Credits: Article and images by Joshua Munchow @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/06/24/ulysse-nardin-freak-s-taking-freaky-back-toward-its-roots-reprise/
—————————————————————————————————————
Take a ride on the Freak spaceship
The same goes for how the Freak S is wound. While it does have the automatic winding system named Grinder – see the genesis of this winding system in Diving Deep Into The Technology Of The Ulysse Nardin InnoVision 2 – the case back bezel is still the main manual method to wind the mainspring (just like the original). In most ways the Freak S is the clear descendent of the original Freak, but the departure of the mechanics of the carousel makes it obvious just how far Ulysse Nardin has come.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S dual escapements
The twin free-sprung balance wheels are made of silicon and feature adjustable gold weights for poising and adjustment as well as a silicon hairspring. It has a DiamondSIL escapement (synthetic diamond-coated silicon) for ultra-low friction and the ability to function without additional lubrication. This quasi-proprietary technology has been around for 15 years thanks to earlier Freak models and the progressive, high-tech research of Ulysse Nardin.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S blue silicon balance wheel
These balance wheels are also canted off-plane to provide differing positions during operation, each angle at 20 degrees from horizontal. As Greubel Forsey and others have proven in the past, the angled balance is the optimal orientation for a wristwatch since the balance can be more easily regulated since it is unlikely to ever be in a perfectly flat or perfectly vertical (the two timing error extremes) orientation, so positional errors are reduced. Combine that idea with two balances and a differential to average out those errors and you get a fairly consistent and stable rate for the timekeeping.
The Ulysse Nardin Freak S movement
It also doesn’t hurt that the entire assembly makes one full rotation every 60 minutes as a minute hand, adding another small averaging effect, however minor. But the Freak S, like all Freak models, is first and foremost about the carousel movement (now synonymous with tourbillon, though technically different) and now the assembly has once again been shaped to seem like a spacecraft cruising through the cosmos.
The horizontal differential of the Ulysse Nardin Freak S
The balance wheels act like wings of some sort, and the differential, sporting a horizontal gear shaft, is the ion drive pushing the craft forward. That assembly bolts onto the rest of the carousel, which has a rather sci-fi shape, to create something that could be digitally dropped right into a scene in a movie with almost no modifications. What really sells this comparison is the black aventurine dial/decorative movement plate underneath that looks like the night sky and fits perfectly here.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S SYNC clasp
I’ve loved every Freak carousel, but this one hits new heights of awesomeness, proving that Ulysse Nardin is not running out of ideas or designs any time soon. The case design has been updated, and it even comes with a newly engineered clasp system nicknamed SYNC featuring a triple folding mechanism that opens with one click, each folding action synchronized.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S
After a few years with the more affordable Freak X getting a lot of the spotlight, the Freak S brings the focus back to the innovation and creativity on the upper end of Ulysse Nardin’s capabilities.
As the company revitalizes after its sale to management, there is an opportunity to shake off some dust and push into new-old territory. The Freak S shows that Ulysse Nardin has no intention of standing still, and it demonstrates that after 21 years the Freak is still on the cutting edge of watchmaking design and technology.
While I sit and imagine riding on the Freak S spaceship into the unknown, let’s break this down!
- Wowza Factor * 9.85 A new Freak will always garner a hefty wowza!
- Late Night Lust Appeal * 98.5» 965.955m/s2 The Gs throwing you back into your chair are from the carousel carriage zooming off into deep space!
- M.G.R. * 69.9 It’s hard to beat a Freak movement and this one ranks very high among the geeky movements out there!
- Added-Functionitis * N/A Do you even care if it has any added functions? I didn’t think so, it’s a Freak! No matter, you can skip the Gotta-HAVE-That cream and just enjoy the out-of-this-world horology!
- Ouch Outline * 12.3 Throwing your back out! Luckily it hasn’t happened to me yet, but I’ve had some close calls where I could have sworn I was going to be unable to move. Turns out your thirties have a lot of surprises for you, and not all of them fun. Still, I’d risk it if it meant getting a Freak S on my wrist!
- Mermaid Moment * A Freak with two balances?! Sometimes one isn’t enough, and when you have two you know it’s true!
- Awesome Total * 755 Begin with the caliber number (251) and multiply by the number of days in the power reserve (3), then for good measure tack on the number of balances in the Freak S (2) and we’ll get to a deservingly substantial awesome total!
For more information, please visit www.ulysse-nardin.com.
Quick Facts Ulysse Nardin Freak S
Case: 45 mm, black ceramic and DLC-coated titanium with red gold bezel
Movement: automatic Caliber UN-251 with twin inclined balances in a 60-minute tourbillon carousel, 72-hour power reserve, 18,000 vph/2.5 Hz frequency, Grinder automatic winding, silicon balance wheel
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 75 pieces, 40 pieces for 2022 in current variation
Price: CHF 130,000 / €123,000
* This article was first published 12 June 2022 at Ulysse Nardin Freak S: Taking Freaky Back Toward Its Roots
You may also enjoy:
Chess Moves: What The January 2022 Sale Of Ulysse Nardin And Girard-Perregaux Have To Do With Brioni
Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision: Promises Realized
Ulysse Nardin Freak X: The ‘Affordable’ Freak
Diving Deep Into The Technology Of The Ulysse Nardin InnoVision 2
Credits: Article and images by Joshua Munchow @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/06/24/ulysse-nardin-freak-s-taking-freaky-back-toward-its-roots-reprise/
