- Introduced as the world’s first automatic double tourbillon watch with a flying carousel.
- Built around two inclined flying tourbillons that rotate in opposite directions.
- Features the world’s smallest vertical differential alongside a patented miniature gimbal system.
- Uses Ulysse Nardin’s Grinder automatic winding system to deliver a 72-hour power reserve.
- Each watch requires around 60 hours of assembly by a single watchmaker.
- Limited to 50 pieces, priced at USD $361,600 or EUR €348,100.
Back in 2001, Ulysse Nardin surprised the watchmaking world with the launch of the original Freak at Baselworld. It broke almost every rule collectors expected by removing the usual dial, hands, and even the crown. Instead, the watch’s movement itself turned to show the time, turning mechanical watchmaking into a moving work of art. It was also the first wristwatch to use silicon parts in the escapement, a major innovation that has since become common in modern high-end watchmaking.
Twenty-five years later, and as Ulysse Nardin celebrates both the Freak’s silver anniversary and the manufacture’s 180th anniversary, the independent Swiss watchmaker is once again redefining what is possible. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026, the new Super Freak is described as the most complicated time-only watch ever created.
Now, Let’s Take a Closer Look at the Ulysse Nardin Super Freak!
Housed inside the Super Freak is Ulysse Nardin’s newly developed Calibre UN-252, an extraordinary in-house movement comprising 511 individual components. Four years of intensive research and development went into developing the self-winding calibre, reflecting the immense engineering required to bring the brand’s most ambitious time-only watch to life. Rather than sitting beneath a conventional dial, the movement itself becomes the watch’s display, showcasing the technical brilliance and pioneering spirit that have defined the Freak collection for the past 25 years. The new Super Freak is described as the most complicated time-only watch ever created.
Its most eye-catching part is the light minute bridge, which holds two flying tourbillons, tilted at 10 degrees, and is made of titanium. Turning in opposite directions, each tourbillon makes a full turn every 60 seconds while the whole flying carousel moves around the dial once every hour to show the minutes. Even with such a complex mechanism, the entire bridge weighs only 3.5 grams, making it seem like the parts are floating inside the 44 mm white gold case.
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Powering this amazing design is Ulysse Nardin’s patented Grinder automatic winding system. Known as one of the most efficient winding systems in the industry, it captures even the smallest wrist movements using four very thin moving levers, providing excellent energy transfer and a 72-hour power reserve. This impressive engineering makes sure the Super Freak works as well as it looks.
To maintain exceptional precision, Ulysse Nardin also developed several entirely new micro-mechanisms. The Super Freak incorporates the world’s smallest vertical differential, measuring only 5 mm and consisting of 69 microscopic components, which continuously averages the rate of the two Tourbillons for greater stability. That energy is then transmitted through a newly patented 4.8 mm gimbal system to power the first-ever seconds display in the Freak collection’s history. Manufactured to tolerances of just one micron, these tiny components highlight the extraordinary level of precision behind what Ulysse Nardin calls its most complicated time-only watch ever created.
Despite its futuristic engineering, the Super Freak still remains traditional Swiss craftsmanship. More than 70% of its components are hand-finished, while every one of the 50 limited-edition pieces is assembled from start to finish by a single Grandes Complications watchmaker in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The process requires around 60 hours of assembly, followed by several days of rigorous testing to ensure the movement performs exactly as intended.
Visually, the Super Freak is unlike anything else on the market. Rather than relying on conventional beauty, its attraction lies in watching an intricate mechanical ecosystem in constant motion. Ulysse Nardin says 97.46% of the movement is continuously active, transforming the watch into a living display of engineering beneath the sapphire crystal. Time is displayed via a transparent blue Nanosital hour disc, a highly durable polycrystalline material chosen for its optical clarity and strength. Finished with white Super-LumiNova accents, the icy-blue display pays tribute to the brand’s maritime heritage by revealing the remarkable movement beneath.
All of this is housed in a 44 mm white-gold case, redesigned to improve ergonomics while staying true to the Freak’s unconventional DNA. As with every Freak, there is no crown. Instead, the time is adjusted by rotating the bezel, while winding can be performed manually through the sapphire case back if required. It’s an ingenious system that reinforces just how differently Ulysse Nardin approaches traditional watchmaking.
Limited to only 50 pieces worldwide, the Ulysse Nardin Super Freak costs USD $361,600 or EUR €348,100. While only a lucky few collectors will ever own one, the Super Freak is an amazing example of what can be achieved when classic skill, the latest technology, and bold creativity come together in one watch.
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- Brand: Ulysse Nardin
- Model: Super Freak
- Reference: 2520-500LE-3A-BLUE/3A
- Diameter: 44 mm
- Thickness: 16.54 mm
- Material: White Gold
- Dial: Blue Nanosital hour disc with white Super-LumiNova indicators
- Key mechanisms:
- Two 10°-inclined flying tourbillons
- Flying carousel
- Vertical differential
- Patented gimbal system
- Grinder winding system
- Strap: Grey rubber ballistic strap with white gold deployant buckle
- Calibre: Calibre UN-252 Manufacture Automatic
- Power Reserve: 72 Hours
- Water-Resistance: 5 Bar (50 metres, 165 feet)
- Price: USD $361,600 – EUR €348,100
