Hammerhead sharks get their Freak on. Introducing the new Ulysse Nardin Freak X Magma & Ice and Diver Chronograph 44 LE
We are introducing two new watches, the latest Ulysse Nardin Freak X Magma (Fire) & Ice and the Diver Chronograph 44mm Hammerhead Shark Limited Edition.
Freak X Magma & Ice
Joining the existing Freak family that has been turning heads since 2001, the new Freak X comes in two variants: Freak X Magma is an ode to fire while Freak X Ice is an ode to, well ice. More of a ladies version, the Freak X Ice has soft tones that stand in stark contrast to the boldness of the Fire version. Freak X Ice’s navy blue indexes filled with Superluminova are designed to represent the sheets of floating polar ice while the ultra-light, scratch-resistant and streamlined Freak X Magma’s Superluminova applied red indexes are designed to have a resemblance to the volcanic lava. We appreciate the brand’s efforts into incorporating such imagery. Heck even without these the Freak is a tour-de-force and in a class completely of its own.
Quick Tech Specs: The references 2303-270/MAGMA-BQ (Magma) & 2303-270/00 (Ice) feature the calibre UN 230 1950.1 that is a self-winding mechanical movement. The movement features a flying carrousel movement rotating around its own axis with an oversized central oscillator and beats at the frequency of 3Hz (21’600 A/h). The movement is encased inside a 43mm diameter red carbon fibre & DLC-coated titanium case (Magma version) or titanium with white-finish matte coating (Ice version). The black or white dials show the flying carrousel movement and index & bridges with Superluminova. The watch offers an impressive 72-hour power reserve and water resistance of 50m (5 ATM). It comes on either a “Volcanic rock” black leather strap with a folding clasp and red point-de-bride or an open-worked white leather strap with rubber coating and folding clasp.
What we love: More of the men’s versions in this release, the Freak X Magma sports an ultra-light black carbon fiber body and a black leather strap. Add to this mix the red marbled epoxy resin and the red point-de-bride on the strap and what you have is not only a watch that’s a bit different and hence unique with every piece, but also visually stunning. The Ulysse Nardin Freak X Magma packs some serious heat.
Diver Chronograph 44mm Hammerhead Shark Limited Edition
Ulysse Nardin is revitalising its existing Diver collection and has released this Hammerhead Shark Limited Edition as part of a larger updated collection that also features two other new & bold 44 mm chronographs: a black and titanium version, and a blue and rose gold version. The one we are looking at here is the blue & red Hammerhead Shark special numbered edition in titanium. The brand has sort of rebooted their Diver collection with the introduction of three models, though they retain the iconic UN pin buckle, the rotating inverted and concave bezel with domed sapphire glass, screwed crown, Superluminova on the ‘0’ on the bezel, and water resistance to 300m (30 ATM).
Quick Tech Specs: The reference 1503-170-3/93 features the calibre UN-150 that is an in-house designed self-winding chronograph movement. The movement is encased inside a 44mm diameter titanium case. The black dial show the central hours & minutes, small seconds counter at 9’o clock, chronograph minute counter at 3’o clock, chronograph hour counter and date window at 6’o clock. The watch offers a decent 48-hour power reserve and an impressive water resistance of 300m (30 ATM). It retails for 11’900 CHF.
What we love: Two aspects stand out; the use of colour red, and shark references. First, the limited edition — 300 pieces only — version has amazing touches of the colour red: the bezel joint, chronograph seconds hand, start/stop/reset pushers and also the rubber strap have touches of red. Also the unique side plate is also engraved with red numbers. Second, the extra special touch; the shark references. Not only does the strap feature a red hammerhead shark sculpted in the rubber at 12’o clock but the case-back also features an engraved frontal image of a wide-open mouthed hammerhead shark. Overall these new watches are full of a contemporary vibe though the smaller date window at 6’o clock almost looks like a Bell & Ross date aperture and just doesn’t feel necessary here. It’s a beautiful dive chronograph watch and barring the date, it’s a stunning example of how a little bit of colour — red — can go a long way in bringing out the best in a watch.
For more information on these and other Ulysse Nardin watches, head to their website here.
