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Hey, HODINKEE!: A Brief(ish) History Of Shock Protection And Hot Takes On The NATO Strap
Let your freak flag fly and show off those spring bars.
Results for Freak
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The New Ulysse Nardin Freak [X] Is Smaller, Thinner, and Easier to Live With Than Ever
The second-generation Freak [X] gets a new micro-rotor movement, a 41 mm case, and an interchangeable strap system, making Ludwig Oechslin's wild idea more wearable than it's ever been
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Freak Ulysse Nardin
No hands, no dial, no crown - the 2001 haute-horlogerie audacity from Ulysse Nardin.
Hodinkee
Hodinkee
Point/Counterpoint: Even Entry-Level Watches Deserve Display Backs
Let your ébauche freak flag fly.
SJX Watches
Ochs und Junior Introduces the Calendario Cent’anni
Founded by watchmaking genius Ludwig Oechslin, best known for the inventive timepieces he created for Ulysse Nardin like the Freak and Trilogy of Time, Ochs und Junior specialises in brilliantly simple complications that are minimalist, functional, and idiosyncratic in style. Dr Oechslin is best known for his calendar complications, particularly the Perpetual Ludwig he invented for Ulysse Nardin, which remains the centrepiece of his latest wristwatch, the Calendario Cent’anni. Italian for “hundred-year calendar”, the Calendario Cent’Anni (CCA) will indicate the calendar till the end of this century, like most other perpetual calendar watches, but it is executed in Ochs und Junior’s inimitable style. And while the CCA retains the Ochs und Junior look, it will be offered in three fixed variations (each named after a Roman numeral), instead of being endlessly customisable as the first-generation Ochs und Junior perpetual calendar was. From left: CCA III, II and I Initial thoughts Perpetual calendars were once an expensive complication, but the proliferation of mass-produced as well as unconventional, streamlined calendar mechanisms have brought about many affordable perpetual calendars, with the cheapest starting at around US$9,000. But few perpetual calendar watches are as interesting as Dr Oechslin’s invention. While it does cost more than the most affordable perpetuals with a retail price of about US$16,600, the CCA is truly innovative. Dr Oechlin’s perpetu...
SJX Watches
Ulysse Nardin Introduces the UFO Table Clock
Having made a name for itself in the early 20th century for its marine chronometers, Ulysse Nardin revisits its roots with the UFO, an intriguing table clock conceived to mark the brand’s 175th anniversary. Described as a “swinging mechanical depiction of the movement of the waves”, the UFO is as an avant-garde reinterpretation of the marine chronometer. It’s essentially a round-bottomed doll that will wobble and sway but never topple over, except it contains an impressive mechanical movement with a 365-day power reserve. Traditionally known for largely classical designs with the occasional twist, such as the Marine Torpilleur, Ulysse Nardin has been gravitating towards more boldly modern designs in recent years, exemplified by the Blast Tourbillon and the Freak X Silicium Marquetry. That experimental approach is now applied to the table clock in a collaboration with clock specialist L’Epée 1839, the supplier of choice for many watchmakers looking to get into exotic clocks. Initial thoughts Inspired by the oceans, the UFO sways when nudged, but remains upright thanks to a weighted base, creating an engaging display of timekeeping. And the UFO is practical as well, featuring three clock faces that can be set to different time zones, or to mirror each other. Granted, the UFO will have a very niche appeal, considering it’s a table clock with a complex design matched by a high price tag. Costing a whopping US$41,100, the UFO is almost double the price of L’Epé...
SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux Introduces the Free Bridge
With its iconic complication being the Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges – albeit one that is somewhat forgotten today – Girard-Perregaux has created a variety of simpler watches centred on the same concept of prominent movement bridges. The newly-launched Free Bridge is the latest to join the line up, and while it is superficially similar, it boasts an exotic silicon balance wheel (that was probably created with help from its sister company). Initial thoughts The Free Bridge has a modern, technical-looking aesthetic that is currently popular, but it is more than a faddish watch. That’s because it’s equipped with an intricate, extra-large balance wheel made of silicon, one that is far more advanced than everything else at this price point – with the exception of the Ulysse Nardin Freak X. Though not identical, the balance wheel is similar enough to the one in the Freak X that it becomes obvious the Free Bridge balance is derived from that in the Freak X, which is unsurprising since both watch brands are owned by luxury group Kering. The balance wheel makes the movement special from a technical perspective, and also makes the US$17,000 price tag easier to swallow. That said, the Free Bridge seems to sit in no man’s land – it is neither entirely classical nor modern, in contrast to the Freak X which is an out and out contemporary watch. As a result, the Free Bridge isn’t particularly outstanding visually, unlike the Freak X. Upgraded with a new balance The F...
