Ulysse Nardin's ref. 7536 holds a mythical status amongst studied chronograph collectors. In aesthetic, it closely resembles early pump pusher Cosmograph Daytonas. However, it is an order of magnitude rarer than any Daytona reference at minimum, one could spend decades seeking this reference and not ever find it available. It is also larger than the Cosmograph at 38mm, with a considerably more sculptural, masculine lug profile. Finally, it is objectively more carefully made in several key areas, including sporting fine traditional hand finishing techniques applied to its Valjoux 72, which is almost never seen elsewhere. For some more learned collectors, the 7536 is an endgame in itself.
Aesthetically, the slight changes here make a large visual impact. The case wears like a 38.5mm, with the extra lug-to-lug height and their massive chamfers. Its bezel is reminiscent of the era's Speedmaster, but more compact. Unlike both the Speedmaster and Daytona, it is a single piece of anodized aluminum rather than steel with an insert. The dial was made by Singer but sports an applied, mirror finish Ulysse Nardin anchor logo rather than print, which pays tribute to their importance in expanding the world map by making the first-ever marine chronometer in 1846 at HQ in Le Locle. The 7536 is the late 60s chronograph that is almost never discussed and scarcely seen, but is arguably just as, if not more, attractive than its contemporary peers like the Daytona, Carrera, and pre-moon Speedmaster.
The 7536 is thought to have been made for two years 1968-69. In that run, there are two executions with subtle differences, noted as -1 or -2 at the end of the reference. This is a 7536-2, which differs from the -1 in a few minute ways. First, the chronograph hand is white instead of steel. Second, there are tritium applications at 3-6-9, where the -1 does not apply them there. Third, the crown is signed. Finally, the movement decoration changed here from a larger-grained perlage in the -1 to a côtes de Genève on upper components like the bridge and balancecock with a perlage bottom plate.
But this example stands apart from every other 7536 known so far (only a handful have come to market to start). Thanks to much of its life spent in the Caribbean, its dial has aged from black to this remarkably light and even caramel tone. Phillips famously sold a 7536-2 way back in 2016 with what was the last known tropical example, a very dark brown just off black which achieved 70,420 USD at the Start Stop Reset auction. This is the deepest tropical dial example we know of to date.
The 7536 is one of the great chronographs lost to time, a high-water mark for classically sporting Ulysse Nardin. Ulysse Nardin held an illustrious history prior in chronograph manufacture, from tools made in the wake of WWII like the copper dial Valjoux 23 we sold last year all the way to this Daytona competitor. Sadly, this more refined aesthetic didn't really last through the quartz crisis; the house is still impressing today but with more avant-garde approaches like the Freak and Moonstruck. The 7536 is a reminder of what once was and what might have been: beautifully proportioned, exceptionally well-made, and purposefully designed.
