Key Highlights
- All-new in-house calibre UN-232 with DIAMonSIL escapement and rose gold micro-rotor
- Case reduced from 43mm to 41mm; monobloc construction in 80% recycled steel or rose gold
- Water resistance upgraded from 50m to 100m with a new screw-down crown
- 72-hour power reserve; 216 components; oversized silicon balance wheel and hairspring
- Quick-release interchangeable strap system across nine configurations
- Three references: Freak X Grey, Freak X Blue, Freak X Gold — from CHF 33,500
- Marks Ulysse Nardin’s 180th anniversary and 25 years of the Freak
What You Need to Know
Two years of engineering, three new references, and one clear directive: make the Freak wearable every day without softening its radical character.
The Freak [X] first appeared in 2019 as a more accessible, crown-equipped companion to the original Freak concept. That model kept the flying carousel architecture — the movement itself rotating to indicate the time, no conventional hands — but conceded practicality. The 2026 generation goes further still. The diameter drops from 43mm to 41mm, the lug-to-lug shrinks to 47.3mm, and a monobloc case replaces the previous modular titanium construction. The result sits flatter at 10.35mm perceived height, while a new glassbox sapphire crystal widens the panoramic view of the mechanism beneath.
Design and Architecture
The monobloc case is the structural centrepiece of this generation.
Built from 80% recycled steel (or full rose gold in the Gold reference), it improves rigidity over the older modular format and, according to Ulysse Nardin‘s engineers, reduces the propagation of mechanical vibrations through the case. Contrasting satin-brushed, polished, and sandblasted surfaces articulate every plane, while hand-bevelled edges on the hour and minute indicators and the oscillator bridge give the movement a sculptural finish consistent with Watches and Wonders-level presentation standards. Applied hour markers with white Super-LumiNova add a three-dimensional quality previously absent from the Freak X. Through the open caseback, the rose gold micro-rotor sits within a double-bridge frame with colimaçon finishing, its warm colour playing against the technical grey of the movement architecture around it.
Movement and Materials
The calibre UN-232 is built on 35 Freak patents and incorporates five of its own.
The DIAMonSIL escapement — a high-tech surface treatment that dramatically increases hardness and wear resistance in a component sustaining over 250 million impacts per year — appears in a Freak X for the first time. An oversized silicon balance wheel and thermocompensated silicon hairspring, both produced at SIGATEC, Ulysse Nardin’s dedicated silicon laboratory, handle the regulation. Automatic winding arrives via a rose gold micro-rotor fully integrated into the movement, replacing the conventional heavy-metal rotor of the first-generation Freak X. The calibre delivers a 72-hour power reserve from 216 components assembled, start to finish, by a single watchmaker at the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The use of silicon technology in horology has been central to Ulysse Nardin’s identity since the mid-2000s; the UN-232 consolidates that heritage into its most compact expression yet.
Versatility and Strap System
Nine strap configurations, changed without tools: that alone changes how collectors engage with the watch.
The quick-release interchangeable system spans an integrated steel bracelet, rubber ballistic straps, Delugs white rubber, and leather options in cognac nubuck, blue alligator, burgundy Saffiano, and more. The integrated steel bracelet shares the same finishing language as the case and includes a 2mm micro-adjustment on both sides. Water resistance at 100 metres and a screw-down crown complete a specification profile the first-generation Freak X never offered.
Three References, One Direction
The Freak X Grey (ref. 2323-500-1A/0A) opens at CHF 33,500 on a leather strap. The Freak X Blue (ref. 2323-500-3A/7A) with its gradient satin sunburst hour disc and integrated steel bracelet is CHF 34,500. The Freak X Gold (ref. 2322-500-2A/1A) in full rose gold with black alligator strap is CHF 52,000. All three share the UN-232 calibre, 41mm case dimensions, and 100m water resistance.
For a manufacture celebrating 180 years in 2026, the new Freak X is a precise statement: the most wearable Freak ever produced, without a single concession to its founding logic.
Discover the full collection at ulysse-nardin.com.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What movement does the new Ulysse Nardin Freak X use?
The new Freak X is powered by the in-house calibre UN-232, an entirely new automatic movement featuring a rose gold micro-rotor, DIAMonSIL escapement, oversized silicon balance wheel, thermocompensated silicon hairspring, and a 72-hour power reserve. It comprises 216 components and 27 jewels, oscillating at 3 Hz.
How does the new Freak X differ from the first-generation Freak X?
The new Freak X moves from a modular titanium case to a monobloc construction in 80% recycled steel or rose gold, reduces the diameter from 43mm to 41mm, and improves water resistance from 50 metres to 100 metres. It also introduces a screw-down crown, a rose gold micro-rotor, DIAMonSIL escapement, applied Super-LumiNova indices, and a quick-release interchangeable strap system absent from the original.
What is the case size and water resistance of the new Freak X?
The new Freak X measures 41mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug of 47.3mm and a perceived height of 10.35mm. It is water-resistant to 100 metres, achieved in part through a newly introduced screw-down crown.
What are the prices for the new Ulysse Nardin Freak X?
The Freak X Grey (steel) is priced at CHF 33,500 / USD 41,200 (tax excl.). The Freak X Blue on an integrated steel bracelet is CHF 34,500 / USD 42,400. The Freak X Gold in rose gold is CHF 52,000 / USD 64,000 (tax excl.).
What is the flying carousel architecture in the Ulysse Nardin Freak X?
The flying carousel is the defining feature of the Freak family: the entire movement rotates around its own axis, completing one revolution every 60 minutes to indicate the minutes while the hours are shown via a pointer on a rotating disc. It is described as 'flying' because it operates without an upper bridge, leaving the mechanism fully suspended and visible on the wrist.
