The brand first gained attention for manufacturing marine chronometers which soon became favourites among the world’s navies.

In 1985, Ulysse Nardin released the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, a watch that was named by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most functional watch. It had 21 different functions, including tracking local and solar time, the orbits of the sun and moon, and the positions of the major stars.

Then in 2001 came the Freak: one of the most unusual looking watches ever to be launched. Bold and daring, demand for this unique timepiece skyrocketed soon after release, and since then a number of different versions have been launched.

Today, the brand has won over 4,300 distinctions and 18 gold medals. If your priority is accuracy—plus something a little quirky—you’d be hard pushed to find a better brand than Ulysse Nardin.

Most popular model: the Freak