As the watch exhibition known as Geneva Watch Days gets underway, Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin unveils another blend of technical mechanical prowess and decorative innovation: Freak [X Crystalium]
. The futuristic looking watch boasts the brand’s creative Freak watch movement – first unveiled in 2001 – with a rotating disk made using a derivative of palladium specially crafted in an advanced process.
Billed by Ulysse Nardin as the most complicated time-only watch ever created, the Freak X was revolutionary for its time. The movement, visible from the dial side, boasts a constantly moving one-hour flying orbital carousel attached to a skeletonized open-worked arrow that – as the movement carrousel rotates – indicates the time. Devoid of traditional hands, the Freak watch also introduced the brand’s pioneering foray into silicium technology. Then, not even a handful of watch brands were working with silicium inside movements.
Over the past 24 years, the Freak has evolved time and again – warranting more than 20 patents. A key evolution came in 2019 with the pared down Freak X – a streamlined version of its older sibling that was more wearable thanks to size and thickness.
Now, the Freak [X Crystalium] boasts a background and rotating hour disk (or plate) made of Crystalium. Thanks to the complex process to crystalize the ruthenium (part of the platinum family) metal — that is 10 times rarer than platinum — every disk is unique.
Transpiring over several days, the vapor-deposition process forms crystalline metallic structures – similar to frost on glass. The process took years to develop and is the result of a working relationship with Crystal Tech for the process, which yields a natural texture and shimmer.
According to Ulysse Nardin Chief Product Officer, Jean-Christophe Sabatier, the Freak X Crystalium deftly represents the brand’s product philosophy of balancing craftsmanship with experimentation. Once the ruthenium is completely crystalized on one side, the hour disk is laser-cut to its final shape.
“The process is very difficult to master as non-homogeneous. As the raw material is very expensive, production waste is always at risk,” said Sabatier, further noting that “the difficulty for the Freak X is that the Hour disk is part of the movement. This implies an additional level of complexity as the crystals should be high enough to reflect light in a mesmerizing way but should not be too high, as the component is rotating on itself.”
According to Sabatier, while some brands are experimenting with ruthenium processes, most do not boast the complex crystalline growth.
For balanced elegance against the black DLC titanium case, the Crystalium disk is coated in rose gold via a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process and then a lacquer is applied to yield a gradient effect.
The final Freak [X Crystalium] watch measures 43mm in diameter and is powered by the automatic Caliber UN-230 with flying carrousel, and silicon balance wheel and escapement made in-house at the brand’s SIGATEC silicon lab. The Crystalium hour disk with pointer serves as the hour hand and completes a full rotation every 12 hours. Just 50 pieces will be made. Each retailing for $42,200.
This is not the first time the Ulysse Nardin has worked with innovative materials or with ruthenium. In 2019, it created a limited edition of 18 pieces of the Freewheel Osmium (with an Osmium dial) and in 2024, Ulysse Nardin built a limited edition of 10 watches in ruthenium, the Freak S WOS (made in cooperation with Watches of Switzerland).