Ulysse Nardin Spent Two Years Shrinking The Freak. Do We Like It?

I’ve been fascinated by the Freak since the day I first saw it in 2001. When Ulysse Nardin brought the watch to New York a quarter century ago, I spent a  couple of hours with then-owner Rolf Schnyder and the watch’s creator, Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, discussing a concept that seemed almost impossible at the time. There were no hands. No traditional dial. No crown. Instead, the movement itself told the time.

It wasn’t just a new watch. It was a new way of thinking about watchmaking.

Over the past quarter century, I’ve watched the Freak evolve from a disruptive concept into one of modern watchmaking’s most important icons. Along the way, it helped usher silicon technology into mainstream haute horlogy, generated dozens of patents and inspired an entire generation of unconventional watch design.

Now, as Ulysse Nardin celebrates both its 180th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Freak, it introduces the new Freak [X], a thoroughly reengineered version housed in a smaller 41mm case.

I’m conflicted.

 

Here’s my confession: I’m unsure if this is the one for me. While I appreciate the new 41mm proportions, I admit I have a soft spot for the larger Freak models that came before it. Their greater size amplified the drama of the flying carousel movement and gave the watch an unmistakable wrist presence. Still, today’s market clearly favors more wearable dimensions, making the new Freak [X] a logical evolution of the collection.

And, more importantly, Ulysse Nardin deserves enormous credit for accomplishing what it has here. To fit the Freak’s complex architecture into a redesigned 41mm case required the development of an entirely new movement, the automatic manufacture Caliber UN-232, a project that took more than two years to complete.

The new caliber is slimmer, more efficient and more technically advanced than its predecessor. It incorporates a DIAMonSIL escapement for the first time in a Freak [X], along with an oversized silicon balance wheel, silicon hairspring and a rose-gold micro-rotor integrated directly into the movement. Despite the compact dimensions, it still delivers a 72-hour power reserve.

The watch retains everything that makes a Freak a Freak. The flying carousel completes one revolution per hour to indicate the minutes, while a pointer on the rotating hour disc displays the hours. The movement remains the display. There are still no traditional hands.

In addition to the case being reduced from 43mm to 41mm, the watch’s water resistance has increased to 100 meters, and a new glass-box sapphire crystal enhances visibility of the mesmerizing mechanism. While there is a gold version of the new monobloc case, there is also a case crafted from 80 percent recycled steel, reflecting Ulysse Nardin’s ongoing commitment to environmentally conscious manufacturing.

There are three launch editions. My favorite aesthetically is probably the blue version, whose gradient sunburst hour disc brings a welcome burst of color to the highly technical architecture. It joins a more understated grey model in recycled steel and a warmer rose-gold edition with a black hour disc and alligator strap.

Of course, the brand offers the watch with interchangeable straps in different colors and leathers, as well as rubber and a stainless steel bracelet. Prices range from $41,200 for a strap steel model, to $42,400 for the bracelet version and $64,000 for the 18-karat gold Freak (X) 41.

Whether collectors ultimately prefer the new 41mm size is a matter of personal taste. What isn’t a matter of opinion is the technical achievement. Ulysse Nardin has successfully reengineered one of watchmaking’s most unconventional movements for a smaller, more wearable case without compromising its identity.