Weird Science
The latest member of the Ulysse Nardin Freak Family returns with a familiar calibre, says Jamie Tan, but comes in a technical material backed by a range of striking new colours
WHEN ULYSSE NARDIN FIRST launched the Freak in 2001, the watch was already revolutionary for its maverick design, atypical structure, and usage of silicon components. On hindsight, this was also one of the timepieces that heralded the current age of watchmaking as we know it, with new materials and technology powering mind-boggling complications and radically new approaches to timekeeping. The Freak Out is the latest addition to the family, and follows the Freak Vision launched at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in January. This newest member retains the classic hallmarks of a Freak by having no crown, dial or hands, but comes with a restyled case and bezel borrowed from 2017’s Innovision 2 concept watch. To set the time, one presses the tab at six o’clock and turns the bezel. Winding the watch, on the other hand, is done by turning g the rotating caseback. The manually-wound d UN-205 calibre housed within the watch is a familiar one, and explains the lack of hands and a dial. In lieu of hands, the entire baguette-shaped movement is mounted on a bridge that rotates once per hour to double up as the minutes hand. The spinning g movement, in turn, drives a separate indicator that serves as the hour “hand”. This arrangement doesn’t just look visually arresting and remove the need for a dial, but ut also turns the balance wheel into an orbital carrousel—the balance is, after all, rotating around the dial once an hour. With its UN-205 movement, the Freak O Out continues the collection’s use of si silicon. This calibre sports two silicon esca escape wheels—one in teal, and the other in pu purple—near the watch’s centre. Their strik striking colours highlight the atypical twin-twin-escape escap wheel architecture of the movement movement—further proof of Ulysse Nardin’s penchant f for improved mechanics. Silicon itself confe confers more than visual benefits— thethe materi material isn’t just lighter and more precisely manufactured vis-a-vis steel, but also has almost zero friction, and thus require requires no lubrication. Fou Four references of the Freak Out are a available, executed in titanium. The Freak Out Full Black is almost ent entirely blacked out, and looks the spo sportiest and most masculine among the them. The Freak Out Black Gold, mea meanwhile, has a titanium-grey case and b black dial, with a gold gear train and movem movement bridge lending a touch of luxe. The rem remaining two references come with blue dia dials; the Freak Out of the Blue has a simpler co colour scheme of just blue and silver, while the Freak Blue Gold has dashes of gold serving as accents.