LAUNCH OFF

ULYSSE NARDIN introduces Freak S, a space-inspired timepiece that boasts several innovations such as an entirely new Manufacture movement with an inclined double oscillator and a new case inspired by the first Freak of 2001, writes FLOREY D MIKIL

- FLOREY D MIKIL

Swiss luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin is taking its Freak collection to greater heights with the unveiling of its latest model: Freak S. It launches as one of the timepieces in the Manufacture's Vertical Odyssey - Mission 2, composed of watches that celebrate the wonders of celestial voyage. It's little wonder that the Freak S has been bestowed the moniker Rocket on the Wrist, given its apparent space-inspired aesthetic that recalls a rocket venturing into orbit and beyond.

The Freak collection also referred to as the Laboratory on the Wrist, understandably so due to the audacity of the watches' technicity and design - was launched in 2001 with the release of the first Freak watch. An innovative model that broke the conventional codes of watchmaking, it presented a unique concept of having no crown, no hands and no dial. This avant-garde design was born from the collaboration between then-CEO Rolf Schnyder and renowned horologist Ludwig Oechslin, based Carole on Forestier Kasapi's central carousel tourbillon design that had just received the Prix de la Fondation Abraham-Louis Breguet. It presented form and functionality on such a high level that even after 21 years the watch remains an iconic product in the Manufacture's oeuvre.