WatchAdvice
Ochs und Junior Annual Calendar Light Review
Watches are functional items and fashion items. In the age of “brand loyalty” created by big budget advertising campaigns, product placements, and the use of high-profile brand ambassadors and social influencers, how can you explain a manufacturer with zero branding or logos on any part of any piece in their entire range? Read on … Ochs und Junior was founded in 2006 in Switzerland. Their timepieces focus on simplicity instead of complication. Manufacturing around 130 watches per annum, they are able to offer each customer a personal sales experience and after-sales service directly from the CEO. They measure their growth in terms of quality, not quantity. Sales are direct only, and not through distributors or retailers. Ochs und Junior watches are developed by Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, the man behind some of the most awarded watches of the past 30 years. He was responsible for a number of Ulysse Nardin’s best-known watches, including the ground-breaking “Trilogy Of Time” astronomical complications, and the original Ulysse Nardin “Freak“. Oechslin is also the brains behind the amazing Türler astronomical clock (made for the 130 year old eponymous Zurich-based watch and jewellery retailer) which is a 2 metre tall, one ton monster that includes a planetarium and tellurium and even tracks the precession of the equinoxes – a period of 25,772 years. Oechslin’s passion and drive is in radical and technical mechanical simplification focussing ...
Revolution
Zooming In With Patrick Pruniaux, CEO Ulysse Nardin
CEO of Ulysse Nardin brings Revolution through the evolution of the Freak into the most recent releases, the Freak X Ice and Freak X Magma.
SJX Watches
Up Close: Ulysse Nardin Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel
With the Freak being the undisputed flagship complication of Ulysse Nardin – as well as a historically important watch – many of the brand’s other technical accomplishments often go under the radar. One intriguing offering that hasn’t gotten much attention: the Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel. Despite the somewhat dull name, the Tourbillon Free Wheel is a compelling reinterpretation of a mystery clock – where the mechanics are artfully hidden and exposed for visual effect – that is both fascinating and exotic. The Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel with an aventurine dial While the base model of the Executive collection features a largely conventional, open-worked movement, the Tourbillon Free Wheel takes things a step further by elevating the crucial parts of the movement like the barrel, tourbillon regulator, and gear train for the power reserve. In fact, most of the components are “floating” – the movement boasts a flying tourbillon, a “flying” gear train and power reserve indicator, as well as a “floating” barrel. At the same time, the construction is inverted, with parts that are usually hidden sitting exposed, and vice versa. As a result, the tourbillon and power reserve display appear to operate in isolation, with no obvious connection to the rest of the movement. Floating and flying minimalism While much of the gearing is hidden underneath the dial – which doubles up as the base plate – most of the moving parts are “floating” –...
SJX Watches
Interview: Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin
Over the past five years, a new generation of bosses has taken over the watch world. Many share common traits that distinguish them from the preceding generation of chieftains: a charming informality and a nose for courting the next generation of consumers – millennial and otherwise. Patrick Pruniaux is a leading member of his class, who was tapped to run Ulysse Nardin in August 2017. A year later, he was elevated to run Kering’s watch division, which meant taking on leadership of Girard-Perregaux as well. Mr Pruniaux has done a remarkable job of revitalising Ulysse Nardin – not just with fresh marketing, but more crucially with new watches that make sense. He’s streamlined the range of offerings and introduced more accessible watches, with much of his efforts focused on arguably the most important Ulysse Nardin watch of the modern era – the Freak. His strategy for the Freak is notable for being all-encompassing, ranging from aggressively affordable pricing with the Freak X, while pushing hard at the boundaries of material science and engineering, culminating in the Freak NeXt. The Freak X Mr Pruniaux took a surprisingly roundabout way to arrive at one of the top jobs in watchmaking. He started in drinks and spirits at Diageo and then Moët-Hennessey. He then entered the watch business with TAG Heuer, where he rose to lead retail and sales. But the most instructive phase of his watchmaking career, ironically, was at Apple. The computer maker r...
