Freak One

THE LEGEND CONTINUES

The Freak collection is an act of modern horological art and cutting-edge mechanical expertise, epitomizing the long-established and audacious savoir-faire of the integrated Manufacture Ulysse Nardin. Thanks to its disruptive design and revolutionary technical components, the Freak has broken every traditional rule of watchmaking.

When the first Freak was launched in 2001, under the headship of maverick owner Rolf Schnyder and genius watchmaker Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, it was an unlikely iconoclast. Due to its three iconic characteristics – no dial, no hands, and no crown – Schnyder felt there was only one name for this wild creation: Freak. It was the first time that a movement had been deconstructed to express time on its own and, giving rise to completely new watchmaking codes celebrating mechanics. The Freak was also the first mechanical watch in history with silicon escapement wheels, ushering in the era of this revolutionary material in watchmaking.

The key concepts that define new-millennium watchmaking can be traced back to the Freak, which was the industry’s first hyperwatch: the concept of the engine as an art form, the movement laid bare in full display as the star; the concept of civil time telling transformed into kinetic art. Ulysse Nardin has considered the Freak as a watchmaking laboratory with more than twenty patents filed for the Freak and silicon technology since 2001.

Looking like no other timepiece – its design is dictated by the mechanics – and representing a key milestone in Haute Horlogerie history, the Freak truly stands out as a highly singular expression of time-telling art, and it embodies the ability of the independent Manufacture Ulysse Nardin to push the boundaries of high horology engineering since 1846.

This year, Ulysse Nardin introduces the Freak ONE, the quintessence of Freak. As the direct descendant of the original Freak 2001, it features its three signature characteristics: no dial, no hands, and no crown. The rotation observed is given by the movement itself, with its iconic orbital flying one-hour carrousel.