Ulysse Nardin introduced the world to Ludwig Oechslin’s revolutionary Freak in 2001, making 2026 the 25th anniversary of the iconic model. With its combination of a silicon components and a carousel display, it is one of the most influential wristwatch designs of 21st century watchmaking. To celebrate this milestone, Ulysse Nardin has launched a new generation of the Freak X.
The Freak X was first introduced in 2019 as a smaller, more compact version of the Freak focussed on making the model a practical, daily wear watch. To that end, in addition to the new sizing, it also traded out some of the more Avant Garde design elements for traditional ones that collectors are more comfortable and familiar with. For example, the standard Freak is operated via the bezel, but the Freak X introduced a crown. The 25th anniversary Freak X collection builds on that philosophy even further.
Starting with wearability, the new Freak X is downsized yet again: instead of a 43mm diameter, the model now measures 41mm. It’s the same story with the lug-to-lug which is now 47.3mm down from 49.6mm, and the thickness down to 10.3mm (not including the new box sapphire crystal, which takes it to 13.6mm) from 10.7mm. That’s a significant reduction in size and suddenly puts the collection into that goldilocks zone of collector preferences between 39mm-42mm.
In addition to the sizes, the materials have been updated too. The original Freak X is produced in titanium, but the new model is presented in a choice of 80% recycled steel for sustainability or rose gold for a more luxurious rendition. It also uses a monobloc structure instead of multi-part, which isn’t a difference that will be super noticeable on the wrist but that, alongside a new screw-down crown, is important for specs like the improved 100m water resistance rating.
Looking at the dial, Ulysse Nardin have put a lot of work into making it look like everything is the same as before despite the fact that everything has changed. The central carousel movement that serves as the minute indicator is brand new for this collection. It’s the calibre UN-232 automatic, which introduces a micro-rotor winding system to the Freak X for the first time. It also introduces a suite of quality of life improvements that first debuted in collections like the Freak S and Freak One, most significant of which is the use of a DIAMonSIL escapement to enhance precision and durability.
The structure of the movement has also been redesigned to make it more modular than before, making it easier to swap specific elements such as the hour indicator disk that sits below the carousel minute indicator. This will make it easier in future to produce alternative editions and expand the collection. You can already get a sense of this through the three dial variants that have been produced for this Freak X 25th anniversary series. The black and grey editions have a grained texture while the blue is sunray brushed. Plenty of room for more designs in future.
For pricing, the grey steel edition is £31,100 on leather strap, the blue steel edition is £32,030 on steel bracelet and then the black dial gold edition is £48,270 on leather strap. Regardless of which strap they come with, they can all use the new interchangeable strap system for a wider range of options including bracelets, leather or rubber. Between all these quality of life updates and the new size, they have been successful in producing the most wearable Freak to date, though with that price tag, you’ll certainly remember that it is a Freak at heart.
Price and Specs:
More details at Ulysse Nardin.
