Hodinkee
Hands-On: Ulysse Nardin's Freak S Nomad Blends Old Techniques With Iconic Design
A complex watch turns 23 years old, but it doesn't mean Ulysse Nardin doesn't have some new tricks.
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Hodinkee
A complex watch turns 23 years old, but it doesn't mean Ulysse Nardin doesn't have some new tricks.
Revolution
Worn & Wound
There seem to be two strategies for product presentations at Watches & Wonders. The first, and more common, is to barrage members of the press with watch, after watch, after watch. Too many, sometimes, to even begin to comprehend the releases that really stand out. The other strategy, which is less common but might be growing in popularity, is to focus on a single watch, and really dive into it in great detail. That’s the approach taken by Ulysse Nardin this year with the Freak ONE, a new entry into the Freak ecosystem that sits somewhere between the Freak X, made for the most casual possible Freak-curious customer (I mean, it has a crown, it’s practically a normal watch), and the absolutely ludicrous Freak S, the pinnacle of Freak design and the most complicated watch Ulysse Nardin has made on the platform in its 20+ year history. History is at the center of the conversation with respect to the new Freak ONE. It’s a tribute, in some subtle ways, to the very first Freak, which Ulysee Nardin had on hand at the fair for the sake of comparison. Accents of gold in the Freak ONE are the most obvious connection besides general layout, common to all Freaks. But the gold here is perhaps more than just an “accent,” as we get not just a gold bezel (used for setting the time) but a solid gold movement on display at the center of the piece. The visible movement is very much the key to Freak, as it rotates around the dial (which isn’t really a “dial” in the traditiona...
Worn & Wound
I’ve long held that you can tell an awful lot about a person by their taste in G-SHOCKs. By now, there are so many types of these watches out there, it’s not hard to get a sense of what kind of message a watch collector is trying to send out into the world about themselves through their choice in G-SHOCK. The hardcore collector types will naturally want to flex the limited or hard to find collabs. Your Rick and Morty and Budweiser editions, for example. I get the sense that people who are most likely to actually use their G-SHOCKs for their intended purpose are drawn toward simple, blacked out, “tacti-cool” watches that don’t draw too much attention. These are the simple, traditional G-SHOCKs being worn as nature intended, by the professionals who put themselves in dangerous situations for a living, or klutzes who know for a fact that their watch is going to become intimately familiar with every door jamb it approaches. And then there are people like me. We’re dabblers, interested in G-SHOCK but not obsessive, who are mostly drawn to aggressively colorful designs like the new GWFA1000APF1 seen here, made for the 30th anniversary of the Frogman. The Frogman watches, if you need a quick refresher, are G-SHOCKs made with diving and water adventures in mind. While all G-SHOCK watches have ample water resistance, the Frogman series features analog time telling via large, dive watch style hands, and a dual coil motor system designed to quickly move those hands as y...
Hodinkee
Some say this watch is derivative. In my eyes, it's anything but.
Video
Hodinkee
When he's not working in Zenith's Heritage Department, Joël Laplace is hunting down the next affordable vintage grail to share with the world on his popular Instagram account.
Revolution
Revolution
Dan Spitz is well known in the music world for his contributions to ’80s anthem rock as a founding member of the band Anthrax. For over a decade he watched this dream become a reality, then turned his attention to the world of watchmaking to produce a complete watch that is born in the USA.
Hodinkee
He's an expert in all things amphibian, but today, his eyes are fixed squarely on his wrist.
Hodinkee
This week brings the funk.
Video
Hodinkee
A three-dimensional scene of mind-blowing detail.
Hodinkee
We're feeling grateful for the watchmaking on display in this pre-Thanksgiving lineup.
Time+Tide
The Urwerk x Ulysse Nardin UR-Freak blends signature time-telling and technology elements from both avant-garde brands in a very natural way.The post Urwerk and Ulysse Nardin team up for an unexpected collaboration we really should’ve expected appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Hermès is a brand with a distinctive, often whimsical, visual identity that translates well across products, even on its most complicated watches like the Arceau Duc Attelé, which combines a triple-axis central tourbillon (containing a high-frequency escapement) with a minute repeater featuring novel “tuning fork” gongs. Large, thick, and very complex, the Duc Attelé still manages to capture the elegant aesthetic of the brand, even in subtle details of the H1926 movement, like horse-shaped hammers for the repeater. Customised for Hermès, the calibre has an intricate, dense construction but is recognisable as being produced by a specialist. Initial thoughts The Duc Attelé demonstrates the strength of the Hermès house style. On the front, it looks elegant despite the size, while the movement feels appropriate even though it is third party. The watch does sit big on the wrist, though the titanium version is a little lighter in weight and visually smaller due to its dark colours. But the Arceau case has tiny lugs, so it doesn’t feel clunky. And although the case is almost 20 mm high, a good part of that is due to the highly domed crystal that accommodates the tourbillon’s height. All of the design elements, however, give it an elegant feel. These include the Breguet numerals on the domed chapter ring and the “Lift” motif tourbillon cage modelled on the elevator in the brand’s flagship store in Paris. But more than anything else, this is a watch characterise...
