Ulysse Nardin’s 25th-Anniversary Freak [X] is an Outlier for the Everyday

By Rob Edwards - Sponsored

Updated: 7 July, 2026

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Readtime: 6 min

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Since first striding into the spotlight in 2001, the watches of Ulysse Nardin’s Freak collection have well and truly earned their name. With no dial, no crown, and no hands, they are outliers to their core as the groundbreaking mechanics and silicon technology in each one have provided a potent demonstration of what can happen when a brand refuses to limit itself to what has come before.

The Swiss manufacture doubled down on this attitude in 2019 with the Freak [X]. Willing to challenge the principles established by its own challenger, Ulysse Nardin introduced the idea of a Freak with a crown, offering a more compact and versatile incarnation of the Freak’s flying carousel architecture.

Now, 2026 marks two milestones for the legendary watchmaker. The first of these is 180 years since Ulysse Nardin was founded by its namesake in Le Locle, Switzerland, while the second is the 25th anniversary of the Freak. In preparation for celebrating both, Ulysse Nardin spent two years reimagining the Freak [X]. Courtesy of three new references, it now boasts advanced new engineering, elevated finishing, and a design that’s even more compact than previous Freak [X] releases, making this incarnation better suited to daily wear than any that has come before.

A Caliber for a New Generation

With its flying carousel architecture, which uses the movement itself to tell the time in an engineering marvel, the Freak’s movement has always been fully suspended and entirely visible, enabling the wearer to take in its incredible design and materials at a glance.

Ulysse Nardin’s latest generation of the Freak [X] features a new take on this concept: the UN-232, an in-house caliber that’s slimmer, smarter, and more mechanically advanced. It’s an elegant affair, allowing the watch to be housed in a redesigned case (more on that in a moment) with a new glassbox sapphire crystal. Plus, thanks to more modular and intelligent construction, it’s now compatible with a wider range of métiers d’art hour discs.

Further, the new Freak [X]’s movement boasts an escapement made using DIAMonSIL. This Ulysse Nardin-patented material consists of a silicon base covered with a microscopic coating of synthetic nanocrystal diamond, and provides a protective shield, increasing hardness and resistance to mechanical stress in a component that’s subjected to more than 250 million impacts per year. The DIAMonSIL escapement is one of just five patents integrated into the UN-232, which also includes a thermocompensated silicon hairspring, ovoid hairspring geometry, optimised pivot contact, and axial assembly solution for silicon components.

Due to the “Haute Horlogerie” nature of this exceptional movement, each unit is produced and assembled by a single watchmaker from start to finish at Ulysse Nardin’s La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture.

A Case of Extreme Refinement

Alongside the reimagined movement, the new Freak [X] case architecture has been completely reengineered, enhancing wearability without sacrificing the Freak’s radical nature.

Here, every proportion has been refined, from the reduction of the diameter from 43 mm to 41 mm, and the lug-to-lug from 49.6 mm to 47.3 mm, as well as the thickness reduced to 13.6 mm when you include the newly developed glassbox sapphire crystal, which offers a more immersive and architectural take on the Freak [X]. It showcases the flying carousel movement’s extraordinary depth and serves up a panoramic view of the mesmerising baguette mechanism.

Of course, Ulysse Nardin’s innovation extends beyond the case’s dimensions, with the materials evolving as well. The new model is built around a monobloc case that’s crafted from 80 per cent recycled steel or full rose gold. It offers improved structural rigidity while minimising mechanical vibrations.

The Finishing Touches

Beyond the innovation of the movement and case design, the new Freak [X] also takes Ulysse Nardin’s finishing to another level, reaffirming the manufacture’s status as a master of high horology.

The combination of satin-brushed, polished, and hand-finished surfaces throughout provides the watch with a sense of depth, light, and movement, while the hand-bevelled treatment of the hour and minute indicators, as well as the oscillator bridge, takes things further still.

With applied hour markers adorned with white Super-LumiNova®, the watch boasts outstanding depth and legibility, adding a three-dimensional flourish to an already highly sculptural design. Turning it over, the stunning movement can be admired through the watch’s exhibition caseback.

It’s also worth noting here that thanks to the caseback, you can see the new rose-gold micro-rotor, which contrasts beautifully with the rest of the movement. Framed within a superbly balanced double-bridge design, it mirrors the barrel opposite, which shares its sublime colimaçon finish.

Choose Your Bracelet

Ulysse Nardin has also given its next generation of the Freak [X] a heightened practicality via its new quick-release interchangeable strap system.

This allows the wearer to easily change straps without tools or professional assistance. They can also choose from nine different configurations, including metal bracelets, rubber straps, and leather options. These make the new Freak [X] one of Ulysse Nardin’s most versatile releases, just as at home on a trail or in the water as it is in the boardroom or ballroom.

As for the new integrated metal bracelet, it’s crafted from 80 per cent recycled steel and mirrors the case it’s made for, thanks to its combination of satin-brushed surfaces and polished bevels. Pairing this visual continuity with the exceptional comfort of a 2 mm micro-adjustment system on both sides, it’s an outstanding match for an outstanding watch.

An Everyday Outlier

From its extraordinary movement, refined dimensions, and exceptional finishing to the practicality of its 72-hour power reserve and screw-down crown offering water resistance up to 100 meters, the 25th-anniversary Freak [X] is a new type of outlier for Ulysse Nardin. With this exciting new reimagining, the manufacture has developed its most wearable Freak yet, and it has done so without sacrificing any of the innovation that made the collection so important in the first place.

The new Freak [X] is available in three stunning references:

• Freak [X Blue] on an 80 per cent satin-finished stainless steel bracelet (REF 2323-500-3A/7A) priced at AUD$65,600 and NZD$78,600
• Freak [X Grey] on a calf strap (REF. 2323-500-1A/0A) priced at AUD$63,700 and NZD$76,300
• Freak [X Gold] on a black alligator strap (REF. 2322-500-2A/1A) priced at AUD$98,900 and NZD$118,400

To discover more, visit Ulysse Nardin’s sole retailer in Australia and New Zealand, The Hour Glass, either online or at boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Auckland.