Freak out
Ulysse Nardin unveils beautiful freaks of the reef.
28 February 2018
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Two one-of-a-kind Freak Vision timepieces have swum out of the depths of Ulysse Nardin’s unique nautical universe. Named after the famous snorkelling reef of Coral Bay in Western Australia, the two Freak Vision Coral Bay timepieces showcase an exciting new decorative bonding technique and the meticulous micro-painting for which Ulysse Nardin has long been Haute Horlogerie’s acknowledged master.
Launched at SIHH 2018, the Freak Vision contains a host of horological game-changers: a super-light silicium balance wheel with nickel mass elements and stabilizing micro-blades and a super-thin new case design made even thinner by a box-domed crystal. Now, the aesthetic techniques showcased in the Coral Bay incarnations provide a perfect foil for this technological masterwork.
The Swiss Manufacturer is famous for its exploration of new technologies from other domains. The best example of this is its unique use of silicium, a material adopted from the electronics industry. Now comes another electronics technique, bonding, which uses thousands of 24 carat gold threads to create painstakingly delicate patterns. Computer chip manufacturers use this to convey electricity; Ulysse Nardin uses it because the fabulously intricate designs it creates delight the eye.
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A bonding machine squeezes gold thread on each side, one thread after another, to draw a coral reef motif on the watch movement’s barrel spring bridge. Each thread is a different size, and all are tied only at the top and bottom of the thread, but not in its centre.
To create blue and yellow gold coral reef patterns, the watchmaker colours the component and the coral reefs with a chemical vapour disposition process in blue. The entire surface is coloured except the departure and arrival points of the yellow gold threads, which are laser cleaned. Then the yellow gold threads are bonded to the component.
The Freak Vision Coral Bay also stands out for its miniature painting technique: red and white acrylic painting on the spring barrel bridge on a CVD blue surface treatment.
The master artisan uses lacquer colours that are applied and mixed directly on the dial: the dial is heated in an oven at 90 degrees between each colour application; this enables the colours to dry and remain firmly in place. Tiniest details are hand-coloured using extremely fine brushes under a magnifying glass. The complexity of the motif requires approximately 20 hours of painting time.
True works of art, the unique, on-demand pieces have two bar tack loop stitches on their straps in matching yellow gold or coral red, and a gear train bridge and escapement bridge in matching blue or coral red. Other colour possibilities could be explored on demand.
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