Watches of Switzerland explores modern watchmaking savoir-faire with the Ulysse Nardin Freak S to mark 100 years of retailing the world’s most spectacular watches.
Watches of Switzerland is delighted to continue its centenary series of limited-edition watches with the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition, a run of 10 pieces that celebrates one of the 21st century’s few watchmaking icons, the Freak.
A FREAK EVENT
Some backstory. Released in 2001, the Freak was exactly what its name suggest ed. It told the time, and yet it had no dial, no hands and no crown. Instead, its movement became its hands, and it was adjust ed using a mechanism hidden in its bezel.
As inventive as its design and function were some of its components: the Freak was the first watch to use silicon in a watch movement. By the time of the watch’s release, the high-tech material was common in electronics, but it was unproven in watchmaking, until Ulysse Nardin identified it had a number of significant advantages. It was anti-magnetic, anti-shock, largely resist ant to extreme changes in temperature, and it was almost frictionless, too. On top of that, it was elastic and easily shaped, and it could be produced to very fine tolerances. This made it the perfect watchmaking material.
Ulysse Nardin gave the original Freak a silicon escapement with a groundbreaking new design, kick-starting an era of advanced mechanical precision and reliability that in the 23 years since has seen silicon adopted by all manner of watch companies. But history will always show that Ulysse Nardin’s bizarre, ingenious, rule-breaking Freak was first.
PARTNERS IN TIME
Founded in 1924, Watches of Switzerland has always presented its customers with the finest selection of beautifully designed and engineered watches. Watches of Switzerland’s relationship with Ulysse Nardin goes back generations and so it was one of the first to recognise the vision and subsequent collectability of the first Freak of 2001.
In its centenary year, the international luxury retailer has come together with the much-loved independent Swiss watch manufacture to produce the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition, a spectacular iteration on the Freak S, the superlative execution of the contemporary Freak.
Like the original Freak, this high horology piece has no dial, no hands and no crown. Instead, the time is relayed by the watch’s Calibre UN-251 Manufacture, an automatic flying carrousel movement that rotates on its own axis once every 60 minutes, so that a pointed, lume-coated section of the main bridge becomes the minutes hand.
A WATCHMAKING ODYSSEY
The Freak S debuted in 2022 and the sci-fi, spaceship-like form of its movement quickly became instantly recognisable to watchmaking cognoscenti. Beyond its memorable aesthetic, it boasted a series of technical advances: it had a double silicon oscillator, a double escapement in a high-tech, high-performance silicon and synthetic diamond composite called DiamonSil®, a vertical differential, and a new automatic winding system called Grinder® that was twice as efficient as a traditional winding system. The case also had a clever construction that meant it could be produced using a creative, often unexpected combination of materials.
All of these qualities have been passed through into the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition. Its 45mm case is cast in anthracite-PVD-coated titanium and then paired with a grey titanium bezel that’s released by a grey titanium locker at 6 o’clock so that it can be rotated to set the time. A matching anthracite PVD coating has been added to Calibre UN-251 Manufacture’s gear train.
The watch is set on an anthracite-coloured “ballistic” rubber strap with a weave pattern that’s finished with violet stitching. And the case back offers a view into the movement through a sapphire crystal that sits in a grey titanium surround engraved with the words “Watches of Switzerland 1924-2024”.
CRYSTALIUM CLEAR
While these details are dramatic in their own right, the most visually arresting element of the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition is the crystallium plate that sits underneath its movement, a thrilling example of Ulysse Nardin’s modern savoir-faire and craftsmanship.
Crystallium is a form of crystallised ruthenium, an exceptionally rare metal believed to have a production 10 times less substantial than that of platinum. To achieve crystallium, ruthenium is submitted to a procedure that can last a few days, during which it’s grown by vaporisation on a substrate.
This creates an organic finish that can then be coloured with a PVD treatment: in this case, Watches of Switzerland and Ulysse Nardin have given it a whimsical, almost regal purple-violet hue, chosen for its unique variations of reflection ranging from blue to red that catch light in a special way. Because of the way they’re formed, no two crystallium plates are the same, making each of the 10 limited-edition watches unique.
The Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition is a spectacular achievement of high horology and a beautiful, landmark tribute to the Freak, to Ulysse Nardin’s wildly inventive watchmaking philosophy, and to the continuing spirit of collaboration that defines the partnership between Watches of Switzerland and Ulysse Nardin.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Ulysse Nardin on a limited-edition Freak S model as part of our centenary series. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to offering the very best in watchmaking savoir-faire to our clients who have a true passion for niche brands. The expansion of our portfolio only opens new opportunities for our clients to experience exceptional precision and craftsmanship,” says Craig Bolton, President of the Watches of Switzerland Group UK and Europe.
“We are proud and honored to celebrate the Centenary of our highly valued partner Watches of Switzerland with a very exclusive creation that pushes the boundaries of Haute Horlogerie in terms of design, pioneering technology, and unmatched craftsmanship. With no dial, no hands, and no crown, like the revolutionary Freak that changed the face of contemporary watchmaking in 2001, the Freak S is the most complicated time-only watch and the most complex Freak currently in production. Equipped with the patented and revolutionary Grinder technology, the Freak S is the only watch with double silicium oscillators powered by an automatic winding system. It also reveals the smallest mechanical differential ever created. This exceptional timepiece showcases Ulysse Nardin’s unparalleled craftsmanship with its rare crystallium hour disc,” says Matthieu Haverlan, Managing Director of Ulysse Nardin.
Ulysse Nardin will have a dedicated pop-up exhibition at the following London Watches of Switzerland showrooms throughout October: 155 Regent Street, Battersea, Bishopsgate, Knightsbridge, and Canary Wharf.
The Ulysse Nardin Freak S Watches of Switzerland Centenary Edition is limited to 10 pieces and is only available through Watches of Switzerland, priced at £143,870 (including VAT), CHF 155,000 (including VAT), and USD 163,500 (before tax).