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Ulysse Nardin Unveils Freak Series Red and Blue Enamel Watches

The Freak has long been the wild child of modern watchmaking. First introduced in 2001, it defied the traditional hierarchy of dial, hands, and crown. Its movement, which tells the time by rotating itself, is a paragon of both technical and aesthetic innovation. Nearly a quarter-century later, the Freak S remains the most complicated chronograph in the Ulysse Nardin family—a laboratory of silicon, geometry, and exquisite craftsmanship.

The Freak S, the most complicated chronograph ever made, debuts with a watch that takes this concept to its extremes. Its architecture is both sculptural and functional—a six-plane structure supported by two tilted silicon balance wheels, each set at a twenty-degree angle and connected by what Ulysse Nardin calls the world's smallest mechanical differential. Every component functions flawlessly: 95 percent of the watch is in motion. From its twin oscillators and DIAMonSIL-treated escapement to its rotating hour disc and minute bridge, the Freak S watch is a miniature ecosystem, constantly in dynamic dialogue with itself.

At its heart lies the UN-251 automatic movement, a mechanical maze comprised of 373 parts and 33 jewels. It utilizes Ulysse Nardin's Grinder® winding system, first unveiled in 2017 with the InnoVision 2 concept watch—a micro-mechanical hybrid system that recovers energy from the slightest wrist movement to power the twin oscillator system with exceptional efficiency. The movement boasts an impressive 72-hour power reserve, with each oscillator beating at a frequency of 2.5 Hz and 17 ceramic bearings for minimal friction. In both concept and execution, it is a high-tech engine disguised as a sculpture of time.

Now, for the first time, the Freak S watch becomes a canvas for enamel painting. The new Freak S enamel watches (one in deep ruby ​​red, the other in turquoise blue) blend Ulysse Nardin's engineering radicalism with a traditional craft that predates modern watchmaking by centuries. Each guilloché hour disc is meticulously crafted by Donzé Cadrans, Switzerland's oldest enamel workshop, founded in 1972 and acquired by Ulysse Nardin in 2011. This is a meticulous craft: glass powder is cleaned, hand-ground, mixed with water, and then applied to an 18K white gold disc in multiple layers, each fired at approximately 800°C. Only a handful survive intact; the rest are tragically destroyed by the combination of heat and the elements.

Unlike traditional enamel dials, this one never stops. The disc, a vital component of the mechanism, rotates continuously with the movement's rotating wheels. Precise tolerances are crucial: the enamel must be perfectly uniform, precisely balanced in weight, and have a lustrous finish, while also being strong enough to withstand movement and vibration. The guilloché pattern beneath the enamel is designed to amplify the play of light and shadow as the disc rotates, giving the Freak collection its captivating visual rhythm.

Crafted from titanium, with a diameter of 45 mm and a total thickness of 16.65 mm, the Freak S Enamel watch is a paragon of contrasts—a watch that blends movement and materials, showcasing a delicate fusion of laboratory-grade precision and ancestral craftsmanship. Silicon, DIAMonSIL, ceramic bearings, and a Grinder mechanism are masterfully combined with enamel, fire, and gold. This watch explores the collision of one of horology's most ancient arts and its latest sciences, resulting in a watch that explores the intersection of one of horology's most ancient arts and its most advanced sciences.