Ulysse Nardin Freak X 25th Anniversary Watch
Dr. Ludwig Oechslin designed the original Freak in 2001 with no hands, no dial, and no crown, using the movement itself as a rotating carousel to tell time. Twenty-five years later, Ulysse Nardin rebuilds the Freak X for the anniversary: a 41mm monobloc case (down from 43mm) in 80% recycled steel or rose gold, a lug-to-lug trimmed to 47.3mm from 49.6mm, and a thickness reduced to 10.3mm from 10.7mm. The new in-house UN-232 caliber drives the carousel with a rose gold micro-rotor, the first time the Freak X has used micro-rotor winding, and a DIAMonSIL escapement that coats silicon components in a diamond layer to cut friction and wear. A silicon balance wheel and hairspring from Ulysse Nardin's SIGATEC lab keep the 216-component movement running at 3Hz for a 72-hour power reserve. Water resistance doubles to 328 feet behind a screw-down crown, and an interchangeable strap system adds a new metal bracelet with 2mm micro-adjustment on both sides. The carousel still marks minutes by spinning itself once an hour, the same trick Oechslin built in 2001. The caliber turning it, and the case holding it, are both new.
