Patrick Prunier, CEO of the Sowind Group, which leads Ulysse Nardin, visited Japan with his latest work, "Freak X Gold Enamel," which was not announced at the Watches & Wonders held in Geneva in April. Will the company be actively using the Métiers d'Art technique, typified by franké enamel, which combines guilloching and enamel, which was adopted in this new work, in collections other than "Freak" in the future?
Photograph by Yu Mitamura
Yukiya Suzuki (this magazine): Interview and writing
Edited & Text by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
A collection strategy that skillfully combines innovation and tradition
CEO of the Sowind Group. Born in France in 1972. Started his career at an alcoholic beverage company. He then held key positions at various LVMH Group companies. In 2014, he was involved in the launch of the Apple Watch. In 2017, he became CEO of Ulysse Nardin. Since 2018, he has also served as CEO of Girard-Perregaux. In January 2022, he will serve as CEO of the Sowind Group, which has been spun off from the Kering Group.
"Ulysse Nardin's collections that use enamel include the Classico and Marine. As of now, we have not yet used enamel in our sports lines, such as the Diver, but we have not decided which line to limit it to. Donze Cadrans, which is under the Ulysse Nardin umbrella, is famous for its enamel, but even within enamel there are various techniques, such as cloisonné and champlevé. Champlevé is not yet used in the Freak. So far, the Classico is the only line that has used champlevé."
In recent years, you have been focusing particularly on Freak collections, but what will be the pillar collection for Ulysse Nardin in the future?
The Freak X retains the Freak-esque flying carousel design, which rotates the entire dial to display the time, but adds a crown at 3 o'clock for improved operability. The latest model is unique, featuring a rotating hour disc guilloched and topped with deep blue enamel. Automatic movement (Cal. UN-230). 21 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve approximately 72 hours. 18KRG x Ti case (43mm diameter, 13.38mm thick). Water resistant to 50m. Limited to 120 pieces worldwide. Price: 7,667,000 yen (tax included).
"Our current collections are broadly divided into two axes: a historical collection and an innovative, contemporary collection. Marine is representative of the former, and Freak is at the top of the latter. The second most innovative collection after Freak is Blast. Diver used to be more historical, but now it's shifting to a more contemporary style. If we group them together, Diver, Blast, and Freak, including the current Diver, are modern collections that pursue innovation. At the same time, a brand needs a fundamental collection. The base of this is Marine, the historical collection. That said, innovative technologies used in the contemporary collection, such as silicone parts, are also used in Marine. In other words, even though we base our collections on historical collections, these two axes influence each other and coexist, which is what creates the strength of a single brand."
Last year's Freak S Nomad featured guilloched hour discs on a rose engine lathe, while this year's latest Freak X Gold Enamel uses franké enamel, a combination of guilloched and enamel, on the hour disc. Behind the brand's recent product development, which has skillfully combined innovation and tradition with the Freak at its core, lies this clear collection strategy.
