The Ulysse Nardin
Freak X, new in 2019.
The Ulysse Nardin Freak X with a special marquetry dial.
The Ulysse Nardin Freak
Innovision 2, from 2017,
featured ten innovations.
The Ulysse
Nardin Freak
Out in Blue
and Gold.
even the more contemporary Freak Out models. It depends on what you are
looking for. We have a whole family of Freaks. But the goal of this year’s
Freak X is to make the Freak more accessible, beyond the Freak collectors.
The differences also lie in the materials. The Freak Vision is in platinum
and gold, and there is also the constant force escapement, which is not on
the Freak X, and neither is the Grinder winding mechanism, which is twice as
efficient. And, for comparison, the Freak NeXt used essentially the same case
design as the Freak Vision.
WHAT WAS THE GENESIS OF THE FREAK NEXT PROJECT?
WHAT WAS THE GOAL?
We have worked for many years on this. I did the first patent in 2009. This is
in the same line as the Innovision 1 and the Innovision 2. On those watches
we had ten innovations (including a flying anchor escapement and flying
tourbillon), and for the new Freak NeXt, we have added the new flying
oscillator.
With no axis, we avoid the friction between the shock absorber and the
shock. There is no pivot and no jewels. When we do this we improve the
power reserve. We have a 12 Hz frequency and a seventy-hour power reserve.
With standard watches, this high frequency typically means power reserve is
considerably lower, but not here. This is quite a breakthrough.
The goal was to develop a new type of oscillator with improved efficiency.
On this we have four layers in the spring structure–there is no hairspring
anymore. It oscillates around the center and there is no bridge because it is
floating. This works in the vertical and horizontal positions.
WHAT DID COLLECTORS TELL YOU ABOUT NEXT?
Collectors say they like it when they see something new and impressive. They
tell us that this is quite a breakthrough in watchmaking. Since the hairspring
was invented in 1675, it hasn’t changed too much. We are in a very
interesting phase with mechanical watches today because like other brands
we are investigating new systems.
48 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2019
The Ulysse
Nardin silicon-
blade flying
oscillator. Ulysse
Nardin plans to
use this in Ulysse
Nardin watches
beyond the
Freak collection.
IS IMPROVING THE OSCILLATOR THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
TODAY FOR WATCHMAKING IN GENERAL?
There are today different areas where watchmakers are competing. You can,
for example, work on innovative displays as we have done on the Mega Yacht
watch. But for Innovision, we’re doing this for technical reasons, not simply
marketing or aesthetic reasons. So we have both–technical innovation as well
as the marketing argument. I call it a laboratory on the wrist because you see
the minute train and the oscillator is very visible.
Of course we are very strong developing silicon. We are pioneers using
this and we have our own factory. We are also seeing a trend using carbon
composite materials. We new models using this, like the Executive Skeleton
X in Carbonium. We use Carbonium gold, which is very nice. It shows gold
within the carbon fibers and in the sun it’s very nice.
Many customers enjoy lightweight watches now. But the only technical
reason to use these is the lightweight.
WILL THIS TECHNOLOGY BE SEEN IN SERIAL COLLECTIONS
ANY TIME SOON?
There are still many challenges until that time. This is quite difficult to
assemble because of the five layers and the spacers, all of which are assem-
bled by our watchmakers. And I can tell you that the small spacers use for
this are quite tiny. They are made of silicon and they are 0.5 mm by 0.5mm.
If we can manage to produce this oscillator in one piece, that would be very
useful for us for serial production.
We’ll use this in other models inside more basic movements, not the Freak.
Because this new oscillator is the same dimension as a traditional oscillator,
we can use it in existing calibers.
We received a good response from the market when we launched this
and we have decided to produce twelve pieces of the Freak NeXt, all to be
completed by the end of this year. We will not do any other colors or other
models with this NeXt, and it will have a twelve-year warranty.