Ulysse Nardin charts new territories with the Freak S Nomad – a 99-piece limited edition defined by its spaceship-inspired movement.
2001: A FREAK ODYSSEY
When Ulysse Nardin introduced the Freak at the turn of the third millennium, it broke all the rules of conventional fine watchmaking with a dial-free, hands-free and crown-free design, and a beating heart built around the use of high-tech silicon to combat the stresses placed on a watch’s moving parts, ushering in the age of silicon in watchmaking. In the two decades since, the Freak’s unconventional profile has made it a Ulysse Nardin flagship and a winner of the Iconic Watch Prize at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
A FREAK ODYSSEY
The original #UlysseNardinFreak, released more than twenty years ago, broke the rules of watchmaking back in its time and marked a milestone in contemporary horology. Not only with its spectacular design but also by pioneering the use of silicon in watchmaking. pic.twitter.com/9jGgnyG2PO— Ulysse Nardin (@ulysse_nardin) January 3, 2023
2022: FREAK S – THE MILLENNIUM FALCON OF WATCHMAKING
The Freak is both highly technical and playful. The Freak S brought the point home with a carousel movement that looked like a space vessel with twin reactors. Behind the aesthetic were two oscillating balance wheels linked to a differential that averaged them out to deliver greater precision. The Freak S integrates a Grinder automatic winding system, a world premiere for double oscillator.
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2024: FREAK S NOMAD – FUTURE MEETS TRADITION
At Watches and Wonders 2024, Ulysse Nardin introduced the next chapter in the story of the Freak by unveiling the Freak S Nomad, The new 99-piece limited edition watch is characterised by its avant-garde movement, which at first glance evokes a spaceship. That look comes from the architecture of the Freak S’s Calibre UN-251 manufacture movement, a flying carousel that rotates around its own axis. It features two oscillators with silicon balance wheels inclined at 20 degrees (that look like launch pads) and escapements treated with high-tech DIAMonSIL for added precision and durability. These are linked by a vertical differential system mounted on ball bearings. Winding is taken care of by Ulysse Nardin’s innovative Grinder winding system, an automatic system that’s twice as efficient as a traditional automatic system.
Encased in 45mm titanium, the movement features bridges coated in anthracite PVD, a minute hand with luminous Super-LumiNova that glows light blue in the dark. The exceptional timepiece is equipped with a choice of two straps: one anthracite rubber “ballistic”; and a second in matte anthracite alligator that’s open-worked to reveal sand-coloured calfskin leather accents.
RARE HANDCRAFT: DIAMOND GUILLOCHÉ
The Freak S Nomad is a design and technical maverick, no doubt, but, at the same time, it’s a paradox because it also testifies to Ulysse Nardin’s deep love for haute horlogerie, métiers d’art and the rare handcrafts and finishing techniques that define only the most exquisite luxury watches.
No element in the Freak S Nomad better illustrates this passion than the hour disc that sits behind the carousel “spaceship” movement. It features a diamond guilloché pattern finished in sand-coloured CVD, a nod to waving sand dunes. Produced one piece at a time by a skilled artisan, the painstaking method behind it takes years to learn and perfect. It involves a rare 18th-century rose engine, turned entirely by hand, with no electronics and no laser guidance.
Each dial is a beautiful sequence of intersecting curves, requiring 240 continuous movements a three-hour period. Because the pattern is the result of one continuous movement, the guillocheur must not lift over their hand or even flinch so as to ensure the seamlessness of the pattern. No comfort breaks. No time for coffee. It requires a freakish level of concentration, skill and patience.
Why undertake this by hand? For three reasons. First, because of the romance and beauty in hand-craftsmanship. As machines become smarter, faster and more detached, so they become less emotional, and so the value of hand-craftsmanship becomes more eternal. Second is that because there are no machines involved, there are no vibrations, which makes the finish smoother and more accurate. And finally, because each plate is crafted by hand, no two are exactly the same.
