ULYSSE NARDIN
Newly departed from the Kering Group, Ulysse Nardin unveiled two new references in its ground-breaking Freak collection – with central-rotating calibre indicating hours and minutes – which is still pioneering unconventional technology and design after more than 20 years. Although a silicium balance wheel features prominently on the dial of both timepieces, the Freak X Aventurine employs a self-winding UN-230 movement directly developed from existing calibres and is thus somewhat more conventional in appearance. The Freak S, however, uses an entirely new UN-251 motor developed by watchmaker Carole Forestier-Kasapi with help from Ochs und Junior’s Ludwig Oechslin, which takes up most of the centre of the dial and resembles nothing that’s gone before it.
Both watches come in cases of titanium and rose gold, though the Freak S also gets black ceramic and DLC; dials are black also, but in the case of the Freak X Aventurine it’s more a glittering blue-black. Inevitably these are limited editions: the X is available in 99 pieces, while the S, which is some three-and-ahalf times more costly, is being made in a run of 75 examples.