Ulysse Nardin extends its Gumball 3000 collaboration with the Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2, a 150-piece run that leans into performance, color, and the Freak ethos of making the movement the message.
The original Freak upended watchmaking in 2001 with no hands, no dial, and no crown, using its movement to tell time and debuting silicon in high horology. The Freak X distilled that spirit into a more wearable form with a crown and an architecture that still prizes kinematics over ornament: a rotating hour disc for the hours and a flying carrousel that turns once per hour for the minutes.
Edition 2 keeps the mechanics and sharpens the attitude. The hour disc is Carbonium – aerospace grade carbon fiber with orange resin that creates a Damascus like weave, ensuring every disc looks slightly different. The minute wheel is ringed with orange Super-LumiNova, while white lume accents the indexes and bridges. Legibility is clean, the graphics unapologetic.
The 43 mm case is black DLC titanium with satin finishing and an open sapphire case back. A personalized side plate carries the serial in orange. On the wrist, the openworked black rubber strap with orange insert and stitching keeps the weight low and the intent clear.
Inside is the manufacture calibre UN-230, automatic, beating at 3 Hz with 72 hours of power reserve. Ulysse Nardin leans on its material R and D here too: silicon oversized balance wheel and spring, silicon escapement wheel and anchor, and the signature oversized oscillator. The carrousel rotates around its own axis, true to Freak logic and pleasingly free of upper bridge clutter.
Dimensions and details are pragmatic for daily wear: 50 m water resistance, overall height 13.78 mm with a perceived height of 11 mm. Components count is 206 with 21 jewels. In short, enough engineering to satisfy curiosity without tipping into excess.
Pricing lands at 37’700.00 CHF, 41’000.00 EUR, 46’400.00 USD, and 35’000.00 GBP, warranty 5 years. For those who prefer motion to noise, this is the Freak X at full stride – black, bright, and built for the long road.
Leave a Reply