Ulysse Nardin Freak X Bucherer Blue Edition Quick Review

Apr 11, 2022,13:25 PM
 

I am very excited to share my quick review for the Ulysse Nardin Freak X Bucherer Blue Edition.  The Freak X is a modern interpretation of the traditional Ulysse Nardin Freak.

For these not familiar with Bucherer it is one of the largest Swiss watch retailers, now probably the larger in Europe and also present in the U.S. A few years ago they launched special "blue editions"
that incorporate their corporate blue into a watch. 

In 2020 Bucherer and UN launched this edition. From previous posts in the forum about the Freak X I appreciate that some owners of the non-X version feel that the presence of the crown but for me the X is far more versatile.  I find it stunning:




The Freak X is a slimmed down version in terms of movement but also size and price ๐Ÿ˜ the case is 43mm but wears very well, pretty much like a Rolex GMT. The watch is very light due to the case in Carbonium (full watch with strap is just 81 Grams).




The movement features an open flying carousel - tourbillon (In some places I see it referred as tourbillon, in some as carousel tourbillon, in other just carousel I don't know the exact difference  feel free to comment if you do๐Ÿ˜‰) in essence the carousel with the central bridge is used as a minutes hand and rotates on itself every hour.

I am not the best for technical details but it is constantly moving like a rotating tourbillon




The Bucherer Blue edition has discreet blue accents on the top of the minutes and hours "hands" 




it fits very well on my small wrist and legibility is not as bad as one might think!  The Carbonium case looks fantastic. I know that the X also exist in titanium but I find the Carbonium case much more appealing. 




Here we can see the structure of the carbonium case.  The height should be 13.8 mm and is certainly not too thick to fit under a cuff. The Freak X is also equipped with a crown making easier to set the time.




The Manufacture Caliber UN230 features Hours, minutes. Flying carrousel movement rotating around its own axis. Balance wheel, escapement wheel, balance spring & anchor in silicium. Oversized Oscillator.
It is an automatic movement with 72 hours of power reserve and 405 parts.

The Ulysse Nardin Freak X also offers a 50 Mt water resistance. 





In conclusion I found this watch a fantastic option for something truly different. The Freak X is pretty much widely available through their distribution network (there are several limited editions too) but you can find one without any waiting list or "boundling" game  (at least for now ๐Ÿ˜). UN also offers a 5 years warranty extension programme which, for fairly complicated watches like the Freak X, is very appropriate.

How do you like it? 
Thanks for reading!
Christian

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Comments: view entire thread

 

My Daily,

 
 By: guycord : April 11th, 2022-13:34
The Freak X gets a lot of snobbish criticism in my opinion due to its winder. I say since when was the wrench-up of that monster spring the defining technical aspect what the Freak is???? Its a nice light and comfortable watch and my daily wear. ...  

๐Ÿ‘thanks for sharing yours - glad am not alone ๐Ÿ˜

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-14:12
As you rightly wrote super comfortable on the wrist. Without the crown is not as nice, never been a fan of the "original" model. Also the price/size was not great.

awesome.

 
 By: Gelato Monster : April 11th, 2022-14:59

Thank you!! ๐Ÿ‘

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-16:08

Tried this one on in Disney

 
 By: TeutonicCarFan : April 11th, 2022-15:02
It is sharp on the wrist, very cool piece. I often wonder why I didn't pull the trigger!

That is a great watch!

 
 By: jlux : April 11th, 2022-15:03
The carbonium case and the small blue accents on the dial make this the best looking version of that watch.

Thank you!! ๐Ÿ‘ I like this version a lot but all these with the carbonium case

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-16:09
are very nice, even the red one is cool I think! Blue is still very nice to enhance readability althrough the white of the non LE version is probably very readable too

Very nice!

 
 By: patrick_y : April 11th, 2022-15:57
Did you procure one of these? If so, don't forget to enjoy that Octo Finissimo of yours too!

haha thanks for the reminder !! yes this is a new incoming for me ๐Ÿ‘

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-16:10
very different vs the Octo but will try to wear that too! good reminder

Big congrats on the new incoming timepiece!

 
 By: patrick_y : April 11th, 2022-18:08
You might have to wear two watches! Or FOUR! One on each wrist! Maybe one on each ankle too! This way they all get some wrist and ankle time!

haha noo I am fine with one !

