Ulysse Nardin Freak X: “affordable” freak

Did you know that the first ballpoint pen was invented in 1888, but failed because of poor handwriting? It is designed to write on rough materials such as wood and leather (successfully completed), and because of manufacturing limitations, the writing quality is very rough. The pen is not a commercial success.

The original patent expired, and it was not until 1938 that the first commercially viable ballpoint pen was patented. It is technologically advanced and an engineering feat.

Therefore, the first pen is particularly expensive because the manufacturing requirements must have a tolerance of about 0.01 mm to work properly. When I say expensive, I mean that the price of a ballpoint pen in 1945 was $ 12.50 (or $ 178 after adjustment for inflation).

But people thought it was a bargain at the time. When they innovated their writing styles with the ability to surpass ordinary pens, thousands of people sold out in the industrialized world.

The price once reflected the advanced technology of the pen, but, unfortunately, the miracle of the ballpoint pen has become a victim of progress. By 1959, when Marcel Bich (abbreviated his name as Bic for easy international pronunciation) introduced his Bic Cristal to the US market, the price had fallen to only 29 cents (about $ 2.50 today).

The miracle of engineering has completely changed the way people write forever. Now it is an ordinary, cheap, ordinary product, and its price is only a small part of the original product.Shopping copy watches

Now you may shake your head, because when I sighed to reduce the cost of a ballpoint pen, it was a real feat of mechanical engineering and manufacturing. You may be thinking about its popularity and how cheap it is now so that everyone in every place can have one.

Ballpoint pens make permanent writing devices a popular product for the general public. I want to say shhh to it: it destroyed the reputation and prestige of the ballpoint pen and reduced the engineering cost of the early pioneer pen.

understood!

No, I do n’t think, and no one would reasonably believe that ballpoint pens should retain expensive writing instruments that only the rich can afford.

You may also ask whether this is not the focus of R & D and manufacturing technology advancement: the ability to produce excellent (usually better) products at lower prices. The most common answer may be yes.

If I were to use “perpetual calendar”, “60 second tourbillon” or “gas repeater” (gasp!) Instead of the word “ballpoint pen”, I think people would react to the idea that everyone can afford the version May be very different.

Why is that? For a person, we value these things differently, but we also conditionally believe that everyday consumer goods should become cheaper over time (such as high-definition TVs and microwave ovens), rather than high-end watches.

No, no: those should keep exclusive prices, and the prices are high, otherwise it will make the previous prices cheaper and make collectors who have paid tens of thousands of dollars to buy them look like fools. But this is not how it works, or at least it shouldn’t be.

Why should we ask this question? luxury Ulysse Nardin, that’s why.

With the release of Freak X, Ulysse Nardin’s crumbling high-end watchmaking boat at SIHH 2019 is an entry-level variant of epic and iconic Freak. When it debuted in 2001, it created FreakX, a modern avant-garde watchmaking technology.

The new Freak X absorbs a large number of products developed by Ulysse Nardin over the past two decades and cleverly combines them into a simplified (in a sense) timepiece at a price of only one-fifth of that of conventional Freak.

This caused a huge impact throughout the exhibition, which is obvious in the entire industry, and the response is definitely mixed.

Ulysse Nardin Freak X: New directions
In short, Freak X is an awesome watch at a great price.

Freak X is not a complete Freak (can be expected), but a simplified version, retaining the essence of the idea, while giving up some of the complexity of seeking efficiency.

The core idea behind the freak is always the balance wheel and escapement device, which is mounted on a rotating frame that is twice the minute hand. For me, this is the definition of freak. Of course, this is not that simple. But this is the aesthetic and mechanical core of the freak.

The new Freak X has hour and hour hands and is connected to a large gear wheel rotating below.

But another major function of the original Freak is missing: the bezel replaces the crown for winding and setting. On the contrary, in order to simplify and reduce costs, the traditional crown replaces the original winding system, bringing Freak X closer to the “ordinary” timepiece.

Through this simplification, the housing becomes smaller and thinner, which is undoubtedly an advantage for many collectors. But this is not the only change that is easy to discover.

On all previous Freak models, a portion of the traveling train has been mounted on the split-cart Russell frame, turning the entire length of the frame into a bridge that keeps the wheels in the correct direction. At the end of the minute hand, the wheel that meshes with the internal ring gear surrounds the edge of the dial.

This means that most sport gears are always visible, but this is no longer the case. The minute hand frame only has balancing and escapement devices, and the remaining gear devices appear below the planetary gear system or hidden under the hour dial.

Since the frame is now almost empty and mainly serves as a minute hand, it greatly simplifies the visual beauty of the dial. The simple aesthetic sense runs through the entire case. This is a somewhat traditional shape with slanted lugs that feel partly separated from the middle of the case and embrace the embedded shape. The lug acts like a bookend on the case strap, so that a little in the middle can pass through the crown on the opposite side.

The bezel that was previously used as a functional component is now reduced, and although some details are still provided, there are chamfered parts on the clean edges.

At the rear of the case is another huge change: there are no longer huge springs occupying the entire window occupied by the new Grinder automatic winding mechanism. Instead, we saw a “standard” movement with a rotor and a patented “magic lever” two-way automatic winding system.

Although some people will say that this is the final proof, but this is not a real freak, but I will refute.Review cheap watches