Control Freak
Ulysse Nardin's boss has big plans for the brand's iconic watch
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WHAT IS SO 'freakish' about The Freak? It looks so unusual that its maker had no appropriate name for it. But it was never about deliberately making a monster timepiece. Instead, the carousell tourbillon timepiece - it has no hands, no dial and no crown - is the first timepiece to incorporate silicon parts and redefine modern watchmaking.
The Freak is seen as a modern watch icon and its fame has put Ulysse Nardin on the horological map, while its sales lifted the brand's fortune. But even then, it seemed like the potential of the Freak hadn't been maximized - until the arrival of Ulysse Nardin's new chief executive, Patrick Pruniaux.
The timepiece - with a movement that serves as the minute hand and mainspring indicating the hour - was rolled out nearly20 years ago. But for most of this time, follow-ups to the Freak seemed sporadic and lacked coherence.
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