Worn & Wound
Last year, Heinrich introduced an eye-catching dial in an all new case. Each of Heinrich’s watches up to this point have been described as vintage inspired with strong 70s vibes.The Helicoprion “Buzzsaw” is no different, with the dial taking fairly direct inspiration from Universal Genève’s Unisonic “Buzzsaw” tuning fork watch from the late 1960s and ‘70s. Whether we will see a reincarnation of this design from Universal Genève under Breitling’s stewardship remains to be seen, but if you are crying out for a funky dial design at an affordable price, this could be the watch for you. The Helicoprion name comes from an extinct genus of shark-like fish, which had a spiral of teeth in its lower jaw – the teeth increasing in size as it spiraled outwards. This creature, along with Heinrich’s latest watch, has also been dubbed the “Buzzsaw” due to the similar circular tooth configuration seen on the blade of a circular saw. While the Universal Genève reference also saw each tooth shifting to a darker or lighter shade as they increased in size, the Heinrich Helicoprion dial markings are presented in a single color as the teeth grow between each hour (or five minute) index. $558 Hands-On: the Heinrich Helicoprion “Buzzsaw” Case Stainless steel Movement Miyota 9015 or Sellita SW200 Dial Various Lume Yes Lens Sapphire Strap Beads of rice bracelet Water Resistance 200 meters Dimensions 40 x 47.8mm Thickness 13.5mm Lug Width 20mm Crown screw down Warranty ...
Video
In today's vlog, I'm getting ready for the massive trip to London and Geneva for Watches & Wonders! I show you the watches I'm bringing (including my grandfather's vintage Patek Philippe and a JLC pink gold) and why w...
Quill & Pad
With the Type 8, Ressence goes to the core of its “DNA.” In fact, with it Ressence seems to be exploring an even stronger sense of purity than what we have seen before. That says a lot as Ressence was already a master in toning down design to achieve maximum impact and legibility.
Hodinkee
The Chief Product Officer at Ulysse Nardin will discuss the history and development of The Freak.
Time+Tide
Editor’s Note: Andrew here, and it just dawned on me as I read this piece by Fergus that the true modern master of democratisation, Dan Henry, has not only done it again with an “evocation of an era” as Ferg eloquently puts it. No, it’s more than that. In 2022, after a wave of desire … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Dan Henry 1945 offers rugged WW2-era style for the same price as a MoonSwatch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Back in March, we covered the story of a horrific watch theft in Beverly Hills California where a Richard Mille robbery occurred leaving an undisclosed women wounded by a firearm. Shay Belhassen was targeted for his RM-11-03 Flyback Chronograph in rose gold, a watch worth $500,000, while dining with a female companion at celebrity hotspot … ContinuedThe post Three men apprehended for robbery of a Richard Mille RM 11-03 in Beverly Hills appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Let’s face it - you’re here because you forgot Valentine’s Day and are currently feeling an uncomfortable kinship with the proverbial frog in a pot (rather alarmingly already at level “onsen”). Never fear, because we heard your cry of panic and anguish from afar and have put our “Save The Day For REVOLUTIONaries In Need” […]
Video
I went looking for good deals on the secondary and grey market. New, almost new and very close to new models with little to no mileage on them.
Revolution
“Precision and Splendor: Clocks and Watches at the Frick Collection” is an exhibit at New York’s Frick Collection of a stunning group of priceless clocks and watches, many from the collection of Winthrop K. Edey, who bequeathed his collection of clocks and watches –which includes remarkable timepieces dating all the way back to the Renaissance […]
Monochrome
Seasoned divers, like our own Derek, will all tell you that, in our day and age, a mechanical dive watch isn’t truly relevant anymore, having been replaced by diving computers. And yet, either for safety or emotional reasons, many still use an old-school timepiece during their seasons. In the world of classic car rallies, the […]
Fratello
We have covered quite a few historical stories about Rolex here on the Fratello site. Today, we have another, this time about a special gold Oyster Perpetual that belonged to Holocaust survivor Kurt Kahn. Let’s dive in. Some watches merely tell time, while others tell stories. Very rarely, one encounters a piece that does both […] Visit Holocaust Survivor’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual To Go Up For Auction to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
“Why This Watch?” focuses on a member of the watch enthusiast community and digs into their decision making process for why they’ve collected a particular watch. We all have reasons, justifications, and sometimes even purpose behind our collecting decisions, and this series aims to identify them through watches that might be a little unusual, off the beaten path, or special in some way to the owner. Today, Fernando Cervantes tells about his Fears Redcliff Onyx for Collective Horology. Fears is a favorite among many of us here at Worn & Wound, so we were excited to hear Fernando dig into why and how this watch landed in his collection. Turns out, there’s a fun backstory to it that ties it directly to the Worn & Wound community. Who are you, and how’d you get into watches? My name is Fernando Cervantes, I used to be a Senior Software Engineer, but just last week I got promoted to Engineering Manager – what I thought would be a straightforward change turned out to be anything but – turns out managing is hard! My dad used to work for many, many years as a regional bank manager, he used to have many nice watches given as gifts by either the bank or fellow coworkers – as a kid, I vividly remember them going through them – Must de Cartier, Rolex, and closer to the end of his career, Raymond Weil. Surprisingly, the only one he kept was a Raymond Weil Tango. He was never too much of a watch guy, but it was enough to keep watches in the back of my mind as I gre...
Monochrome
Over the past decade, the De Bethune DB27 collection has served as the independent brand’s most restrained yet highly technical expression of its watchmaking credentials. Introduced in 2012 with the Titan Hawk, later refined in V2 form and multiplied through editions such as the JPS or green dial variants, the DB27 has consistently combined lightweight titanium […]
Video
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