Ulysse Nardin

Rolf did a lot of great things when it was at the helm of Ulysse Nardin.

Some were smart, such as the Perpetual Calendar, which can bet set by the crown, forward AND backward.

Some were impressive, such as the Astronomical watches.

Some were romantic, and the Chrono monopusher is certainly a good example.

Some were poetic, like the 2 Forgerons Minute Repeaters, the Hour Striker, or the Genghis Kan, combinating one or several automatons to a striking watch.

Others were friendly: The Sonata.

And, last but not least, some of his creations were and still are, 10 years after, completely mad, but brilliant, too, like the Freak.

As for the Freak, several versions saw the light, from the 1st generation to the very last one, the Diavolo.

Let's think about it: What watch, according to you, would perfectly sum Rolf Schnyder's vision, talent, genius?

It is almost impossible to answer to that question, as Rolf is the sum of all these incredible, innovative, and sometimes crazy watches.

If I had to choose, I would say that it would be the Freak, without really knowing which one, and after having waved with the Sonata.

The beloved Sonata:



The incredible Freak:





The Devilish Diavolo:



The Freak, and the Sonata are technical and original watches, but the Freak has one more thing, the madness.

And, to invent such a watch, Rolf should have been totally mad, in a positive way.

I still have in mind the " ceremony " of the launch of the Freak... It was at his image... Surrealistic.

And you, what is THE watch which better pay an hommage to Rolf, according to you?

Let's hear your voice, and let's demonstrate all the affection we have for Rolf, and for the brand.

Best,

Nicolas.

I would agree, Nicolas.  In fact, I'll be wearing my Freak tomorrow evening to a special WIS GTG.  It was a pleasure, as always, winding it up this morning.

The list of amazing creations that came out of the House of Rolf is astounding.  But for me the Freak stands out.

Best,

respo

was his refinement of a grand complication.......

Personally, i lean towards the latter--his refinement safeguarded the owner from himself or herself

J

yet to be made, as he was the driving force behing the production of Diamonsil (diamond coated silicon), and oil free escapements made completely from these new materials.  With their new movement with these features and future watches with this technology, there should be watches for some years to come that will pay tribute to Rolf.  I also think of the Freak and Sonata as UN's most interesting/innovative watches, and I hope there will be at least one piece made with the new technology that rivals them, and honors the man who pushed the company forward.

Stewart

The new Calibre, presented this year, is full of exciting promises...

Best.

Nicolas.

I've always been an admirer of those 2.

The Sonata is without any doubt a great watch...

But the freak is just in another level.. Not just because of it looks cool, very innovative, but also there is a little but if madness in the watch....

I say it is one of the most iconic modern watch out there...

Best,

Sam

My story behind the Freak, was very deep relation and changed my taste and perception of my collection so far.

I was collecting several major brands back then, tried to follow the trends, the status,

from IWC Portuguese to AP ROO to GG Octo even in RG to follow my young taste.

I began questioning myself, what is the point of collecting so many watches,

you want them all but you can not have them all, as I have limited budget.

Then I started to have clear direction, owning only certain pieces, not too many but very meaningful.

I did research on this marvel, thanks to Puristpro, it was also my first time to join this community.

I read many great review, by Marcus, Bernard and Nicolas and many others, I still even had them on my bookmark list.

I was convinced that this is the one I am looking for, and finally take the shot.



Freak will always remind me,

reshaping my purpose of collection, which I consider milestone in our horology time.

a great vision of Rolf

And in our vision of Horology, and, in a certain way, in our own collection.

Thanks for this great testimony.

Best,

Nicolas.

It is the Freak! Flashes of innovation and madness coming together. Peace to Rolf & family.
J.

Here are some images I have been able to capture over several years...

First up are several Freak iterations:

Three generations:

A close up of the Blue Phantom, possibly my fav. version of the Freak:






A unique piece I believe, a friend held Rolf to his promise of him being able to get a WG Freak 28,800 with the dial signed by both Rolf & Ludwig! A treasure of his collection.





A RG Freak 28,800:






However, the perpetual calendar to me is the greatest leap forward for the watch world.

The relative simplistic genius that Ludwig used to frame his design using wheels and gears for the the main program wheel is amazing, and a revolutionary move, when the remainder of the horology world was content to basically use the tried and tested springs and levers, even though they had their inherent limitations.

It is to me one of the unsung innovations from UN under Rolf's leadership, yes, the Freak is an aspirational "Flagship piece" that certainly demonstrates UN's willingness to design something innovative and as so many have said, a little crazy, but I still maintain the perpetual calendar complication, debuted in the Ludwig Perpetual, which didn't even have the the dual timezone mechanism as in the current GMT Perpetual, is Rolf's greatest legacy to the watch world. The practical implications are huge and anyone that owns or had owned one, will easily attest to this.

His sense of history and tradition for UN was also paramount in the collection over the years, UN's prize winning Marine Chronometer's were a source of inspiration for some of the most loved daily wearer's from Le Locle.

My classic 150th Anniversary enamelled dialed 1846 MC.

Another classic from UN, the superb Monopusher in RG

My much enjoyed Maxi Diver from their annual limited edition of sport watches from 2006, the venerable "Blue Surf"





A shared moment with the man himself, on Lake Neuchatel in 2003.



Although he has gone in body, his spirit still permeates UN and all that it does. I hope his next go around is as much fun and as exciting as the recently completed one!

I'm very grateful to all that he shared with me over the almost 11 years I have known him.

Here endeth my little hommage to Rolf.

Nico, thanks for the inspiration to write and remember a great human being.

Cheers,
Tim

It is obvious that you know the man and the brand very well, from what you wrote.

A great hommage to both the man and the brand.

You're perfectly right, we can't sum such a brand in only one watch, the Freak.

The Sonata, the PC, the Monopusher, the Marine Chronometer are diversified examples of the wide offer of this great Manufacture.

Each are, somewhat, horological milestones.

As for this signed dial on the Freak, this is the very first time I see it... His owner must be very happy and proud of it.

Thank you so much for your input, my friend.

Best,

Nicolas.

That signed Freak almost certainly has to be unique, and the fellow who owns it was able to get Rolf to agree after a couple of glasses of red wine, to do it if he ordered it there and then! It did take a couple more months to arrive than normal and I'm told it was quite a headache at the factory getting this executed correctly, but like a true gentleman, Rolf promised the client, so he made it happen for him!
Cheers,
Tim

A mad gentleman.

Best,

Nicolas.

Nice post, Nico.

Love that Diavolo. Can't wait to check that one out in the metal.

But mechanically also, the Freak is also not a stroll in the park.  UN also brings to ming probably the best bomb-proof dual time movement which features a very handy forward-backward setting and ease of use.