Ulysse Nardin Freak ONE embraces and dresses up atypical complications Mechanical watchmaking has evolved tremendously over the past few decades, which is impressive for something that had become technically redundant just over 50 years ago. Ulysse Nardin is a pioneer of modernity, first with its remarkable marine chronometers in the 19th century and then in 2001 with the first Freak watch. 22 years on, it’s incredible how much the luxury watchmaking industry has done to find beauty in distortion, and now the new Ulysse Nardin Freak ONE is an extremely attractive watch that retains All the reckless signature style of the original watch.
If you're not familiar with the history of the Ulysse Nardin Freak, you may not know how important its existence is. It was one of the first products to break down the barrier between engineering and aesthetics, and dispelled many preconceptions about watches. With the entire gear train and flying tourbillon contained within the minute hand, the traditional definitions of movement, case and dial do not apply here.
If you break things down and stop to consider the technical complexity they've achieved, the Ulysse Nardin Freak ONE is actually a fairly simple watch for the person who wears it. The oversized silicon oscillator used in the tourbillon emits a milky blue light and sits opposite the luminous arrow, while the entire bridge doubles as a minute hand when reading the time. The hour hand is actually a floating mysterious hand that rotates on a sapphire disc underneath the “movement” and remains surprisingly legible. You may have noticed that there is no protruding crown on the case to spoil its silhouette, instead the time can be set by unlocking and twisting the bezel without too much fuss.
For a statement watch like the Ulysse Nardin Freak ONE, wear resistance isn’t a primary concern, but the 44mm titanium case keeps its size in check with a black DLC coating. UN is never afraid to experiment with color but opts for a classic black and gold combination, with 18k 5N gold bezel and dial details giving the Freak surprising formal versatility. The integrated lug design offers three strap options, including black "ballistic" textured rubber, two-tone rubber and matte black alligator leather straps.