Founding his company in 1846, Ulysse Nardin first trained in horology under his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, and perfected his skills under the tutelage of Frederic William Dubois and Louis JeanRichard-dit-Bressel, two master watchmakers whose fame extended beyond the mountains of Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Ulysse Nardin's marine chronometers have seen service with the navies of some 50 countries during the mid-1800s.

In 1983, the company was acquired by businessman Rolf Schnyder who, in conjunction with watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, relaunched the brand. Schnyder and Oechslin would aim to produce complication timepieces using modern materials and manufacturing techniques.

In 2014, Ulysse Nardin was acquired by the Kering Group, formerly known as PPR.