Ulysse Nardin Super Freak

In 2026, Ulysse Nardin celebrates 180 years of legacy and 25 years of the Freak, the icon that redefined modern watchmaking, with the Super Freak: the result of 180 years of legacy and 25 years of R&D.

Over the past 25 years, the Freak has been explored in all its expressions, each pushing boundaries further. With the Super Freak , the Maison brings together its accumulated expertise to create something entirely new — a bold reinterpretation shaped by 180 years of legacy, innovation, and craftsmanship.

At the heart of the Super Freak beats an entirely new in-house caliber, the UN-252 — a mechanical powerhouse composed of no fewer than 511 components. Four years of intensive development were required to bring this technical tour de force to life. Conceived as the ultimate concentration of the best of Freak, it brings together the collection’s most emblematic mechanisms and patented inventions, while introducing an unprecedented level of complexity, notably through the integration of a double tourbillon and a seconds display, made possible thanks to the new patented gimbal system.

The minute bridge, composed of 327 components, presents two titanium flying tourbillons, each inclined at 10 degrees and rotating in opposite directions, completing one revolution every 60 seconds. It is called “flying” because the cage is fixed only at its base, with no bridge above, creating the impression that it floats. Despite this extreme mechanical complexity, the minute bridge weighs just 3.5 grams, making it 30% lighter than that of the Freak S.

Powering two tourbillons demands far more energy than a conventional display. Meeting this challenge requires extraordinary efficiency, made possible exclusively by Ulysse Nardin’s patented Grinder® system, once again demonstrating why it is the most efficient automatic winding system ever developed.

To house this mechanical density, Ulysse Nardin developed a new 44 mm white-gold case, more compact than the 45 mm case of the Freak S, yet perfectly ergonomic on the wrist. The bezel-locking system (locker) in white gold has also been reengineered: smaller, cleaner, and sleeker.

A true High Horology marvel, the Super Freak reveals a complex and living architecture, the result of a particularly demanding development process. Its seven-plane construction creates striking depth, with 97.46% of the movement in motion (only 13 of its 511 components remain fixed). The twin tourbillons each complete a full rotation every 60 seconds, while the flying carousel turns once per hour. Time is set via the bezel and the movement is wound through the case back — hallmarks of the Freak’s unconventional approach to timekeeping.

From a movement-development perspective, one of the key challenges was ensuring efficient energy transmission for the integration of a seconds display. At the same time, our ambition to create a visually striking timepiece added further complexity, as the bridges had to be designed on inclined planes, balancing mechanical performance with strong aesthetic expression,” explains Lukas Klee, Watch Movement Developer of the Super Freak at Ulysse Nardin in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

A concentrate of mechanical intelligence

Differential: the world’s smallest

The Super Freak features the world’s smallest differential, measuring just 5 mm. Composed of 69 components, including eight ceramic ball bearings manufactured with micron-level precision, this miniature mechanism plays a critical role in the watch’s performance.

It averages the rate of the two inclined tourbillons while also transmitting energy to the new patented gimbal system. Without this mechanism, differences between the regulators would cause the watch to gain or lose time. By synchronizing their performance and regulating energy distribution, it guarantees precision, stability, and reliability.

Compared to the first vertical differential introduced to the watch industry by Ulysse Nardin in 2022 with the Freak S, the axis’ orientation of the differential has been reversed: while the Freak S featured a descending axis, the Super Freak adopts an ascending axis. This architectural choice opens the movement visually, creating a true mechanical show.

Gimbal: the world’s smallest

Because the differential and the seconds display are positioned on decentered axis, Ulysse Nardin created and patented a gimbal system to ensure flawless energy transmission between them. Receiving energy from the differential, the gimbal transmits it to the cylindrical seconds indicator, enabling its precise function. Composed of 11 components, the gimbal measures just 4.8 mm, with two transmission axes spanning a total of 12 mm.

