One of the more interesting phenomenons in higher end watches is taking a bold, brash, complex design and deciding to make it simpler and more streamlined. You could argue that this goes against the whole point of such a design, but of course it’s a way for a brand to draw additional, perhaps less adventurous, customers. It also makes for a watch that is more approachable from a financial perspective as well, which is an additional added benefit if you’re trying to grow your customer base of exotic watch buyers used to six figure Super Watches.
The Freak X is maybe my favorite example of this. It begs the impossible question: what is a more sedate Freak, exactly, and why would we want one? I’m a huge Freak fan. It’s importance in the avant-garde and independent watchmaking world simply cannot be underestimated. But, I think we all have to admit, it’s a tough watch to get your arms around in its traditional Freak form. It’s crownless, dial-less, hand-less, and is that rare watch that truly does need a bit of an explainer to the uninitiated. It’s not immediately intuitive. The Freak X attempts to solve this by cloaking the Freak in the guise of a normal watch, at least to the extent that’s even possible.
Ulysse Nardin has just introduced a new generation of the Freak X, coinciding with the Freak’s 25th anniversary. It’s a complement of sorts to the Super Freak, the freakiest Freak ever, unveiled earlier this year at Watches & Wonders. The new Freak X is a Freak at the opposite end of the spectrum, simplified, streamlined, and in these new references completely revamped, component by component.
The most important changes to the Freak X really come down to the case. The Freak now has an authentically midsize option (in steel or rose gold), with the updated Freak X coming in at 41mm in diameter, and 10.35mm tall (it’s 47.3mm from lug to lug). That’s a reduction in every measurement. The first Freak X was 43mm in diameter and extended to nearly 50mm from lug to lug. The dimensions are achievable through an updated monobloc case construction. If I’m being honest, the case is a little pedestrian for a Freak, but that’s a trade off you’re making with the Freak X, I suppose, to have a more wearable watch.
We also get a brand new movement, the manufacture calibre UN-232, which is a micro-rotor movement with a 72 hour power reserve. Similar to other Ulysse Nardin movements powering Freak watches, it’s a “flying carousel” movement with hour and minute “hands” integrated into the movement itself. Essentially, as the movement runs, the entire mechanism rotates, and the mechanism itself acts as a readout of the time. Most Freaks are operated via a bezel that is also integrated with the movement, but the Freak X uses a traditional crown for winding and time setting. On these new Freak X references, the crown screws down, which is another change from the prior version (they have 100 meters of water resistance, also an improvement).
This first batch of second generation Freak X references includes dials in a blue gradient, sandblasted gray, and sandblasted black. The latter is your option in rose gold, while the blue in steel comes on a matching steel bracelet and the gray on a leather strap.
Pricing starts at CHF 33,500 for the steel case variant on a strap, while the gold will set you back CHF 52,000. More information on the new Freak X can be found at the Ulysse Nardin website here.
