Ulysse Nardin’s North America arm delivered double‑digit sell‑out in 2025, driven by Freak models, a sold‑out Blast limited edition and strategic retail expansion — a notable revenue shift amid tariff volatility.
- Price: mid‑five‑figure for core Freak models; limited Blast LE at higher price points (retail on request)
- Carat Weight: N/A — mechanical horology
- Origin: Le Locle, Switzerland
- Date: 2025 (results reported Jan 2026)
Market context: a year shaped by tariff timing and focused distribution
The U.S. market in 2025 was defined less by predictable seasonality than by tariff timing. Announcements of prospective increases prompted brands to accelerate imports and incentivize customers to bring purchases forward. For Ulysse Nardin, that logistical squeeze coincided with a deliberate expansion of points of sale — new boutiques and upgraded shop‑in‑shops that amplified in‑market visibility and helped convert that forward demand into realized sell‑through.
That visibility highlighted the Freak family as the collection that most cohered with collectors’ appetite for sculptural, mechanically audacious watches. The Freak One’s substantial heft and the Freak X’s refined architecture both registered with enthusiasts; meanwhile a 10‑piece Blast Free Wheel Marquetry Silicon Green edition sold out instantly, and the UR‑Freak collaboration with Urwerk generated notable enthusiast buzz.
Why 2025 trends matter for 2026
Three broader currents shaped the result. First, constrained distribution and curated retail experiences increased perceived scarcity; boutique presentations and vitrines with measured lighting impart a vitreous luster to the dials and intensified desirability. Second, sculptural aesthetics — watches that read as small kinetic sculptures on the wrist — continued to command premium attention. Third, tactical inventory moves to beat tariff changes created pockets of accelerated demand and order book compression heading into 2026.
Francois‑Xavier Hotier, president for the U.S., credited retail partners for investing in that visibility, naming Stephen Silver’s Silicon Valley boutiques, Watches of Switzerland in Atlanta, Bucherer’s Time Machine, Wempe in New York and Eiseman Jewelers in Dallas. “Amidst the challenges of a hectic market affected by tariffs and political uncertainties, we exceeded our goals and achieved another year of robust double‑digit growth in sell‑out, fuelled by high horology,” he said, noting backorders for the Diver Air and rising traction for the Freak X.
Impact for U.S. retailers and investors
For retailers: the year underscored that presentation and limited distribution materially affect sell‑through. Brands with a clear curatorial strategy and the willingness to invest in lighting, display architecture and staff training saw amplified conversion. The practical takeaway is to treat high‑horology as inventory that benefits from staged scarcity rather than broad discounting: controlled allocation preserves margin and secondary‑market desirability.
For investors: the result is a reminder that structural demand for mechanically distinctive pieces can produce outsized sell‑through even amid policy turbulence. Short‑term tariff noise created timing opportunities; longer term, artists‑in‑steel and silicon like Ulysse Nardin’s Freak and its collaborations retain value through limited runs and demonstrable collector interest. Watches with immediate backorders and confirmed sell‑outs are the signal‑events that attract premium retail partners and stabilize wholesale velocity.
Concluding, Ulysse Nardin’s performance in 2025 was not accidental: a mix of product that carries tactile authority, focused retail partnerships and opportunistic supply timing turned a chaotic market into a commercial advantage. For retailers and investors planning 2026 assortments, the lesson is to prioritize mechanical storytelling, measured scarcity and the physicality of presentation that makes a product feel both substantial and rare.
Image Referance: https://usa.watchpro.com/ulysse-nardin-notches-double-digit-sales-growth-in-hectic-year/