Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle Watch Review (2021)
The Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle shares much in common with the Freak X model, released in 2019. Like the Freak X, this new model employs one side of the mainplate as a dial substitute. However, in this instance, the surface is embellished with a hypnotic motif of black and white lines.
Ulysse Nardin depuis 1846
Ulysse Nardin, founded in 1846, has a rich history, with strong ties to the maritime world and the making of marine chronometers. However, with the advent of the new millennium in 2000, the Swiss brand seemed to engage in a paradigmatic shift. It no longer looked to the past and fixated on traditions, rather it wholeheartedly embraced ‘the now’ and looked to the future.
Ulysse Nardin Freak
A perfect example of this new mindset was the firm’s groundbreaking watch, the ‘Freak’. Its chosen moniker provided a clue that this watch was designed to shun convention. Indeed, every element of the composition was different. The dial was actually the mainplate. The watch eschewed a crown and was wound by rotating the edge of the caseback, a mechanism termed a ‘Grinder’ system by the brand. Its ‘tourbillon- carousel’, gear train and escapement were positioned front of house, spanning the width of the dial.
Unusually, the watch had two escape wheels rather than the customary one. Both the escape wheels and the balance spring were formed from silicon. This glass-lie material is not influenced by magnetism or changes in temperature. It is also not liable to corrosion. All of these characteristics are beneficial when making watches. Ulysse Nardin was an early adopter of this technology and remains one of the few watch brands with the necessary know-how to maximise its potential.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X (2019)
In 2019, Ulysse Nardin unveiled the Freak X. This watch, fitted with the self-winding Caliber UN-230, eschewed the Grinder system in favour of a conventional crown. Moreover, the constant-force escapement, an expensive feature found on the Freak Vision, was omitted. By removing some of the costly elements, the Freak X proved more affordable. It still retained the carousel found on former Freak models and continued to possess the legendary model’s unique appearance.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle (2021)
Now, the Manufacture from Le Locle has just unveiled the Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle. Based on the 2019 release, this latest creation exhibits a very distinctive face. The dial side of the mainplate has been embellished with a profusion of white and black lines using lacquer, electroplating/galvanic treatment and laser technology. Intended to emulate the appearance of naval camouflage, the intricate patterns resemble optical illusion art, hidden with meaning and with a capacity to hypnotise.
The distinctive appearance of the Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle will inevitably polarise opinion, however, it demonstrates, once again, that this esteemed Maison is never afraid to view horology from outside the box.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle – the brand’s press release (May 2021)
Disorder and confusion: welcome to the new reality. Where art meets craftsmanship, there is nothing more disrupting, and no more fascinating object than the new Freak X Razzle Dazzle. Ulysse Nardin is eXcited to introduce a revisited and unique version of its best-selling model Freak X, embellished with a new geometrical pattern: a captivating design inspired by wildlife camouflage and used for ships’ concealment, as well as widely integrated in works of contemporary art. The Freak X collection is notorious for its in-house flying carrousel movement, which rotates around its own axis without a traditional dial or hands. Somewhere between Space and Earth, it is simply an extraterrestrial timepiece: its movement and design defy all the known codes of watchmaking.
High-tech vibrant tapisserie
The Freak X model doesn’t feature a conventional dial but a decorative movement plate integrating the minute gear train – here fully “razzle-dazzled”. Limited to 30 pieces, the watch is available in titanium with a black DLC case and a black openwork rubber leather strap with “point de bride” stitches and rubber, or a white openwork calfskin leather strap with “point de bride” stitches. This razzle dazzle vibrant tapisserie emphasizes the edgy carrousel movement, turning on itself every 60 minutes to indicate the time. In between an ornament and a technical interface, in between what’s visible and what’s hidden, this black and white pattern will hypnotize you. Combining three different dial-making techniques (lacquer, electroplating/galvanic treatment, laser) the final effect is captivating, mesmerizing, absorbing. It is a veritable optical illusion on your wrist.
Razzle dazzle influence
Because its heritage is deeply rooted in the universes of the Marines and Navies of the world, it was no surprise that the Ulysse Nardin design department decided upon the razzle dazzle pattern as a new exercise in style and composition. A painting technique employed to camouflage British ships – dazzle camouflage, also known as razzle dazzle or dazzle painting – was a design composed of a group of avant-garde ship camouflage patterns used extensively in World War I and, to a lesser extent, in World War II. The usual purpose of camouflage is to blend in or to conceal but in this case, the pattern actually draws attention to itself. The crossing lines are meant to confuse the viewer and make it difficult to estimate the range, speed and direction of the ship, therefore misleading the enemy in regard to the ship’s course and resulting in the adversary making poor target firing decisions. Of course, this distinctive pattern drew attention from cubist artists (such as Picasso) who erroneously boasted that the pattern was inspired by the cubist movement itself.
Freak X codes in pole position
The 43mm sizing allows for an easy way to read and operate the watch. The freaky timepiece includes a crown for time correction but has no hands – the central bridge acts as a minute hand and one of the wheels indicates the hours. Inside beats a super-light balance wheel in silicium, extra-wide, with nickel flyweights and stabilizing micro-blades. The movement itself, the UN-230, is a fusion of the manufacture calibers UN-118 and Freak Vision UN-250.
