The chief growth officer waxes lyrical about the Freak, which redefined the wristwatch
Debuted in 2001, Ulysse Nardin's Freak made instantaneous impression with its audacity to do away with the common features of a wristwatch (think hands and a crown) in a bid to reimagine how timekeeping should work. The hands were replaced by a rotating carousel fitted with a tourbillon, both of which made a complete circle around the dial in an hour. Instead of a crown, it set the time with the bezel. It also pioneered the use of silicon for its escapement, setting the path for the anti-magnetic and corrosion-resistant material to be a commonplace in the industry today.
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The following years saw the Freak piling on one mind-blowing innovations after another, culminating in the Freak S with a double oscillator and diamond-coated silicon last year. Now meet Freak One that distills the aesthetic features of past Freaks, from the notched bezel of the original 2001 to the black DLC titanium and rose gold case of Freak S. It comes with an integrated rubber strap made of 30 per cent recycled waste.
What's inside is equally fascinating, thanks to the automatic movement's Grinder winding system that is endowed with a 72-hour power reserve and designed to capture energy from the slightest wrist movement.
Matthieu Haverlan, chief growth officer of Ulysse Nardin, is part of the team involved in product development, and is instrumental in the realisation of Freak One. “What I love about Freak One is that it is super contemporary,” he enthuses. “We worked closely with the product team to improve the perceived value of the watch; for instance, we did different types of finishing for the bezel as well as the movement. It really feels precious.”
It is the first Freak to be accompanied by a rubber strap. “It’s 44mm [in case diameter], very well integrated with a rubber strap via short lugs. I love the way it feels on the wrist; it fits so well.”
See also: Introducing Freak Vision, Ulysse Nardin’s first automatic Freak watch