Ulysse Nardin reinterprets a centuries-old camouflage technique to striking effect for its latest Freak X
When we think of camouflage, it brings to mind subtle, dark colours designed to obscure, obfuscate and blend in. However, dazzle camouflage – with its bold, monochromatic aesthetic scheme and geometric lines – serves to bewilder in an entirely different way. The decorative technique found popularity in the First World War, used on ships to make it difficult to estimate the range, speed and direction, therefore misleading the enemy. Its striking look was also reflected in the art world, used by Cubists such as Picasso, who claimed that the movement had invented it.
Even today, it continues to make an unforgettable visual impact, used to daring effect on Ulysse Nardin’s Freak X. The watch already has a strong avant-garde spirit, with its unusual flying carousel movement, which rotates around its own axis without a traditional dial or hands display. Here, this unconventional design has been dialled up several notches with its dazzle camouflage-inspired decoration, achieved by combining three different and intricate dial-making techniques. The result is a hypnotising, optical illusion on your wrist.
Limited to 30 pieces, it comes presented on a black or white openwork rubber leather strap, featuring ‘point de bride’ stitching. The no-handed watch is powered by the in-house UN-230, offering highly precise timekeeping thanks to cutting-edge technology including its super-light silicium balance wheel and stabilizing micro-blades.
