The Gumball 3000 Car Rally Announces a Freak(y) Partnership with Ulysse Nardin

Started by British motorsports fan and entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper in 1999, the Gumball 3000 outlaw car rally draws together an international crowd of celebrities, near-celebrities, and avid amateur racers to do battle on public roads (in full sight—er, avoidance of law enforcement).

Participants pay an entry fee of, it is rumored, up to $85,000 to take their vehicle on an unforgettable road trip (and, for many, to check something off their bucket list, too). Vehicles range from classic cars to hypercars to specially customized, barely street-legal metal.
 

Over the course of 3,000 miles and six intense days, approximately 120 vehicles play out a velocity-driven drama that is half serious car rally race and half a demimonde of extras straight off a Mad Max set. Fortunately, there are some intriguing and often luxurious stopovers to help the participants re-energize (and hose off the mud) during the race.

The first Gumball 3000 ran from London to Rimini, Italy, and brought out car-loving notables like Kate Moss, Guy Ritchie, and Kylie and Dani Minogue. It has also been filmed for MTV’s Jackass series and prompted the fun 2023 documentary Gumball 3000: The Movie, narrated by none other than the actor-avatar of speed-limit scofflaws everywhere, Burt Reynolds.
 

The 25th Edition of the race runs this year from September 14th to 22nd. It will pit the drivers and vehicles against the highways (and some of the more dubious roadways) of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia before culminating at the finish line in Singapore (just in time for that city’s F1 Grand Prix) on Sunday, the 22nd.

However, this year, the racers will get a special perk courtesy of Ulysse Nardin.
 

As the race’s founder, Maximillion Cooper, explained in the press release for the new Freak X Gumball 3000 Limited Edition: “Celebrating 25 years of Gumball 3000 is a huge milestone, and partnering with Ulysse Nardin to create something truly special felt like the perfect way to mark it.

“Each driver will have the opportunity to customize their special Freak X watch to match their team number, making it a tribute to the spirit of individuality and adventure that defines our rally.
 

“Just like Gumball, the Freak X breaks the mold – it’s bold, unconventional, and engineered for those who aren’t afraid to push boundaries.”

The new Freak X Gumball 3000 Limited Edition is a boldly colorful execution of the elegant Freak X featuring a resplendently orange colorway with a 43mm forged Carbonium case that is very lightweight. Turn it over, and the unmistakable and cartoonish “Gumball Rally 3000” logo writ large on the caseback.
 

The orangey iridescent hour and minute arrows attached to the Freak X’s signature movement flying carousel, its high-tech rubber strap, and logo-stamped caseback cover the playful aspirations of the Freak X Gumball 3000.

Meanwhile, the black DLC titanium case top and bottom and the Carbonium side case pieces read as deadly technical and race-worthy. The case also provides 50m of water resistance, which isn’t needed for a car race but is nice to have nonetheless.
 

Finally, the automatic UN-230 manufacture calibre movement provides 72 hours of power reserve and is also visible via the case back. All we can say is, start your engines!

Indeed, the 150-piece Freak X Gumball 3000 Limited Edition will first be offered to the rally participants, who can customize the timepiece with their team number. But do the math: If there are 125 participants and only 150 watches, it doesn’t look good for us speed-limit-abiding normies.

There is hope, however, because Ulysse Nardin has said it will accept inquiries for the watch after the rally drivers have had the right of first refusal.
 

No pricing was available at press time; however, the Gumball 3000 Limited Edition is based on the 43mm Freak X model (with a Carbonium case or case components) that ranges from about $29,800 to about $35,000). To learn more, check out the Ulysse Nardin website.