SJX Watches
Up Close: Ulysse Nardin Classico Perpetual Ludwig
The original Perpetual Ludwig was launched in 1996 to mark the 150th anniversary of Ulysse Nardin. Its brilliantly conceived calendar mechanism showed the calendar in legible windows, while allowing it to be set backwards and forwards, even around midnight, via the crown – in short, the calendar could be set in any direction, at any time, without the need for any tools. Subsequent iterations of the watch grew progressively bigger – unfortunately many got progressively uglier – but two years ago Ulysse Nardin rolled out the Classico Perpetual Ludwig (alongside other historical remakes), which stuck to the original styling, albeit in a larger case. Powered by the same movement from 1996, the Classico Perpetual Ludwig remains an ingenious innovation despite being over 20 years old, and the new remake also manages to be good value. The UN-33 of the Perpetual Ludwig Ulysse Nardin’s signature blue enamel logo on the crown Ludwig and his wheels The watch gets its name from Ludwig Oechslin, an inventive, self-taught watchmaker whose professional qualifications are in ancient history and archaeology. Working for Ulysse Nardin while it was owned by the late Rolf Schynder, a Swiss entrepreneur who made his fortune making low-cost movements in Asia, Mr Oechslin was responsible for the bulk of the brand’s inventions, from the Freak to the astronomical Trilogy of Time. Mr Oechslin’s fundamental innovation in the Perpetual Ludwig – patents EP1351104B1 and CH6968...
Deployant
Live from SIHH 2019: Ulysse Nardin
Highlights from Ulysse Nardin. The theme this year is X. Different. Daring. Exciting. We start with the Freak X. New movement. No dial. No hands. Hours and mins indicated by the now familiar flying carousel. Four references Ti (blue and black) CHF 21,000. Gold CHF 30,000 and Carbonium CHF 24,000. And a non-tourbillon version atRead More
Time+Tide
VIDEO: Full speed ahead with Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Chronometer Torpilleur
For years, Ulysse Nardin has been something of an insider’s brand with a solid heritage and catalogue boasting some legitimately impressive horology (we’re looking at you, Freak). Their strongest line has, in my opinion, always been the historically inspired Marine collection, based on the brand’s historic marine chronometers which date back to the middle of … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Full speed ahead with Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Chronometer Torpilleur appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Video: The Birth Of Silicon (The watch that changed the world)
The realization of the groundbreaking watch that the Freak was destined to be necessitated the use of materials never before used in watchmaking. And thus was born the age of silicon in horology. But who was it that proposed this space age material for use in a watch?
Revolution
Video: In The Beginning (The watch that changed the world)
Carole Forestie’s orbital language was translated into the first working commercial wristwatch by the tenacity of the Rolf W. Schnyder of Ulysse Nardin and the contributions of a handful of key individuals. This is the story of The Freak, told by those very same people like it’s never been told before. Starting with the legendary horologist, Ludwig Oechslin.
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: The Ulysse Nardin Executive Tourbillon
With a penchant for the avant-garde, Ulysse Nardin is a tricky customer to pin down stylistically. They’re most famous for their marine chronometers, but they also produce simple, lean pieces that embody elegance. They also dabble in the upper echelons of haute-horology with their famous Freak as well as models with painstakingly elaborate hand-painted dials. … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Ulysse Nardin Executive Tourbillon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Ulysse Nardin Baselworld 2013 Collections.
Unveiling the Ulysse Nardin latest novelties and key developments showcased at the Baselworld 2013watch fair. This year proves to be an exciting one for the independent watch brand as it presented 5 new in-house movements in the following timepieces: Skeleton Tourbillon, Stranger – Musical Watch, Marine Chronograph Manufacture, Jade and Freak. Combining watchmaking savoir-faire with breakthrough innovations, the marque […]
Time+Tide
New releases from Tudor, Swatch, Franck Muller and more
Tudor drops an unexpected GMT, Ulysse Nardin goes freaky traditional, and Ralph Lauren makes a watch fit for a fancy cowboy.The post New releases from Tudor, Swatch, Franck Muller and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Ming 20.01 Series 5 Gets A Freaky New Dial
The latest in a series of industrial experiments by the Malaysian brand.
Hodinkee
How They Made It: Hermès' Freaky-Awesome Skeleton Horse And Rider
A three-dimensional scene of mind-blowing detail.
Revolution
Riding with the “Freaks”
Keith W. Strandberg, Editor in Chief, Revolution USA goes for a motorbike ride with Patrik Hoffmann, president and CEO of Ulysse Nardin, up in the Swiss Alps.
Deployant
Armchair Picks: Frank’s 3 of the Best from W&W; 2022
Our writer Frank Chuo deliberates on his favourite novelties from Watches & Wonders 2022, featuring two musical watches and a really freaky one.