Ulysse Nardin Unveils Midnight Express Powerboat at Miami Boat Show

Spectators at the Miami Boat Show got a treat today when Ulysse Nardin, pulled off the black drape and unveiled a sexy powerboat made by Midnight Express with their branding. Despite always having a nautical theme, the special edition powerboat was Swiss watchmaker’s first foray into the marine industry.

They chose their partner wisely. Midnight Express is the premier company building center console boats and the brand’s owners, The Glasers, are big watch collectors with many Ulysse Nardin time pieces in their collection. When approached by Bobby Yampolsky, Owner & Operator of the South Florida Ulysse Nardin boutiques, with the idea of a possible partnership between the brands, the Glasers were exited by the possibility of the co-branding opportunity.

The 43′ open boat features 4 Seven Marine 557hp motors, as well as Ulysse Nardin logo stitched, etched and painted onto the hillsides, embroidered upholstery, flooring and fiberglass. There are fun features throughout, including a pair of in-dash watch winders on the center console. “It’s a fantastic collaboration. Really perfect,” said Ulysse Nardin CEO Patrik Hoffmann, who was on hand for the event and boarding the boat for the first time that day. “Our whole history is based on marine [watches]—this is not just a marketing stunt.”

To commemorate the collaboration, Ulysse Nardin created an exclusive Marine Diver timepiece that references the fantastic new powerboat with wave patterns adorning the bezel and dial and stainless steel and marine blue color ways.

Photos by Hadley Henriette