Every brand wants a Halo watch that sets an industry standard of craftsmanship. This is usually synonymous with a traditional three-hand watch that will last generations, but Ulysse Nardin plays a different game. With Matthieu Haverlan at the wheel, the Freak leads the pack with a disruptive futurism that has lasted more than two decades.

A select group of brands have a single watch that is recognisable from a distance, spawning a host of imitations. But for Ulysse Nardin their wrist icon remains defiantly un-copiable due to its complexity, and the Freak remains unique in a world of homage.

Before I delve deeper into the three personalities of the Ulysse Nardin Freak, I’ll rewind to August’s Geneva Watch Days. I had the pleasure of interviewing Managing Director Matthieu Haverlan at the brand’s flagship showroom. Haverlan has a calm demeanour but an underlying vibe of pent-up energy like a coiled spring. Offering candid insight, his enthusiasm underlines the youthful energy of Ulysse Nardin, a rare quality for such a storied Swiss brand.

The Freak has a big personality, and we asked Haverlan how it balances out with ranges like the Blast and Diver, two other strains of modernity in the UN family.

Matthieu tells us, “This is a question we ask ourselves regularly. We have to make sure people recognize us. From a design perspective, we strive to be different, and the Freak embodies a growing value of being independent with a free-spirited audacity. Ulysse Nardin is all about entrepreneurship, risk-taking, innovation and bending of rules, and the Freak really embodies that mindset.”

We also talk about the renewed freedom after exiting the Kering group and how the Freak has evolved into a sub-range for the brand. “What we’ve done and how you perceive was not done overnight,” said Haverlan. “We are now a fully integrated Manufacture including development of movements. When we launched the first Freak with a crown in 2019, the X, the idea was to expand the range one step at a time. The Freak was not quite a collection, and from 2019 to today, we have built a collection that includes the Freak ONE and Freak S.”

Despite its futurist charm, the Freak timeline goes back to 2001 and the disruptive debut of a mythical concept. Looking at a Ulysse Nardin Freak today, many consider the brand a peer to modernist independents. However, the brand has roots going back to 1846. It offers a storied background for Ulysse Nardin’s relentless quest for innovation and underlines its strong standing within the industry.

Freak S, the haute horology peak Freak

At the top of a triple-stepped ladder of Freaks, the S is the ultra-high concept that has set new standards, with a unique personality dominated by the visceral dynamics of the Caliber UN-251. The Carousel spaceship within a Freak S dial might remind you of alien technology, but represents the evolutionary peak of Oechslin’s 2021 creation. The S is the ultimate incarnation of the brand-familiar flying carousel movement rotating around its axis to show the time, boasting twin 20-degree-inclined oversized oscillators with silicon balance wheels.

This year’s major release was the Freak S Nomad, a delightful paradox. As if tying together the strings of time past and present, the entrancing oscillations of the 373-part movement with its DIAMonSIL® escapement sit in stark contrast to centuries-old Métiers d’Art. Each sand-coloured CVD hour disc features a hand-cut guilloche pattern, produced one piece at a time by a skilled artisan with years of experience. This meeting of a watchmaking past and future was made stronger by the uncompromising 45mm titanium and carbon composite case. For those with a taste for colour, a limited edition for Watches Of Switzerland released in October offered another first for the über-Freak. Within an anthracite PVD titanium case, we were treated to the twinkling of a violet Crystalium hour disc as a fitting tribute to the strength of the brand’s relationship with WOS.

 

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Freak ONE, the gifted middle child

The Freak ONE was introduced in 2023 as the purest direct descendant from Ulysse Nardin’s 2001 Oechslin-designed debut. With a price range that hits between the hyper-hyperbole S and the small-cased charm of the X, it features the signature characteristics of an icon. Even after 23 years, it feels like a child of the future with its dramatically faceted bezel atop a crown-less case. As a sign of Ulysse Nardin’s standing, the debut model featuring the Caliber UN-240 won the 2023 GPHG award in the “Iconic” category. While serving a lot harder than its 2001 origin, its spirit is strong in the stealth menace of the black DLC titanium case. The visual drama is accentuated by the 18K gold intuitive bezel’s sharp facets, with dramatic angles echoing in the bridgework of the minute-indicating escapement.

The Freak ONE OPS is a tonal, mission-ready proposal, which, like the smaller Freak X OPS, is infused with an adventurous streak. A deep olive green makes for a subdued vibe, a term standing in contrast to the dynamic nature of the Freak. Still, the dramatic complexity of the dark-toned movement floating above a radially striated hour disc rocks a sophisticated vibe. The cool tonality was refreshed this autumn as Matthieu Haverlan and his team released the Freak ONE Navy Blue. Within the same 44mm case, we were offered a maritime narrative that resonated with the brand’s history of marine chronometers. We are already excited to see what the Freak ONE will bring in 2025, as one of the most wearable pieces in the collection, with a sartorial touch.

Freak X, an alluring entry ticket

The X is the Joker in the pack, a vibrant, accessible arm of the Freak legacy. With a smaller, wearably light 43mm case, it is the only Freak sporting a crown. The Ulysse Nardin design team has tamed the Freak’s wild nature yet still imbued it with the same dramatic personality. This is visible in the sub-$30,000 monochrome of the X Ti Black. The legacy of Ludwig Oechslin is still present in the drama of the flying carousel movement, with its large diameter oscillator as captivating as ever. The pared-down essentials of the distilled UN-230 calibre is on show, but with 405 parts, the micro-cosmos of the Freak X legacy is still bafflingly complex.

With the appearance of a crown at three o’clock, the X is a more accessible first step to a Freaky universe. Like the Freak S dramatically flaunted the inclusion of a guilloche hour disc, the Freak X has exposed its juxtaposed beauty through a deep blue enamel. Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of PMT The Hour Glass in Thailand, Ulysse Nardin merged ancient Métiers d’Art and cutting-edge technology in the Freak X Enamel Blue. Boasting a hand-enameled guilloché hour disc under an outer skeletonized hour and minute track, past and present co-exists in perfect symbiosis.

With a strong 2024 almost behind us, observing how the Freak, an early 21st-century icon, has evolved and transformed is interesting. Matthieu Haverlan says, “What we’ve achieved is not done overnight. When we launched the Freak X in 2019, the first Freak with a crown, the idea was to go from one version at a time to make the Freak a complete collection. So from 2019 to 2023, we built a collection with the Freak ONE and Freak S”.

With the triple-threat of the Freak having surpassed its outrageous debut, we see it finding its natural place in haute horlogerie. And Ulysse Nardin has accomplished this by blazing a path of innovation with technological feats that keep moving the bar, even setting new standards. The future is indeed bright, and it’s positively Freaky.