Ulysse Nardin will release the "Freak One Blue Enamel," featuring an hour disc designed by Donzé Cadrans, in a limited edition of 99 pieces worldwide. This timepiece has no dial, hands, or crown; the hour disc, adorned with guilloché and vibrant blue grand feu enamel, displays the time, and the time is adjusted by rotating the bezel.
The "Freak ONE Blue Enamel" features a blue enamel hour disc by Donzé Cadran.
Ulysse Nardin is releasing the "Freak One Blue Enamel," a limited edition of 99 pieces worldwide, featuring an hour disc crafted by Donzé Cadrans, a company renowned for its grand feu enamel dials. Based on the "Freak One," which uses a rotating movement to display the time, this model is characterized by its combination of sunray-patterned guilloché decoration and vibrant blue enamel. By incorporating traditional decorative techniques into the hour disc, which is responsible for displaying the time, the avant-garde mechanism is further highlighted, and the dial is given the deep colors of grand feu enamel and the unique brilliance of guilloché. The "Freak One Guilloché," also announced at the same time, features a diamond-patterned guilloché decoration with sand-colored CVD, creating a different look from this model.
Born in 2001, the "Freak" collection demonstrated new possibilities in watchmaking with its structure where the movement itself rotates to display the time and the adoption of a silicon escapement. The Freak ONE, which appeared in 2023, is positioned as a model that inherits the original Freak's configuration of "having neither a dial, hands, nor a crown," and time adjustment is done by releasing the safety lock at the 6 o'clock position of the case and rotating the bezel. This is a major difference from the "Freak X," which has a crown.
The highlight is the traditional techniques used by Donzé Cadran, who possesses high technical skills.
The allure of the Freak ONE Blue Enamel lies in its hour disc, created using the guilloché technique, which combines vibrant blue enamel with a sunray pattern. Based on white gold, the delicate radial pattern enhances the visual depth of the enamel. The deep yet vibrant blue adorns the background of the rotating mechanism.
The Donzé Cadrans, responsible for this decoration, is a workshop established in 1972 in Le Locle, Switzerland, by enamel craftsman Francis Donzé. In 2011, it became part of the Ulysse Nardin group and continues to carry on traditional enamel techniques such as cloisonné, champlevé, and flancé. At Donzé Cadrans, a small number of highly skilled craftsmen handle everything from raw material preparation to firing and finishing, resulting in exceptionally high-quality enamel dials.
In this piece, the craftsmanship is poured into the hour disc. The hour disc is a functional component that rotates and displays the time, equipped with multiple screws, so the enamel decoration requires high precision and meticulous attention at each stage of the process. The base of the hour disc in this piece is made of white gold, which has excellent heat stability, and is designed not only to be aesthetically pleasing but also to withstand the high temperatures during firing.
The production of enamel discs begins with washing the raw materials—the glazes—and manually crushing them into a fine powder to form a paste. This paste is then applied to the discs and fired at approximately 800°C. This process is repeated many times to form multiple layers, enhancing the depth, vibrancy, and brilliance of the colors. The result varies with each firing, and if even a small defect such as a bubble or crack occurs, the process must be started again from the beginning. Finally, the discs that have achieved the desired color are polished by hand to bring out their brilliance.
The Cal.UN-240 automatic movement is what gives Freak ONE its unique character.
The Cal.UN-240 automatic movement powers the blue enamel hour disc. The hour disc rotates once every 12 hours, with a mounted pointer indicating the time, while the flying carousel above it rotates once every 60 minutes to display the minutes. The flying carousel features a large silicon balance wheel and hairspring, and a diamond-sil escape wheel and lever. Because there is no bridge to support the mechanism from above, the movement's operation can be admired as it appears to float in mid-air against the backdrop of the enamel decoration.
The diamond-coated silicon in the Diamonsil enhances the wear resistance and shock resistance of the escapement. The automatic winding mechanism employs a unique grinder mechanism that utilizes even slight arm movements to wind the mainspring. Manual winding is also possible by rotating the case back counterclockwise, and the power reserve is approximately 90 hours.
Lightweight and sporty case and strap
The case and bezel are made of titanium, combining satin and sandblasted finishes. The bezel has been redesigned, inspired by the "Super Freak," with fewer notches and a softer shape. The strap is a one-piece white rubber strap with a ballistic texture, paired with a gray titanium deployant buckle.
Automatic (Cal. UN-240). 15 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve approximately 90 hours. Ti case (diameter 44mm, thickness 13.3mm). Water resistant to 30m. Limited to 99 pieces worldwide. Price: 6,666,000 yen (tax included).
