Ulysse Nardin Introduces the Freak X Qatar Watch Club

Created by enthusiasts in the Gulf state.

Created for a group of watch enthusiasts in Gulf nation, the Freak X Qatar Watch Club is a variant of the brand’s well-priced, entry-level Freak. Conceived by Ulysse Nardin, its local retailer Ali Bin Ali, and members of the club, the new Freak X is a limited edition of just 10 watches.

It’s the third timepiece made for Qatar Watch Club (QWC), following on last year’s Tudor Pelagos. Dressed almost entirely in black, the QWC edition has its hour markers in dark green, a colour historically associated with the Middle East.

Initial thoughts

Essentially a simpler version of the original Freak, the Freak X manages to retain a good deal of the features that made the original unique, while dialling back on the complexity to make it more affordable. A value proposition in all its iterations, the Freak X remains equally compelling as the QWC edition, although it is only available to members of QWC.

The affordable Freak

Highly regarded by the club’s members, the Freak X an unsurprising choice for QWC’s third collaboration. “Ulysse Nardin creations always fascinated us since the beginning,” says Jassim Al Sayed, the chairman of QWC, “We’re honoured to be able to collaborate with the brand for a very special edition of Freak X.”

Clad in a restrained colour palette, Freak X QWC has a titanium case coated in black diamond-like carbon (DLC), with dark green hour markers as well as a subtle green ring on the wheel that drives the time-display carrousel.

The Freak X QWC is delivered with two straps, green and black

With a 43 mm titanium case, the Freak X is smaller and more wearable than its more complicated cousins. And it also has a conventional crown instead of a case-back setting mechanism, making setting the time easier. But despite the simpler movement, it retains the signature feature of the Freak – the escapement is mounted on the a bridge that makes one revolution a minute, doubling as the minute hand.

And the balance itself is notable, being an unusual elaborate construction of silicon with nickel inertia weights that’s likely the most high-tech balance wheel in a watch of this price point.