Ulysse Nardin and the somewhat different rally: „Freak x Gumball 3000“

The Swiss manufacturer Ulysse Nardin and the somewhat different Rallye Gumball 3000 present their second joint edition in the third year of their partnership: the „Freak x Gumball 3000 Edition 2“.

Gumball 3000

In 1999, Maximillion Cooper founded the 3,000-mile rally where speed and spectacle are secondary. The Gumball 3000 isn't about the finish line. It's about the journey, the challenges on the road, and the stories that unfold along the way.

Over the years, the rally has attracted a mix of visionaries: the community ranges from artists and visionaries to athletes.

In 2026, Gumball 3000 returns to North America with a daring route from Miami to Mexico City, the „Road to the World Cup“, across borders, through landscapes and cultures, seven days and 3,000 miles long.

The rally brings together 100 carefully selected cars and is supported by tourism organizations, host cities and worldwide partners, with the aim of creating a rolling, large-scale festival of music, car culture and live events.

„Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2“

When it was launched in 2001, the "Freak" redefined the rules of watchmaking. It was more than just a new watch; it reset the watchmakers' codes. But the "Freak" doesn't just look different. It also functions differently from conventional watches: without hands, without a dial, without a crown, the movement itself becomes the timekeeper.

As the first watch with silicon components, the "Freak" also represents technological innovation with 35 associated patents.

Since 2019, the Freak X has translated this DNA in a slightly less avant-garde way, still boasting eye-catching appeal despite the added crown for winding and time correction. This is thanks to typical "Freak" elements such as the hour disc that rotates every 12 hours to indicate the hours, and a flying carousel that completes one revolution per hour to display the minutes.

The „Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2“ relies on the in-house UN-230 caliber with a 72-hour power reserve for precise operation and features a functional design in black and orange. In doing so, it adopts the unmistakable design codes of the Gumball 3000.

The centerpiece of the design is the hour disc made of Carbonium, a high-performance material derived from recycled ultralight carbon fibers from the aerospace industry. The weaving of black carbon fibers with vibrant orange epoxy resin gives the material a three-dimensional structure, ensuring that no two hour discs are identical.

For the first time, the minute wheel is accentuated by an orange Super-LumiNova ring, complemented by indices and bridges with white Super-LumiNova details. This not only improves legibility but also underscores the graphic and technical appeal of the timepiece.

The black DLC-coated 43-millimeter titanium case, combined with a perforated rubber strap with orange inlays and stitching, completes the „Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2“, which is limited to 150 pieces.

(RRP €41,000)

ulysse-nardin.com