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Overturning traditional notions of form
and function, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak holds
a unique place in watchmaking history:
It is a timepiece like no other
It is a timepiece like no other
If ever there was a competition for a watch name that says it all, Ulysse Nardin’s
groundbreaking Freak would win hands down. Recognised as the timepiece that changed
the face of modern watchmaking singlehandedly, the Freak wiped the horological workbench
clean of its cobwebs and centuries-old conventions of how wristwatches should look and
function. It had no crown, no dial and no hands to speak of. Plus, the Freak featured an
escapement made of silicon — a common enough material used in the watch industry today
(thanks to Ulysse Nardin) but completely unheard of at the time of its 2001 debut.
As the timepiece’s name proudly proclaimed, it was a true freak of nature and — as any
true iconoclast is wont to do — caused as much consternation among the conservatives as
it did excitement among the visionaries when it first came out. The one thing that everyone
could agree on was that Freak heralded the inevitable: A new horological dawn had arrived;
a revolution had begun.
Twenty-two years later, it’s still easy to see why the Freak caused the uproar that it did.
There is nothing quite like it in existence — conceptually, aesthetically or technologically —
despite the encompassing selection of modernist wristwatches available today. Placing its
movement at the front and centre of its creation before culling all other elements deemed
superfluous, the Freak bears futuristic, avant-garde looks that hint at the cutting-edge
technologies it contains. Over 20 patents have been filed in the last two decades to produce
a watch that perpetuates an expression of horology in its purest, most unadulterated form.
Over 20 patents have
been filed to produce
a watch that
perpetuates an
expression of horology
in its purest, most
unadulterated form.
The Iconoclast
A fleet of Freak iterations has since been unleashed into the world, yet the watches share
common principles that unite them. The Freak’s flying carousel movement — its raison
d’être — always takes pride of place. Below it lies a barrel cover that makes a full rotation
every 12 hours, allowing it to serve as the watch’s hour hand, with a Super-LumiNova-filled
arrow to point the way. The movement bridge sits above this barrel cover. It supports the
exposed gear train, the oversized silicon oscillator and, more importantly, the 60-minute
orbital flying carousel tourbillon with yet another Super-LumiNova V-shaped pointer to mark
the minutes.
In place of a crown, the Freak’s innovative time-setting system is operated through its
bidirectional bezel, which rotates the entire movement when turned either way. Lift the
“Freak” emblazoned locker at the six o’clock position to unlock the bezel and set the time
before pressing the locker down again to lock it in place.
More action can be found at the back of the timepiece with its rotatable notched caseback
that allows you to wind its mainspring. Although truth be told, you won’t be using it all
that often: The Freak is also equipped with Ulysse Nardin’s patented automatic Grinder
winding system that boasts high energy-capturing efficiency, thanks to its oscillator, which
is connected to four blades instead of the usual two to turn even the slightest of wrist
movements into energy.
Always sharing the spotlight is the watch’s oversized silicon oscillators, which played such
a pivotal role in pioneering the use of the material in watchmaking. When it was introduced
in 2001, silicon was dismissed with a wave of the hand as a mere novelty. Today, it is
considered the go-to material for 21st-century watchmaking, used by brands that span from
Breguet to Zenith for properties that provide myriad performance benefits.
WITH SUCH UNASSAILABLE FOUNDATIONS TO
BUILD ON, IT’S NO WONDER THAT THE FREAK
HAS CONSISTENTLY HELD ITS PLACE AT THE
FOREFRONT OF HOROLOGY.
The Descendents
With such unassailable foundations to build on, it’s no wonder that the Freak has consistently
held its place at the forefront of horology through the years by building its own technical and
time-telling vocabulary. The Freak ONE, launched at the start of this year, exemplifies this.
Positioned as the direct descendant of the original Freak of 2001, the Freak ONE was
designed to be the quintessential Freak, with over 20 years of innovations to its name.
It’s regulated by a silicon hairspring that was introduced in 2008’s Freak Blue Phantom, and
features an escapement that has been treated with DIAMonSIL — a synthetic diamond and
silicium plasma surface treatment introduced in 2007 and patented in 2009 — for improved
performance. The patented automatic Grinder winding system of 2018’s Freak Vision is also
found here, as are its legibility codes that extend themselves to the Freak ONE’s face. Couple
all that with the open gear train of 2013’s Freak Cruiser, and what you have is a well-curated
showcase that presents the best of the collection’s 22-year history within a 44mm black
DLC-coated titanium case.
The Freak’s
unapologetically
unorthodox attitude and
forward-looking spirit
have gathered a cult of
like-minded loyalists on
its shores.
Then, there’s 2022’s Freak S which made headlines for delivering a souped-up-looking space
rocket straight to your wrist. Staying true to Freak principles, the dial-less, hand-less and
crown-less watch saw the independent manufacture flexing its muscles on the premiere of
its first-ever twin-balance watch with a differential, made all the more unique for its self-winding nature. Two oversized silicon balance wheels (a signature of the UN 251 manufacture
movement) are positioned on 20° inclined planes and are linked by a vertical differential.
This vertical differential averages the balance wheel rates for an even energy distribution to
the watch’s regulating organs since the movement of the wrist generates a slight difference
in amplitude. The result is a visually captivating, technically astounding 45mm timepiece that
equally appeals to design-centricists as it does horology geeks.
Unsurprisingly, the Freak’s unapologetically unorthodox attitude and forward-looking spirit
have gathered a cult of like-minded loyalists on its shores. In 2019, Ulysse Nardin released the
43mm Freak X to allow more fans to partake in the legend. Equipped with a new baguette-shaped flying carousel self-winding movement, Caliber UN-230, the watch had one main
difference that set it apart from its precursors: A simpler movement with a conventional
crown to set the time. It’s the manufacture's most affordable and varied Freak to date, with
design options like aventurine glass hour discs or carbonium cases putting forth a propelling
proposition.
Ulysse Nardin will go
down in the annals of
horology as the genius
who turned science
fiction into fact.
The Legend
Revolutions have always been led by youths passionate about bringing change to the
systems set in place by the generations before. In this respect, Ulysse Nardin is a unicorn
in the watchmaking industry. With its avant-gardist spirit and experimental attitudes, the
independent Le Locle manufacture is backed by nearly 180 years of history, rich with
chronometers, métiers d’art dress watches and Haute Horlogerie timepieces that inject a
healthy dose of play through microtechnology.
For deconstructing the art of time-telling down to its nucleus, while introducing modern
watchmaking to silicon and its wonders, Ulysse Nardin will go down in the annals of horology
as the genius that turned science fiction into fact — not least in the form of its Freak.
The Hour Glass is the exclusive retailer of Ulysse Nardin in Singapore.
Photos: Ulysse Nardin and The Hour Glass
