New: Ulysse Nardin at Watches & Wonders 2024
Are you ready for faster-than-light flight?
When Ulysse Nardin fake entered the new millennium, they decided to launch a watch that was different, a watch that could fly into space, not just tell time. That watch was the Freak! This watch was futuristic and light years ahead of its closest competitors in every way. Needless to say, it was a huge success among journalists and fans. 23 years later, the Freak has undergone some changes and innovations to make it more relevant and dynamic, as it is destined to fly into the unknown, all without straying from its original concept, which was a rotating or spinning movement and a crownless winding system.
At the recent Watches & Wonders show, Ulysse Nardin decided to re-introduce its majestic Calibre UN-251 with twin oscillators and a silicon balance escapement made of diamond-coated silicon and equipped with a differential automatic winding system with blade technology, the Freak [S Nomad], which we last saw in the Freak S in 2022. For this latest version, it has been given a monochrome aesthetic. The Freak S Nomad features a 45mm titanium case and lock, with a PVD-coated titanium bezel surrounding the dial. A pair of brackets on each side of the case, with carbon fiber integrated lugs, slightly break the monotony with subtle detailing of the case.
The main highlight of the new Freak S Nomad is the disc, but it is not the dial, as Ulysse Nardin designers and craftsmen have cleverly added an hour disc just below the rotating movement. The CVD-coated hour disc is a manifestation of the Metier d’art craftsmanship and is decorated with an 18th-century hand-guilloché diamond pattern. It blends the futuristic with a touch of ancient tradition. They work so well together, the diamond guilloche pattern gives the impression of a twin-engine spaceship flying into the vortex of deep space, while as the disc turns, it catches the light at different angles, seemingly giving the disc a life of its own. Above is the UN-251 with its 70-hour power reserve. It’s ready to take you on a journey through the galaxies of the universe.
