon components in its movement — a practice now widely adopted by other luxury watchmakers.

a ulysse nardin dive watch — This is the lightest mechanical dive watch ever made.

Now, the boundary-pushing Swiss brand has turned its attention to its dive watch line to create a diver unlike any that’s ever existed before. The new Ulysse Nardin Diver Air is the lightest mechanical dive watch in the world, clocking in at a featherweight 46 grams for the watch head. That’s roughly the weight of two AA batteries. The strap adds just 6 more grams for a total weight of 52 grams.

The Diver Air weighs less than half as much as the brand’s already lightweight Diver X Skeleton, and the brand found some pretty novel weighs to trim the fat.

The movement is a brand-new automatic calibre, UN-374, a reworked version of the Diver X Skeleton’s UN-372. UN’s engineers removed as much material as possible from the UN-372 while also reshaping the bridges to be more slender and triangular for structural integrity. Titanium was chosen for the calibre’s construction, a first for the brand, with lightweight silicon making up the balance wheel, balance spring and escapement.

The case is also incredibly lightweight, made from a mixture of titanium, CarbonFoil upcycled carbon fiber, and Nylo-Foil, a composite made of upcycled carbon fibers and recycled fishing nets. The strap is an ultralight elasticated fabric. Even the caseback is made from mineral glass instead of sapphire, as it’s a tad lighter. The front crystal remains in sapphire for scratch protection.

two ulysse nardin dive watches — The Diver Air includes two straps, each of which weighs just six grams.

With high levels of anti-magnetic resistance, shock resistance capable of withstanding 5,000 Gs and water resistance down to 200m, the Ulysse Nardin Diver Air certainly didn’t compromise its tool-watch credentials despite being as light as air. The watch includes two straps, one white and one orange, and retails for $38,000.