Freaking Out with Matthieu Haverlan
Ulysse Nardin Managing Director Matthieu Haverlan discusses the brand's forward strategy, focusing on the evolution of the Freak collection. He highlights the Super Freak as a technologically advanced, time-only watch and the new Freak X as a more compact and wearable iteration, both embodying the brand's commitment to innovation and challenging traditional watchmaking conventions.
- 2026 marks Ulysse Nardin's 180th anniversary and the Freak collection's 25th anniversary.
- The Super Freak features two tourbillons, silicon and DIAMonSIL components, the industry's smallest differential and gimbal system, and an efficient automatic winding system.
- The new Freak X has a more compact case, a refined movement with DIAMonSIL escapement, and an interchangeable strap system.
The Super Freak is described as the most complicated time-only watch ever created, featuring two regulating organs in silicon and DIAMonSIL.
The new Freak X incorporates a rose gold micro-rotor and offers an interchangeable strap system for the first time at Ulysse Nardin.
Haverlan personally prefers the Freak X for everyday wear due to its unique architecture and mechanical emotion in a more accessible format.
The original Freak from 2001 pioneered the use of silicon in mechanical watchmaking and featured a seven-day carrousel movement with a dual direct escapement and no crown.
Ulysse Nardin's identity is rooted in innovation, material advancements (particularly silicon), and a 'radical DNA' that appeals to free-spirited, pioneering individuals.