Our Story and Commitments
The Ultramarine adventure began with an observation made by watch enthusiast Lionel Bruneau. He felt that the legendary Swiss watchmaking industry—renowned for centuries-old craftsmanship that blends authenticity, quality, precision, and prestige—had unfortunately begun to lose its way, particularly regarding pricing.
Realizing that many other enthusiasts shared this view, Lionel founded Ultramarine in 2018. This new watch brand aimed to rewrite the rules of the game by offering the best possible watches at a carefully calculated price—with reasonable margins—in a "fair trade" spirit.
Driven by this vision, the French watch enthusiast—who is not a watchmaker himself but is always eager to share his perspective and expertise with others—pursued a somewhat audacious project: creating the kind of watches that even the Swiss themselves had stopped making.
It was a project that some industry insiders dismissed as impossible for someone with no background in watchmaking or prior experience as an entrepreneur.
"Hearing that it was impossible was a powerful motivator," says Lionel with a smile, recalling how he passionately embraced the Ultramarine challenge—a challenge that has now become a reality.
He dared to break the conventions of a market that sometimes seems disconnected from both reason and passion. He dared to reinvent a form of Swiss watchmaking that is ethical, sensible, and respectful of its customers—and that contributes financially to ocean conservation.
Following the success of its first two models—the Morse (2019) and the Albatros (2021)—Ultramarine is launching its first dive watch in 2026: the Beluga. To fulfill its mission, Ultramarine has chosen to make strong commitments—most notably by becoming the first (and currently the only) brand on the market to simultaneously commit to the following:
Commitment #1: Superior Quality.
Ethical and conscientious Swiss watchmaking requires a commitment to the quality of one's creations and the use of the finest components; Ultramarine works with the best suppliers of movements and parts. This local anchoring allows us to guarantee the quality and reliability of our products.
Commitment #2: Reasonable prices, with full transparency.
Because conscientious Swiss watchmaking also means selling at a fair price, Ultramarine is committed to transparency regarding its production methods and profit margins. Our pricing hovers a x 2.5 multiple of manufacturing costs, whereas most watches are sold at 5 to 10 times their production cost.
Commitment #3: Concrete actions to preserve the oceans.
Because conscientious Swiss watchmaking respects the planet—and because we are passionate about the ocean—Ultramarine is committed to protecting the marine ecosystem, the planet's largest, to the best of its ability.