Ulysse Nardin welcomes the new Freak One Navy Blue watch, in its Freak timepiece collection

Since its founding in 1846, Ulysse Nardin has been distinguishing itself as an independent watch manufacturer, renowned for its ability to push the boundaries of creativity and engineering. This Swiss house, anchored in the town of Locle, has made its mark on the history of cutting-edge watchmaking, notably thanks to its commitment to innovation, precision and a non-conformist spirit. For your information, it was Ulysse Nardin himself who initiated this adventure by combining his love of ocean exploration with technical excellence, creating some of the most successful and awarded marine chronometers in the World.

However, Ulysse Nardin’s journey did not end with these early successes. His son, Paul-David Nardin, continued his father’s legacy with a bold philosophy, to achieve the impossible. By pushing the boundaries of materials and technologies, Ulysse Nardin has become a driving force in the world of fine watchmaking, defying conventions while integrating revolutionary new materials into its creations. This is the case of their Freak line, unveiling a new Freak One Navy Blue watch in 2024. By AP

An emblematic example of their constant quest for innovation would undoubtedly be their Freak watch, launched in 2001. A true masterpiece in the wide watchmaking world, since this Freak artwork never stopped to surprise any enthusiast with its radical design, without any dial, hands and crown, this piece of art inaugurated a new era in fine watchmaking (photo credits: Ulysse Nardin).

Thanks to its silicon components, this iconoclastic watch set new standards in terms of precision and reliability. Indeed, silicon, a high-tech material, rich of anti-magnetic properties, shock resistance and low friction, was already a strategic choice for Ulysse Nardin, which was able to take advantage of this innovative material to guarantee unrivaled watchmaking performance. By the way, this avant-garde material, initially revolutionary, is now a standard, adopted by the entire watch industry. Thereafter, the Freak watch, with its many variations, has become over the years a true icon for collectors and all watch enthusiasts. 

Thus, this watch represents the perfect alliance between tradition and innovation, and its influence extends far beyond the Ulysse Nardin manufacture. It seems that even the New York Times hailed this watch, by declaring that it had “revolutionized contemporary watchmaking”, thus marking the importance of the Freak model in the modern evolution of this sector. At the Watches and Wonders show in Geneva in 2023, the Ulysse Nardin company presented the new Freak ONE, a new iteration of this iconic model.

This black and gold timepiece quickly captured the attention of many public and experts, prompting the house to unveil an even bolder version in November of the same year, the Freak ONE OPS, during Dubai Watch Week. These two models demonstrate the company’s commitment to continually evolving its watchmaking heritage, through avant-garde designs and cutting-edge technologies.

The latest innovation in the Freak collection is the Freak One Navy Blue, unveiled in 2024. This revolutionary model, dressed in a deep indigo blue, truly embodies Ulysse Nardin’s historic connection to the marine world, while incorporating the most advanced technologies. The unique design of this watch, still without any dial or traditional hands, is a technical and aesthetic feat. In place of traditional hands, this watch uses an orbiting flying carousel, able to indicate your minutes, while a rotating navy blue disc, decorated with a sunray pattern, displays the random hours.

In fact, the Freak One Navy Blue’s 44mm case is crafted from lightweight titanium and coated with a black DLC coating, somehow giving it a modern and elegant look. The Carbonium® bezel adds a touch of sophistication with its unique textured appearance. This material, derived from recycled carbon fibers, from the aeronautics industry, has the advantage of reducing its environmental impact, by approximately 40% less compared to other carbon composites, illustrating Ulysse Nardin’s commitment to sustainable development.

At the heart of this Freak One Navy Blue is the UN-240 caliber, a self-winding manufacture movement, that offers an impressive 90-hour power reserve. This movement is a marvel of modern engineering, with an oversized silicon oscillator and balance spring, as well as an escape wheel and lever, made of DiamonSil®, a patented material, that combines silicon and synthetic diamond, for an increased durability. For instance, Ulysse Nardin’s Grinder® system, used for automatic winding, ensures maximum efficiency of energy transfer, while remaining robust and reliable.

Adding to this, one of the most striking features of this Freak One Navy Blue may certainly be again the absence of a dial, which allows you to admire all the intricate mechanics of this timepiece. Its timing elements, including the hour and minute indicators, are coated with Super-LumiNova®, ensuring excellent readability, especially in low-lighted environments. On top of that, this watch is water-resistant to 30 meters and is available with two rubber strap options, one with a blue and black ballistic texture, while the other one holds a two-tone sense, in blue and light gray. These straps, made from recycled materials, are both eco-friendly and elegant, in perfect harmony with the innovative spirit of the house.

Priced at €67,500, the Freak One Navy Blue is regarded as more than just a watch, since it represents a fusion of watchmaking tradition and cutting-edge technology, and is a testament to Ulysse Nardin’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of watchmaking.

More details on their official website.