Ulysse Nardin Freak S ‘Nomad’

At this year’s Watches & Wonders event in Geneva, Ulysse Nardin unveiled an updated version of its Freak S watch—the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad. The Freak, first launched in 2001 under the innovative direction of Rolf Schnyder, ignited a movement of creative experimentation within the independent watchmaking community and established a significant legacy for Ulysse Nardin. The Freak S, introduced in 2022, represents one of the most intriguing developments in this series, integrating hallmark features of the original while incorporating notable new enhancements. The design of the latest Freak S, dubbed the Nomad edition, sports a modern, celestial-inspired look.

The Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad features a titanium case with a bezel and display case back finished in anthracite PVD-coated titanium. It measures 45mm across and has a thickness of 16.65mm. The addition of carbon fibre side plates enhances its futuristic appeal. The watch’s front is protected by sapphire crystal, showcasing a sand-coloured, diamond-patterned guilloché hour disc, which draws the eye to the innovative flying carousel movement. This movement includes two large inclined oscillators with silicon balance wheels, joined by a sophisticated differential.

The carousel mechanism serves as the minute hand by completing one full rotation every hour, visually resembling a spacecraft. The hour is indicated by a disc underneath the carousel, which completes one rotation every twelve hours. The complexity of this operation belies the simplicity of its appearance. The in-house UN-251 calibre powering this mechanism is a marvel of engineering, featuring a barrel that matches the size of the case in diameter and provides a 72-hour power reserve. As the barrel unwinds over twelve hours, the barrel cover, adorned with a guilloché hour disc and a Super-LumiNova-coated hour pointer, rotates to align with the hour indices.

Beneath the guilloché hour disc, gears enable the carousel to spin twelve times faster than the barrel cover, which helps indicate the minutes. A minute hand, treated with luminescence, is fixed to a perforated, jet-shaped panel. A small pinion at the carousel’s end interacts with a fixed ring gear on the dial’s perimeter, driving the gear train and twin oscillators through the differential’s complex system.

The barrel and carousel rotations are synchronized via the escapement, which regulates the energy release from the mainspring similarly to traditional watches. The Freak S uses an escapement with silicon-crafted hairsprings and balance wheels. The design features two inclined balance wheels linked by a differential, optimizing the timing accuracy by averaging discrepancies between the two.

Despite its intricate design, the Freak S maintains user-friendly features. A titanium locker marked with ‘Freak’ at 6 o’clock on the bezel prevents unintended adjustments. The internal ring gear connected to the bezel allows for the entire movement to be set by rotating it. The UN-251 calibre incorporates an innovative automatic winding system called the “Grinder,” which uses a peripheral rotor and quadruple winding pawls. True to the Freak lineage, manual winding is achieved by rotating the watch’s back.

Ulysse Nardin presents the Freak S Nomad with two strap options: a grey rubber strap with a ballistic texture or a matte grey alligator leather strap with openwork and sand-coloured calfskin inserts. Each version is secured by a titanium deployant clasp, enhancing wearability.