Ulysse Nardin Super Freak: The Culmination of 25 Years of Freak
It simply displays the time—and yet it is one of the most complex three-hand watches of our time. With the “Super Freak,” limited to 50 pieces, Ulysse Nardin presents the culmination—to date—of the “Freak” collection’s 25-year history and, at the same time, celebrates the manufacture’s 180th anniversary.
The watch that changed so much
When the first Freak debuted at Baselworld in 2001, it turned the watch world of that time upside down. With no crown, no dial, and no traditional hands, it displayed the time directly through its rotating movement. Ulysse Nardin was also the first brand to use silicon in a production watch.
What began as a radical experiment has evolved into one of the most influential watch families in modern haute horlogerie. To date, the “Freak” has given rise to a total of 35 patented innovations.
“Originally, the ‘Freak’ was conceived as a concept watch. Later, however, collectors realized that it was much more than that—a laboratory for the wrist. This gave rise to several generations of the watch. Today, the Freak is no longer an experimental watch. It has become an iconic collection,” emphasizes Jean-Christophe Sabatier, Chief Product Officer at Ulysse Nardin.
From Marine Chronometers to the Freak
The history of Ulysse Nardin began in 1846 in Le Locle. With its high-precision marine chronometers, the manufacture established itself as one of the leading manufacturers of nautical timepieces and has won more than 4,300 chronometer awards.
During the quartz crisis, entrepreneur Rolf Schnyder, who joined the company in 1983, deliberately focused on mechanical innovations. Together with the visionary watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, he created extraordinary timepieces such as the “Astrolabium Galileo Galilei”—and ultimately the “Freak.”
A Super Freak for My 25th Birthday
At Watches & Wonders 2026, Jean-Christophe Sabatier personally explained the “Super Freak.” It quickly became clear that, for him, the “Freak” is far more than just a product line, the highlight of which—for now—is the anniversary model.
“I love the name ‘Super Freak,’” said Sabatier. “It perfectly describes the watch. The name is meaningful and fits the spirit of the brand perfectly. Because we’re bold, eye-catching, and different.”
But the “Super Freak” is by no means the end of the “Freak” story—quite the contrary. “For us, the best way to celebrate 180 years of Ulysse Nardin is to celebrate 25 years of the ‘Freak’—because it embodies our future. The ‘Freak’ is at the heart of our strategy. We are convinced that it deserves the status of a true icon of the watch industry,” explains Sabatier.
Super Freak: 511 components, two tourbillons
At the heart of this new model is the new UN-252 automatic caliber. The movement consists of 511 components, and its development took approximately four years. Assembly is carried out exclusively by five specially trained watchmakers in Ulysse Nardin’s Haute Horlogerie workshop.
Case: White gold, 44 x 16.54 mm Water resistance: 3 bar Movement: Caliber UN-252, automatic winding Power reserve: 72 hours Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds Dial: Hour disc made of Nanosital Strap: Rubber Special feature: Limited to 50 pieces MSRP: €342,350
Thanks to its patented gimbal suspension, it features—for the first time—a seconds display and an automatic double tourbillon with a differential. Two flying titanium tourbillons, each inclined at a ten-degree angle, rotate in opposite directions and complete one revolution every 60 seconds. Both are powered by the same mainspring barrel and work together to regulate the movement.
The movement is housed in a new 44-millimeter white gold case. Typical of the “Freak”: The time is set via the bezel, and the movement is wound through the case back.
“What I find particularly impressive is that you almost get the feeling there’s no glass covering the movement at all,” said Sabatier. “It looks as if you could reach right into the mechanism.”
The World’s Smallest Differential
The differential, which measures just five millimeters, consists of 69 components—including eight ceramic ball bearings manufactured with micrometer-level precision—and compensates for the rate differences between the two tourbillons.
The differential and the seconds display are mounted on an off-center axis. To ensure reliable power transmission between the two, Ulysse Nardin developed and patented what it claims is the world’s smallest gimbal system. It absorbs the power from the differential and transmits it to the cylindrical seconds display.
Efficient Elevator and High-Tech Materials
The structure’s energy needs are met by the patented Grinder system, a highly efficient automatic winding system. It provides a power reserve of three days.
“We use our patented grinder system, which is twice as efficient as a conventional rotor lift. Even so, that alone would not have been enough. That’s why we had to make all the components lighter and smaller,” explains Sabatier.
The watch also features ten silicon components, including two balance wheels, two hairsprings, and two escapements made from DIAMonSIL, a material developed by Ulysse Nardin. The transparent blue hour disc is made of Nanosital, a particularly durable, glass-based high-tech material.
“As far as the design is concerned, we wanted to let the mechanics speak for themselves. The only real design element is the transparent, light-blue disc. Everything else serves to highlight the beauty of the mechanics,” says Jean-Christophe Sabatier, explaining the design concept. “We wanted to stay true to the original concept and present the watch as a masterpiece of mechanical engineering.”
Handcrafting and High Tech
Despite all its technical sophistication, the Super Freak remains a classic product of haute horlogerie. More than 70 percent of the components are decorated and finished by hand. “The machining of the numerous titanium components is particularly challenging. People understand the enormous amount of work that goes into this project—even though the watch is very expensive,” Jean-Christophe Sabatier is certain.
