Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad
Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad with hand-guilloché dial
The Ulysse Nardin Freak S is one of the watches that most intrigued me throughout 2022. Perhaps the timing with this unfettered and futuristic layout is perfect, two years after see trade shows went digital, but it really certainly suggests that the Freak’s time has come. Typically the Freak’s novel dual top to bottom silicon balance system is a motivating watchmaking feat, although is considered hard to look away from the actual cool monolithic movement/dial, which often looks like a spaceship really case. Now, at Watches & Wonders 2024, Ulysse Nardin has unveiled the particular Freak S Nomad, supplies the watch a makeover in which, in my opinion, is a much better in shape for this style of watch.
The basic Freak S remains the same, with a 45mm case (water-resistant to 50m) and the UN-251 in-house motion, which indicates the time via a one-hour orbital flying wheel plus the hours via a rotating dvd with a hand underneath the movements. The aforementioned double balance tire is positioned at 20° along with runs at 2 .5 Hz, designed to make the seeing experience more impactful. By natural means, there is no crown, as the time period is set via a rotating frame that activates when the “lock” at 6 o’clock is usually lifted. Not only is the UN-251 one of the coolest watch activities on the market, it also features an effective “Grinder” automatic winding technique that connects the one to a frame with a number of blades that transfer electrical power from the slightest wrist activity to recharge the 72-hour power reserve.
While original Freak S presented a black DLC-coated ti and 18k rose gold event with an aventurine rotating hr disc and rose gold mobility bridges/decorations, the Freak S Nomad features a dark off white PVD-coated titanium case using carbon fiber side plates. This also swaps all the gold end on the movement for dim grey PVD, and perhaps by far the most potent design change could be the addition of a sand-coloured CVD rotating hour disc, as their hand-crafted diamond guilloché style is accomplished using an 18th-century rose-turning engine without electronic digital or laser guidance.