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Ulysse Nardin Freak Watches |
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More about Ulysse Nardin Freak Watches |
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The Ullyse Nardin Freak is the brainchild of Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, as interpreted and conceived by Ulysse Nardin's research and production team. In contrast to mystery clocks of the past, the Freak is an open secret - all parts pivot and move in total transparency. The Freak is a 7-day Carousel Tourbillon, without hands, dial or crown. It is called the Freak because everything in this movement is so radically different that the concept of the movement and the case had to be rethought. The Freak indicates the time by the rotation of the movement. The arrow decorating the main spring barrel indicates the hour while the upper bridge, fitted with the balance wheel assembly and its revolutionary Dual Ulysse Escapement, revolves once every hour indicating the minutes. During its 60 minute rotation, the upper bridge lays bare the mechanics of time. The center axis pivots in the sapphire crystal of the watch case. This is a spectacular sight, accentuated by the finishing skills of Ulysse Nardin's watchmakers in Le Locle. In other Tourbillons, the balance wheel assembly moves once every minute in a cage. In the Freak, the whole movement, including the balance wheel assembly, rotates once an hour inside the watch. The Balance wheel represents a new Ulysse Nardin design and concept. It bears 4 inertia adjusting screws which are hidden within the rim, thus avoiding the creation of air turbulence. The spiral length is not adjustable, the frequency is found by adjusting the inertia of the balance. The Dual Direct Escapement which was developed for the first generation Freak opened a new field of discovery and potential improvement in the vast domain of the escapement. The Dual Ulysse represents the next step in that development, bringing several novelties and incorporates the advantages brought by its predecessor.The Dual Ulysse Escapement has 2 wheels, allowing natural force transmission: the force and the move have the same direction, alternatively clockwise with the first wheel and counter-clockwise with the second. The wheels have 18 active teeth, which guarantee ideal energy transmission to the oscillator. No lubrication is required as this transmission is done through a gear-like mechanism. The impulse is given to an alternator which passes it further to the balance shaft. This alternator is a gear which turns alternatively in one direction, and then the opposite direction. The innovative principle of the Dual Ulysse Escapement permits a dramatic reduction of the angle-of-lift from the usual 50-52 degrees (Swiss Anchor and Dual Direct) down to 27 degrees. The angle-of-lift is the arc run by the balance between its first contact with the escapement and its last contact. The shorter the arc, the lower the disturbance of the natural oscillation of the balance. The main spring is located underneath the movement and spans across the entire case diameter. A ball-bearing containing 196 balls maintains the barrel in a very stable position, minimizing friction. The main spring's extra large size provides the Freak with a power reserve of one week. The Freak is very simple to wind. Turning the case-back counter-clockwise winds the main spring. One complete turn will give the Freak 12 hours of power reserve. Fourteen turns will give the Freak 7 days of power reserve. Winding does not require much force - the case-back turns easily. The Freak can be wound frequently anytime. Mechanical movements perform best when the mainspring is fully wound. The opening in the case back shows the main spring. When the spring is packed in the center with a few blades on the outside, the watch is fully wound. When the spring is packed on the exterior with few blades in the interior, the power reserve is nearing its end. Even if the bezel is inadvertently turned clockwise, much higher resistance will be felt, but no damage will result. The Freak is produced in 18 karat white and rose gold. It is a tribute to the inventive thinking of Dr. Ludwig Oechslin and Ulysse Nardin's ability to convert Dr. Ludwig Oechslin's concepts into extraordinary timepieces.
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