The Alluring Beauty of Enamel in the Newest Ulysse Nardin Freak S
Novelties

Hypnotic High-Tech: The Alluring Beauty of Enamel in the Newest Ulysse Nardin Freak S

The Maison shows its proficiency in arts and mechanics with a duo of Freak [S Enamel] models.

By Cait Bazemore
Contributor

Le Locle-based brand Ulysse Nardin completely changed the watch landscape with the Freak when the model debuted in 2001. However, the Freak is more than a watch – it’s a mindset that has come to define the Ulysse Nardin brand.

Its design introduced an entirely new time display, lacking a traditional dial, hands, or crown, achieved through over 20 patents. The original Freak also marked the first use of a new material that has gone on to revolutionize watchmaking: employing silicon in the escapement wheels.

The Maison is forever pushing the bounds of the art of watchmaking without losing its reverence for history and tradition. “We are anchored deeply in the past, with 1846 marking the birth of the brand, but we have always been pioneering,” emphasizes Jean-Christophe Sabatier, Chief Product Officer at Ulysse Nardin. “Even from the early days, our approach to marine chronometers was the Freak of that time period.”

In 2011, Ulysse Nardin acquired Donze Cadrans SA, the oldest atelier dedicated to enameling. Now, we see even more proof of the brand’s prowess in marrying elements of traditional watchmaking with the Maison’s own unique and contemporary artistry and innovative spirit in Ulysse Nardin’s newest additions to the Freak family: the Freak [S Enamel].
 

Masters of the Mechanical and the Arts

The Maison created the Freak S model just three years ago in 2022. It stands as the most complex time-only watch ever made and the world’s first automatic winding timepiece with two inclined oversized oscillators. According to Sabatier, this embodies the mantra that has always been behind the Freak and its original creator Ludwig Oechslin: simplicity is complexity.
 

The line also doubles down on the futuristic with two silicon balance wheels, two escapements treated with UN’s proprietary DIAMonSIL technology, the world’s smallest mechanical differential, the revolutionary Grinder automatic winding system, and a striking 3D architecture spanning six planes.

There is obviously a lot going on inside, so let’s take a deeper look at the movement powering this masterpiece: the manufacture UN-251.
 

Unlike traditional movements built on two planes, this calibre is crafted across six distinct gear planes to accommodate two silicon balance wheels set at a 20-degree incline and a vertical differential, marking the first calibre with a differential gear built with ball bearings.
 

Why is the use of ball bearings a big deal? Because these ceramic ball bearings optimize the entire energy chain by reducing friction and boosting efficiency. This results in the UN-251 being one of the most efficient time-only calibres.

Masters of the Arts

While the Freak S architecture is highly three-dimensional on its own, the combination of guilloché and enamel creates further movement and depth with a design that gives the look and feel of a limitless abyss.
 

For the new Freak [S Enamel] models, two bold colors of enamel lay the backdrop for these impressive technical achievements while presenting one of its own – this is the epitome of that respect to past and present, artistry and mechanics in perfect harmony. The hand-crafted guilloché-flinque rotating hour disc of the Freak [S Enamel] is not purely decorative; it’s a mechanical component of the movement that’s constantly in motion and built with precise tolerances and fitted with multiple screw points.

Lastly, to meet the technical and aesthetic requirements, the Maison chose 8-karat white gold (130 palladium, 120 silver, 750 gold) for its thermal stability. Only this composition can endure the extreme heat of repeated kiln firings without distortion.
 

“Both the art of enameling and the design of the Freak come with many constraints,” explains Sabatier. “If we did not have access to the best artisans in the world at our atelier Donze Cadrans, I do not think we could have achieved this model where the hour disk – which is a functional component that rotates on itself to indicate the hours on top of the dial – is enameled.

This required immense precision to execute the perfect thickness and flatness for the composition to be unimpeded. This is not just technical prowess,” he clarifies, “this is prowess of the human hands.”

Pricing & Availability

The new Freak [S Blue Enamel] and the Freak [S Red Enamel] are housed in a sturdy and lightweight 45mm titanium case and are available today for purchase. Each is produced in a highly limited run of just 50 pieces and priced at CHF 153,000.

 For more information, you can head over to the Ulysse Nardin website.

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