Historically, the gimbal was developed to stabilize marine compasses aboard ships and maintain the horizontal alignment of navigation instruments. It later became essential in guiding gyroscopes and in the development of aeronautical and space instruments. Today, gimbal systems are used across a wide range of advanced fields, including maritime and aerial navigation, aerospace engineering, and optical and electronic stabilization technologies—and, only recently, have been reinterpreted in contemporary watchmaking, where they enable the control of complex, mobile mechanical architectures.

Both the gimbal and the differential are manufactured to onemicron tolerances and were developed in collaboration with MPS, Ulysse Nardin’s long-standing innovation partner, a Swiss specialist in custom microsystems and a recognized leader in biomedical and aerospace micro-engineering. Among MPS’s creations, Ulysse Nardin’s differential and gimbal systems rank among the most complex and ambitious ever produced.

Grinder® technology: the most advanced automatic winding system ever developed

Powering two tourbillons mounted on a flying carousel is a challenge no traditional winding system could meet. Supplying sufficient energy to such a demanding architecture requires a radically new approach. One that Ulysse Nardin achieved with its highly complex, patented Grinder® system.

Recognized as the industry’s most efficient and advanced automatic winding system, Grinder® captures and converts even the slightest wrist movement into energy. An oscillating weight is connected to a frame equipped with four ultra-thin levers, each measuring just 0.12 mm thick, effectively doubling the angular stroke compared to conventional winding systems — much like a bicycle equipped with four pedals instead of two. As a result, the system delivers a three-day power reserve while maintaining exceptional energy efficiency.

In-house silicon and DIAMonSIL®

Silicon’s journey in watchmaking began with Ulysse Nardin, with the launch of the Freak in 2001. More than two decades later, while many prestigious watchmakers have since adopted this avant-garde material, the Freak remains at the forefront of this revolution.

Lightweight, flexible, low-friction, and entirely anti-magnetic, silicon offers clear performance advantages, enhancing precision, durability, and long-term reliability. The Super Freak integrates 10 silicon components, including two balance wheels, two hairsprings, as well as two DIAMonSIL® escapements, a diamondcoated silicon architecture patented by Ulysse Nardin in 2007. Enhanced with the hardness of diamond, the escapements are engineered to withstand over 155 million impacts per year, significantly increasing resistance to friction and shock. This level of robustness is essential, particularly as both tourbillon escapements operate at 18,000 vibrations per hour.

Developed and manufactured at SIGATEC, Ulysse Nardin’s silicon laboratory in Sion, Switzerland, this technology reflects the brand’s proprietary expertise and continuous innovation.

Nanosital® technology

True to the Freak philosophy, the Super Freak features an hour disc that rotates once every 12 hours to display the hours and, in an unprecedented evolution, is rendered in transparent blue.

Crafted from Nanosital® and accented with white Super-LumiNova® hour index, this transparency reveals the automatic engine beneath, showcasing the mechanics and underscoring the watch’s kinetic architecture.

Nanosital® is an optically transparent polycrystalline material engineered through the controlled crystallization of glass, delivering exceptional purity with a distinctly high-tech character. Developed from a high-temperature composition based on SiO₂ (silicon dioxide) and Al₂O₃ (aluminum oxide), two key oxides found in many natural gemstones, its formulation is finely tuned to combine high transparency, optimal density and enhanced hardness. With a specific gravity close to topaz, sapphire and ruby, and a hardness level exceeding that of standard glass, Nanosital® offers remarkable durability while preserving its clarity, color, and internal structure.

Rendered in a light-blue, the color of the disc strikes a balanced expression: contemporary and luxurious, distinctly high-tech, yet subtly softened by a delicate violet undertone. Its slightly “icy” hue maintains a sense of warmth while referencing Ulysse Nardin’s maritime heritage.

