Ulysse Nardin continues its tradition of horological audacity with the unveiling of the Freak X Crystalium, a $50,000 timepiece that merges cutting-edge mechanics with otherworldly materials. Since its debut in 2001, the Freak has embodied the brand’s spirit of fearless innovation, pioneering orbital carousel architecture and silicon technology. The Ulysse Nardin Freak X, introduced in 2019, distilled that disruptive ethos into a more accessible form, while still retaining its reputation for mechanical spectacle.
The new Freak X Crystalium takes that legacy even further. Housed in a 43mm black DLC-coated titanium case, the watch is framed like a dark architectural sculpture designed to spotlight its centerpiece—the Crystalium hour disc. Made of ruthenium, one of the rarest platinum-group metals, the disc is created through a vapor-deposition crystallization process that takes days to complete. The result is a fractal-like crystalline structure, each pattern impossible to replicate, shimmering with natural complexity. A rose-gold PVD treatment and hand-applied black shading enhance its depth and luminous character, ensuring every Crystalium disc is genuinely one of a kind.
As with all Freak models, the time is told through motion. The Crystalium disc rotates once every 12 hours to mark the hours, while the minute bridge above, carrying the oscillator, completes a revolution every 60 minutes. Power comes from the in-house calibre UN-230 automatic movement, built from 214 components, offering a 72-hour power reserve with silicon escapement, hairspring, and balance wheel—all developed at the brand’s SIGATEC laboratory.
The Freak X Crystalium arrives on a ballistic-textured black rubber strap with rose-gold stitching, or an optional black alligator version, secured by a DLC titanium and ceramic clasp. Equal parts mechanical marvel and wearable art, it is Ulysse Nardin’s latest proof that timekeeping can be as much about spectacle as precision.
In case you missed it, check out the Ulysse Nardin Hammerhead Shark.
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