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-20:32
other watches wait patiently their turn. One thing I noticed with the Bulgari Octo Finissimo is that the dial/movement are really so light that sometimes you forget about it or it feels like wearing nothing. But a very cool watch indeed.

Indeed!

 
 By: patrick_y : April 12th, 2022-06:35
When I wear a steel watch after wearing the Octo Finissimo, I feel that I'm wearing a gold watch. When I go from the Octo Finissimo to a gold watch, there's definitely a different feeling!

I suppose I could wear it, but

 
 By: Ronald Held : April 11th, 2022-16:14
Would contradict my view of what a Creak is.

Thank you! I know you are an owner of the original one ๐Ÿ‘

 
 By: christianch : April 11th, 2022-22:29
may be the real "freak" but happy with the X especially with the size, automatic and even the crown! ๐Ÿ˜ I find the price/value amazing for a carousel movement and of course, very unique

Entry level and sizes, yes. But it is...

 
 By: Ronald Held : April 12th, 2022-19:39
Not totally a Freak.

๐Ÿ˜I saw this argument before but...since UN owns this

 
 By: christianch : April 12th, 2022-20:15
they are in a better position to decide what is a Freak and what is not. You are right that is not a Freak, is a Freak X ๐Ÿ˜

:))))

 
 By: amanico : April 12th, 2022-04:15

I agree! (nt)

 
 By: Ronald Held : April 12th, 2022-19:37
NT

Congrats on the new incoming, looking sharp!

 
 By: S F : April 11th, 2022-23:37
This is an attractive watch in its own right. The Freak X could have been positioned as a different line rather than an entry level Freak. The two are not quite the same though one can say they share some common design DNA. Price point wise it is also not... 

thank you ๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘ just love this watch and the Freak, albeit X, name fits well

 
 By: christianch : April 12th, 2022-18:38
the movement is referred as Flying carrousel by UN, which I think is 1 hour tourbillon or ? The Freak Vision is marked as tourbillon, experts please feel free to explain the differences

Appreciate your thoughts and photos, Christian.

 
 By: MichaelC : April 12th, 2022-13:02
Always a wonderful feeling to add a watch you love. I wish you the best with it!

thank you very much! I love it because is so different, never get tired to read the time and look at it!

 
 By: christianch : April 12th, 2022-18:40
since you are an owner of a regular Freak I would welcome if you (and others) could share some knowledge of the difference between flying carrousel, tourbillon etc. a bit confusing!

thank you! but some other models are marked as tourbillon in the UN Website e.g. Freak Vision

 
 By: christianch : April 13th, 2022-07:18
www.ulysse-nardin.com and other sites report it as a "1 hour tourbillon" if there is such a thing. At any rate an amazing watch ! thanks for the pics

Incorrect.

 
 By: guycord : April 13th, 2022-10:56
A Tourbillon or Carousel can have any frequency of cycle. The majority do have 60 seconds and next most common is 30 seconds. What defines the difference between the T and C mechanisms is that a Carousel has only one energy source. A Tourbillion has 2 ene... 

I agree.

 
 By: amanico : April 13th, 2022-11:14

thank you for the clarification๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘

 
 By: christianch : April 13th, 2022-16:42
good to know that is a 1 hour Carousel. All freaks are special and I like the variety for such a nice and exclusive piece.

thank you for pointing out this marvelous piece

 
 By: christianch : April 13th, 2022-16:41
I also found this video www.youtube.com where one can see it in action!

thank you! ๐Ÿ‘

 
 By: christianch : April 13th, 2022-09:11

How are you getting along with the watch?

 
 By: Dchang81 : April 18th, 2022-00:31
Thought the carbonium case is cool, but I'm always gunshy after the AP cases ended up looking a bit ratty.

I absolutely love it which is great so I will stop buying (at least for a while) ๐Ÿ˜

 
 By: christianch : April 18th, 2022-20:28
my understanding that Carbonium is not like the Carbon used by AP. "Carboniumยฎ is composed of the aeronautical grade carbon fibers used to make vital structural parts of modern aircraft. It is roughly twice as light as aluminum and twice as environmentall... 

Thanks for this great review!!

 
 By: NardinNut : July 18th, 2022-23:13
I tried on the regular Carbonium Freak X at a Vegas AD back in January 2020. I absolutely loved it and have been lusting after it ever since. Even after multiple awesome watch purchases since then the Freak X kept on my mind. Well, found a secondhand Buch...