180 years of craftsmanship, shaped by human hands

The Super Freak is undeniably a high-tech and a high-horology machine. At the same time, it is shaped by an exceptional level of craftsmanship, with the human hand guiding every detail. This balance between cutting-edge engineering and traditional savoir-faire is the result of 180 years of legacy.

Hand decoration

The Super Freak is an artisanal creation, with more than 70% of its components finished entirely by hand. Traditional tools and techniques, including leather buffs, needle files, and wooden sticks, are used to polish, refine, and perfect every surface. Hand-executed straight graining creates subtle contrasts, while manual sandblasting adds depth and texture, two highly time-intensive processes that demand exceptional precision.

This already demanding work becomes even more complex with the choice of titanium as material. In traditional watchmaking, decorative movement components are most often crafted in brass, a metal that is easier to shape and finish. Titanium, however, is significantly lighter and harder, making it ideal for skeletonized movements that combine strength with reduced weight. Yet this hardness also makes it far more challenging to decorate: finishing a titanium component can require up to twice the time needed for brass. Less forgiving and more resistant to traditional tools, titanium demands substantially greater manual intervention to achieve the same level of refinement and flawless surface quality.

The cradle of the Super Freak

The Super Freak is assembled within Ulysse Nardin’s Haute Horlogerie Atelier, an intimate workshop reserved for the Manufacture’s most complex and demanding creations. Located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, this is where Ulysse Nardin’s most ambitious timepieces come to life.

Here, 14 Grandes Complications watchmakers dedicate their expertise to the development and assembly of exceptional mechanisms, from chiming systems and astronomical displays to the rarest complications. The path to becoming a Grandes Complications watchmaker is long and exacting: it requires four years of rigorous study, followed by five years of immersive, handson training, shaped by the daily transmission of savoir-faire at the workbench. It is a vocation built on patience, precision, and mastery, skills that can only be forged through time and practice.

For the Super Freak , only five watchmakers were specially trained to assemble the watch. Each timepiece is assembled from start to finish by a single watchmaker, ensuring absolute mastery of the process. These same artisans also oversee aftersales care, guaranteeing an unbroken continuity of expertise, with the watch remaining in the hands of those who know it best.

In this Atelier, components first arrive from the decoration workshop. As with every Haute Horlogerie creation at Ulysse Nardin, the timepiece is fully assembled once to perform the necessary adjustments between each component. It is then completely dismantled to allow every part to be meticulously cleaned of micro-particles, before being reassembled to refine the final settings. This demanding process is essential to ensure precision and long-term performance.

The assembly of the Super Freak is particularly exacting. Each timepiece requires 60 hours of hands-on work, followed by five days of testing to validate chronometric performance.

Technical specifications

Ulysse Nardin Super Freak

Reference: 2520-500LE-3A-BLUE/3A

Limited edition of 50 pieces

Case

• Material: White gold case, bezel and locker
• Diameter: 44 mm
• Perceived height 12.2 mm / overall height 16.54 mm
• White gold open sapphire case back
• Water-resistant to 30 meters

Movement

• Caliber UN-252 Manufacture automatic movement
• Flying carousel movement rotating around its own axis
• Two 10°-inclined flying tourbillons
• Two silicon balance wheels and balance springs
• Two DIAMonSIL escapements
• Vertical differential with ball bearings
• Patented gimbal system
• Patented Grinder automatic winding system, blades technology
• Titanium bridges
• Hour and minute indicators with white Superluminova®
• Blue Nanosital® hour disc
• Number of parts: 511
• Number of jewels: 42
• Frequency: 2 x 2.5 Hz / oscillations 2 x 18’000 V/H

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes, seconds

Strap and buckle

• Grey rubber ballistic strap with white stitches
• White gold deployant buckle

MSRP

• CHF 320’000 (8.1% VAT included)
• EUR 348’100 (21% VAT included)
• USD 393’600 (VAT excluded)
• GBP 297’020 (20% VAT included)

For more information, please visit ulysse-nardin.com