THE FREAK COLLECTION IS AN ACT OF MODERN HOROLOGICAL ART AND CUTTING-EDGE MECHANICAL EXPERTISE EPITOMIZING ULYSSE NARDIN’S LONG-ESTABLISHED  WATCHMAKING SAVOIR-FAIRE.
WITH ITS DISRUPTIVE DESIGN AND REVOLUTIONARY TECHNICAL COMPONENTS, THE FREAK HAS BROKEN EVERY TRADITIONAL RULE OF WATCHMAKING. MOVEMENT IS KING.
WITH ITS ICONIC ORBITAL FLYING ONE-HOUR CARROUSEL, THE ROTATION OBSERVED IS GIVEN BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE WATCH ITSELF. AS WELL AS HAVING NO DIAL, NO HANDS AND NO CROWN, THE FREAK WAS ALSO THE FIRST MECHANICAL WATCH IN HISTORY WITH SILICON ESCAPEMENT WHEELS.
THE FREAK TRULY HARNESSES THE POWERFUL EXPRESSIVENESS OF THE TIME-TELLING ART. THE FREAK COLLECTION IS ULYSSE NARDIN’S FLAGSHIP AND THE MANUFACTURE’S CENTRE OF GRAVITY AS IT DEFINES ITS NEW INDEPENDENCE.
a freak is born
Ulysse Nardin introduced the Freak in 2001 under the headship of maverick owner Rolf Schnyder and genius watchmaker Dr. Ludwig Oechslin. It was a wild creation, a UFO in a land of convention and conservatism. A watch with no dial, no hands and no crown, Schnyder felt there was only one name for it: Freak. The Freak, as the first "hyperwatch" that heralded a new era, holds a privileged place in the history of Ulysse Nardin and of Haute Horlogerie. This iconic and radical timepiece, through its 13 variations, embodies the technical excellence and innovative spirit of the integrated Ulysse Nardin manufacture. From the Freak 2001, the precursor of the silicon wheel escapement, to the Freak ONE, the collection has always carried an experimental touch in its DNA. In its two decades of life, the Freak has constantly reset the boundaries of watch design and engineering.
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the FREAKS
THE CREATOR
ROLF W. SCHNYDER
Behind this unique project that changed the face of modern watchmaking is Rolf W. Schnyder (1943-2011). The former CEO of Ulysse Nardin transformed the traditional watchmaker into a leading innovator in the luxury watch industry during his nearly three-decade tenure.
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THE WATCHMAKING GENIUS
LUDWIG OECHSLIN
In the world of watchmaking, Ludwig Oechslin is known for his technical genius and his unconventional approach to horology. Fascinated by ancient history, he was entrusted by the Vatican to restore the Farnese Clock, a sophisticated seventeenth century astronomical pendulum clock which provides over 60 civil, astronomical and astrological readings.
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A laboratory
on the wrist
A Unique Concept
The Freak is in essence boundless. Its unique design serving its extraordinary technique makes the Freak an inimitable timepiece. The original Freak was a milestone watch brimming with cutting-edge tech and avant-garde design.
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No Hands, No Dial, no crown
NO DIAL - Typically, mechanical watches hide their workings under a dial. But the Freak has no dial. Its movement doubles as its minutes hand, while the hour hand is a pointer set on a rotating disc that sits under the movement.
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Unique Calibres
Beyond its unique aesthetics, the Freak collection is also characterized by highly complex Manufacture calibers specifically designed in-house for these exceptional timepieces.
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Silicon – A technological breakthrough
Look closely at the Freak’s heart and you will see that the balance wheel, hairspring and escapement are crafted from silicon. This space-age material is a hard blue gray crystalline solid that has revolutionized watchmaking for several reasons.
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The Freak that marked history
Freak
2001
A FREAK IS BORN
The first Freak of 2001 was an unlikely iconoclast: a wild creation in a land of convention and conservatism. Because it had no dial, no hands, and no crown, Rolf Schnyder, Ulysse Nardin’s CEO at that time, felt there was only one name for it: Freak.
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Freak X
2019
ALL FACETS OF THE DAILY FREAK
The Freak X abstracts the very essence of the Freak, namely an orbital oscillator and a silicon escapement, and realizes it in a more traditional automatic movement, which enables hand winding and setting via a crown.
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Freak S
2022
A ROCKET ON THE WRIST
Combining all the superlatives, the Freak S came into being in 2022 showcasing the expertise of Ulysse Nardin’s integrated Manufacture. While the Freak has always been as intellectually stimulating as it is visually captivating, the Freak S took the Freak collection to new heights.
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Freak One
2023
THE FREAK THAT BRIDGES THE PAST TO THE FUTURE
Freak ONE is the quintessence of Freak: as the direct descendent of the original Freak 2001, it features its three signature characteristics: no crown, no hands, and no dial. Movement is king as it tells time.
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No hands. no dial. No crown. no boundaries. No hands. no dial. No crown. no boundaries. No hands. no dial. No crown. no boundaries. No hands.
FREAK NATION
A tribe of trailblazers, risk-takers and free-thinkers, that transcends borders
and cultures. A movement towards unconventional perspectives,
ultimate freedom and pure inspiration.
By addressing every line of inquiry in modern watchmaking, be it aesthetic, technical, technological or conceptual and integrating them like never before, the Freak single-handedly launched an era of horological rebellion that altered the course of watchmaking forever. It is, indeed, quite the freak — a brilliant outlier that once tested the vanguard and now continues to push it. And in doing so, it has become the watch of choice for the trailblazers, risk-takers and free-thinkers of the world, for the bold of heart and spirit, and those unafraid to smash past boundaries and let their freak flag fly.