The Ulysse Nardin Freak Pre-Owned 026-88 is a watch that has always attracted attention both technically and visually. The concept was to place a gear train on top of the main spring inside the carousel, which served as the minute hand.
There was no dial to speak of, but there was a turntable containing the hour hand that supported the structure. Winding and setting are managed via a deeply scalloped, somewhat steampunk-looking bezel unit.
The launch of the Freak marks the first appearance of silicon in a watch movement, a development the brand has been a pioneer in. This is a dramatic watch to see today, and it certainly shook hearts in 2001.
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Ulysse Nardin Freak Review 2024
Ulysse Nardin’s Pre-Owned Freak 026-88 watch was produced in a limited edition of 99 pieces. It features a manual winding carousel tourbillon silicon escapement with a power reserve of 8 days.
There are hour, minute, and second indications. The case diameter is 45mm and the overall thickness is 14mm. This watch comes with its original Ulysse Nardin box and papers.
The pre-owned Ulysse Nardin Freak (02688) manual-wind watch features a new navy blue alligator leather strap with an 18k rose gold deployment buckle and a 44.5mm 18k rose gold case surrounding a blue dial.
Functions include hours, minutes, and tourbillon. This watch comes with its original box and paper. We back this watch with a 2-year warranty.
Is the Ulysse Nardin Freak a tourbillon?
Unconventional monsters have neither big nor small hands. Instead, the one-hour orbital rotating tourbillon is replaced by a minute hand, and the hour hand is replaced by a pointer on a rotating disk. Challenging design but is easy to read.
What watch is called a Tourbillon?
A watch without hands. Typically, mechanical watches hide their workings beneath the dial. But the Freak doesn’t have a dial. The movement doubles as a minute hand, with the hour hand being a pointer set on a rotating disk beneath the movement.
How big is Ulysse Nardin’s Freak?
The 43mm titanium case and black PVD finish make it lightweight and durable. The sapphire crystal case back houses the self-winding movement UN-230.
History of Ulysse Nardin Freak series
For over 20 years, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak collection has been ahead of its time with cutting-edge, high-performance watches that showcase outstanding craftsmanship and cutting-edge technologies such as silicone and grinder winding systems.
First launched in 2001, the Ulysse Nardin Freak was the first superwatch in history and the most complex time-only watch in history. Today, Ulysse Nardin Freak is the proud winner of the Iconic Watch award at the Grand Prix des Horlogerie des Geneva and a must-have watch for collectors around the world.
