Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Ulysse Nardin · Freak
Ulysse Nardin Freak 43 mm Black 18k
Reference 24026OR.31
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Ulysse Nardin
- Collection
- Freak
- Model
- Ulysse Nardin Freak 43 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 24026OR.31
- Year / era
- 2019 · 2010s — modern production
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 85A — In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2019 – 2024
- Limited-edition quantity
- 50 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Carole Forestier-Kasapi
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Ulysse Nardin Freak 43 mm Black 18k sits within Ulysse Nardin's Freak line, introduced in 2019. It carries the house codes established since 1846 — 18k yellow gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic, superlative chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Ulysse Nardin
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1846
- Founder
- Ulysse Nardin
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Freak, Diver, Marine, Blast, Executive Skeleton
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Ulysse Nardin Freak 44 mm Slate Carbon (1957) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 40 mm Blue 18k (1960) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz (1989) · Ulysse Nardin Freak 37 mm Silvered 18k (2001)
Brand history
Ulysse Nardin has spent more than 180 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Freak, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Ulysse Nardin established Ulysse Nardin in 1846, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Ulysse Nardin calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1846
Ulysse Nardin founds Ulysse Nardin in Switzerland.
1886
Ulysse Nardin earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Ulysse Nardin to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Ulysse Nardin enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Ulysse Nardin continues to produce Freak, Diver, Marine and other icons in limited numbers.