Ulysse Nardin Impresses With New Freak X Featuring Silicium Marquetry
After the Freak X Razzle Dazzle launch, Ulysse Nardin continues to impress as it introduces us to the Freak X Marquetry. This traditional and very demanding technique is usually executed in natural materials, such as wood, straw, and feathers. However, if there is one material that has had a profound impact on the (recent) history of Ulysse Nardin, it is silicium. The brand started using it as early as 2001 and has proven to be one of the trailblazers in the industry, bringing this technology and their watches to the next level. They now do the same with the art of marquetry as they launch the world’s very first silicium marquetry watch.
The canvas for this artistic expression is the Freak X, a watch that has quickly grown to become one of the most popular and successful watches in the collection of Ulysse Nardin. Creating a silicium marquetry dial is a combination of high-tech and traditional skills. The silicium is cut into different size segments with the help of a plasma generator. After that, it takes a significant amount of skill and a steady hand to move the silicium parts to the dial and affix them. The silicium has a tendency to chip at even the lightest impact when in small segments, which makes placing them on the dial a challenge only a few are up to.
The result is breathtaking and unique in the watch world. The silicium marquetry dial shows an extraordinary play of light, resembling that of a laser beam. Ulysse Nardin has even been able to create the silicium in two colors, blue and green, giving the first a matte finish for even more contrast. Of course, this is not the only silicium visible, as this Freak X is powered by caliber UN-230, a carrousel movement with its high-tech balance wheel in silicium visible at the front. With the new Freak X Marquetry, Ulysse Nardin is bringing the past into the future, and presents itself once again as the undisputed master of silicium.
