Sponsored by Ulysse Nardin
Next year will finally be 25 years since “FREAK X”, which embodies Ulysses Nardan’s unique philosophy, was born. Famous machines are even more future-oriented!
A special piece (statement piece) for you – The Hour Glass Ginza, a luxury salon located on Namiki Street in Ginza, Tokyo, was visited by the famous duo of Yutaka Fukuda and Naoyumi Maruyama. The two watch masters have been thrilled since the opening of the video when they hear that they can see the actual Japan-limited 25 pieces of “FREAK X Gray Enamel Japan Limited Model” released by ULYSSE NARDIN.
Guided by Eisuke Shigeta, a watch specialist at The Hour Glass Ginza, we took a closer look at the exclusive model specially produced by Ulysse Nardin for Japan, followed by a special limited edition of 100 pieces, the UR-FREAK, the first collaboration between the original Swiss watch brand URWERK and Ulysses Nardin Astonished! Uluberg will be exclusive to Hourglass in Japan from 2024, and this “Ulu-Freak” is the latest to be announced in a big way at Dubai Watch Week.
Next year, in 2026, I was able to get my hands on the latest model of the “FREAK X”, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and I was able to feel the ability of Ulysse Nardin to open up new horizons with “mechanical innovation” and “original design”!
A brand that combines traditional sea watchmakers with futuristic technology and artistry in the 21st century
Ulysse Nardins is an independent luxury watchmaking house founded in 1846 in Le Locle, Switzerland. Gaining fame for its high-precision timekeeping instruments essential for ocean exploration, for five generations, the Nardan family has produced the world’s most reliable marine chronometers.
It has also led innovation in the development of chronometry and in-house movements, as well as in the research and development of materials, and has won more than 4,300 technical and design awards.
Introduced in 2001, the FREAK shocked the watch world with its structure, with no hands, no dial, and no normal crown operation, and Ulysses Nardin established itself as a “pioneer of mechanical art”.
Japan limited edition of the special watch “Freak” for Japan watch fans
The “FREAK X”, which inherits the unconventional principle of the first Freak, is a version with a crown and an optimized case size to enhance practicality for everyday use. The flying carousel rotates for the minute display, and the disc that serves as the time display also inherits a unique structure in which the movement itself rotates to indicate the time.
“Freak X Gray Enamel” is an exclusive model specially produced by Ulysses Nardan for Japan. While incorporating the innovative movement structure cultivated by the “Freak” series into the “Freak X” specification, it is a high-holological limited edition of the Métiers d’Art × Manufacture that incorporates craftsmanship (enamel/guilloché) and has the value of being a collector’s piece.
Gray enamel color is the first color to appear in “Freak X”
This limited edition model features a guilloché flanche white gold disc coated in gray enamel at the Donze Cadran workshop. The hour wheel on the enamel disc is flanked by the DONZÉ ÉMAIL secret signature, which pays homage to craftsmanship and highlights the cross-section between Métiers d’Art and cutting-edge watchmaking.
Ulysses Nardin “FREAK X Gray Enamel Japan Limited Edition” (2303-270LE-1AE-J/3A) 7,007,000 yen (tax included)
“FREAK X Gray Enamel Japan Limited Edition” (2303-270LE-1AE-J/3A)
Movement: Automatic (in-house calibre UN-230)
Power reserve 72 hours
Case material: black DLC titanium case and bezel, edition numbered side plate
Caseback: Black DLC Titanium and Open Sapphire
Case Diameter: 43mm
Water resistance: 50M
Watch Ulysse Nardin “FREAK X Gray Enamel Japan Limited Edition” in ⇒ video
The latest work of the first collaboration between Ulberg and Ulysses Nardan, “UR-FREAK”
The collaboration model, which was born from the confrontation between the pioneers of modern watchmaking, is a special limited edition model of only 100 pieces in the world!
The iconic “Wandering Hour Satellite” of the original Swiss watch brand Ullberg and Ulysses Nardan’s “Freak” are fused to create “UR-FREAK”! –Ulysses Nardin’s “Freak” displays the time by rotating the movement, but Ulberg’s satellite time display mechanism overturned the common sense of machines and changed the perception of time itself.
The newly developed, fully integrated in-house calibre, which combines two complications, the Wandering Hour Satellite and the Freak, features a satellite time display and a 3-hour rotating carousel.
The “Ulu-Freak” is a new interpretation of one of the most important feats of modern watchmaking: the freak of Ulysses Nardan.
Ulysses Nardin “UR-FREAK” (2413-500LE-2A-UR/3B) 18,898,000 yen (tax included)
Ulysses Nardan “UR-FREAK” (2413-500LE-2A-UR/3B)
Movement: Automatic (in-house calibre UN-241)
Case material: sandblasted titanium case and bezel
Caseback: Titanium open sapphire
Case diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 12mm
Water resistance: 30M
Watch Ulysses Nardin’s “UR-FREAK” in ⇒ video
Limited edition with ruby red (crimson) and turquoise (blue) enamel!
The third model of Ulysse Nardan’s “Freak” “FREAK S”, the third “FREAK S”, will be released in a limited edition of 50 pieces worldwide. The most complex time-only watch ever made has been reborn in two enamel versions: red and blue.
A bold fusion of traditional craftsmanship (Métiers d’Art) and mechanical assurance (state-of-the-art technology)
The latest Freak S, which is the world’s first automatic model to be equipped with a “double oscillator”, is equipped with an hour disc made of Guilloché Franche enamel, which is baked one by one at the world’s highest enamel workshop “Donze Cadran”.
This rotating disc is unique in that it uses enameling as a rotating mechanical component rather than a static dial, making it a true auto-orlogerie model with a groundbreaking structure with two inclined silicone balance rings and the world’s smallest mechanical differential.
The “FREAK S Red Enamel” and “FREAK S Blue Enamel” are made of titanium material on the entire surface, and the case design is not too flashy, but is made to take advantage of the bright color of the enamel.
The Freak S Blue Enamel, made of bright turquoise enamel, comes with a black rubber ballistic strap, while the Freak S Red Enamel, made of deep ruby red enamel, comes with a white rubber ballistic strap.
Left: “FREAK S Blue Enamel” (2513-500LE-3AE-TUR/3A) 26,752,000 yen (tax included), Right: “FREAK S Red Enamel” (2513-500LE-6AE-RED/3A) 26,752,000 yen (tax included)
“FREAK S Blue Enamel” (2513-500LE-3AE-TUR/3A)
“FREAK S Red Enamel” (2513-500LE-6AE-RED/3A)
Movement: Automatic (in-house calibre HMC251)
Power reserve 72 hours
Case Material: Titanium
Caseback: Open sapphire glass
Case Diameter: 45mm
Water resistance: 30M
Watch Ulysse Nardin “FREAK S Blue Enamel” and “FREAK S Red Enamel” in ⇒ videos
Check out Mr. Fukuda’s spilled story in the second half of ⇒ in the video!
“The Hour Glass Ginza”
6-6-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo HULIC & New Ginza Namiki6. 8th floor
03-5537-7888
12:00~19:00 Closed on Sundays and Mondays
【Provided by】
Ulysses Nardan/Sowind Japan
03-5211-1791
Official website
