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The Entry-Level Ulysse Nardin Freak Gains a Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Donzé Cadrans gets its freak on.

Ulysse Nardin gives its most affordable Freak a new look with a blue flinqué enamel dial and rose gold case. The brand has launched three other Freaks with enamel dials over the past two years, but all were small-run, retailer-exclusive limited editions. The Freak X Gold Enamel, on the other hand, is not retailer-specific and will be limited to 120 examples.

The watch puts Ulysse Nardin’s investments in silicon fabrication and dial making to good use, and with good results. The combination of traditional métiers d’art with state-of-the-art technology also makes it more approachable to traditionalists than a typical Freak.

Initial Thoughts

Even as it nears 25 years on the market, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak remains avant-garde in aesthetics and technology. The Freak looks and feels like a small-batch concept watch, rather than the collection staple it’s become. It’s hard to believe you can walk into a retailer and walk out with something like this from a major Swiss brand for less than six figures.

A rarely mentioned refinement is the use of clear sapphire jewels, rather than the typical reddish-purple rubies. It’s rare for brands to harmonize jewel colors with the rest of the watch, but it always results in a more cohesive look. Besides striking looks, its also a surprisingly practical watch, with a reasonably sized case, respectable lume, and 50 m water resistance. Overall, a well-rounded package, though the US$10,300 premium for the enamel dial over the regular Freak X Rose feels a bit steep.

Donzé Cadrans Gets its Freak On

As with other Freaks, the balance bridge rotates once per hour and doubles as a minute hand, while the hour disk below, which also acts as the dial, turns once in twelve hours. For this edition, the hour disk is decorated with blue flinqué enamel over an embossed sunray pattern.

Ulysse Nardin’s dial studio, Donzé Cadrans, is responsible for the hour disk, made of 22k rose gold, which is thermally stable enough for kiln firing. Unlike a typical dial, the hour disk is also one of the movement’s structural plates, with several threaded holes for screws on the reverse, which no doubt complicated the process.

Image – Ulysse Nardin

Case and Caliber

The 43 mm case is much the same as the rest of the Freak X line; and since so much of the height is in the box-section sapphire crystal, it’s flatter than the specifications suggest.

The case is titanium with a blue PVD finish, though solid rose gold side-shrouds give it the look of a fully precious metal watch without the full cost or weight. Visible through the back, the rotor is also in rose gold to match.

Image – Ulysse Nardin

The UN-230 movement is the tamest of the current production Freak calibers, especially compared to the UN-251 in the Freak S. It’s still on the bleeding edge, with a silicon escapement, balance spring, and balance all made by Sigatec. The movement finishing may be industrial, but fits the Freak aesthetic well nonetheless.

While the signature carousel of the original Freak is retained, the Freak X also gets some much-appreciated quality of life features, such as a normal crown to wind the set the watch, and automatic winding.