After the dinner, that was taken together with the ladies, it was common that the latter went into the salon, sipping some kind of sweet liguor, while the gentlemen retired into another salon (better even: the library; this lent at least some rudimentary intellectuality to the very banal conversation there), and quite frequently, had fun looking at a new erotic pocketwatch, one or several participants had brought with them.

As always, however, there is a wide spectre of erotic depiction, ranging from art to the outwardly obscene; very often it is difficult where to place a specific piece.

This question is most certainly not necessary, when looking at a very special timepiece: Ulysse Nardin's "Erotica". Despite its - for an erotic automaton - relatively decent appearance, UN has decided to take it out from the catalogue, because not all customers would like this kind of depiction, out of personal or religious reasons. However, it is still in the current lists and can be ordered.

This wonderful watch is not a traditional repeater. ONe has to keep in mind that the minute repaters were invented in a time when tritium or Super Luminova were obviously not invented yet. Neither was electric energy and lamps that could be switched on for a second. this means that one had no possibility to know the current time at night, except taking one's flintstone in order to light a candle. An annoying and slow procedure. The alternative was a striking mechanism in the watch. Whenever necessary, one just had to pull a slider or push a button, and on different springs the hours, quarts and minutes would be stroken. Thus, one knew how late it was, without reading the dial.

Today, repeaters are a wonderful toy. Barely someone happy enough to own such a piece would engage the repeater when waking up in the middle of the night. A glance on the alarm clock's luminous display is enough.

But to hear that crystal-clear sound of tiny hammers, beating the springs, this is like a horological paradise. Ulysse Nardin is offering an interesting series of such minute repaters. The Sonnerie en passant "Erotica", however, is not such a piece. It has a repeater mechanism, but this would only strike the hours, since there is only one spring for the chime. That means, that at 2.55, it would strike two times, the same it would do at 2.05.

What makes this watch so fascinating, is the possibility to have the chimes signalling every full and half hours, without the owner having to pull a slider. Just like the classic mantle clock. Oh boy, how often had I wanted to hear that chime during a conference, or a lecture!

Adding another element of uniqueness are the tiny figures on the dial, that move whenever the chimes are engaged, either in repeater or in "en passant" mode. ON the "civilian" version there is a fur-clad figure, a "Jaquemart" (a copy of the old iron figures, still standing in Venice), striking a bell with a hammer. And on the Erotica, the figures - well ... move.

Unfortunately, this interesting timepiece is seen very rarely, even on the web. One might suspect that most of its owners would prefer not to show their watch to the public ...

Therefore, I sincerely thank Dave Piccione for letting me show his - as always stunning - pictures of this watch here in our forum. I hope you enjoy them as I did. At last, this is a true work of art - how could anybody deny this?

Marcus