It was centre stage in an engaging and fun, with an outsized ‘model’ and mirror display at their booth which allowed people to position themselves ‘within’ a movement and see themselves reflected above in it, but at Watches & Wonders 2023 Ulysse Nardin unveiled the Freak ONE, the latest incarnation of the Freak and the model that they say is now their flagship watch. Twenty-two years after its debut, the no hands, no dial and no crown watch still manages to appear contemporary.

The Freak ONE features various nods to previous versions, from the notched bezel of the 2001 model to the open gear train of the Freak Cruiser (2013), to touches of the Freak Vision (2018) and more recent use of different materials, through the use of black DLC-coated titanium and rose gold. For this new piece, the 44mm black DLC-coated titanium case has a satin finish and a 5N rose gold bezel.

Setting the time is done via the bezel – it is activated when the lock at 6 o’clock is released. Turning the bezel rotates the entire movement, which doubles as the watch’s hands.

On the dial, along with the orbital 60-minute flying carrousel which rotates on its own axis, is the Freak ONE’s minute bridge which carries the entire gear train, an oversized silicon oscillator, and an escapement is treated with Ulysse Nardin’s patented DIAMonSIL coating.

Powering this watch is the new automatic UN-240, which has a 72 hour power reserve. It has their patented Grinder® winding system which features four blades connected to the oscillating weight. The new Freak ONE has an oversized silicon balance wheel and a lever escapement executed in DIAMonSIL (a patented form of diamond-coated silicon).

There is black sunray-engraved barrel cover underneath the movement that doubles as the rotating hour disc, making a full rotation once every twelve hours, with hour indication via a v-shaped pointer filled with Super-LumiNova®.

The Freak ONE is the first Freak with an integrated rubber strap. Made by partner BIWI, it is made of 30% recycled rubber from production waste and is black with a ‘ballistic’ texture.

The design of the Freak is one that continues to have appeal for those looking for something different but not ‘too different’, as it were. Because of the material used for this latest iteration, it is a comfortable watch to wear (yes even for those who aren’t completely comfortable with 44mm as a size). It features a new movement, but you know what you’re going to get with a Freak, so it is simply a matter of whether this new ONE is to your colour/ metal tastes.

Categories: Hands-on, Switzerland, Ulysse Nardin, Watch Profile, watches, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023