Ulysse Nardin

ArthurSG
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Imperfectly Perfect : Le Original Freak

After a search of close to 9 months for Le Freak, I finally managed to find one last Friday from a gentleman of a seller from Hong Kong… A White Gold original 42.5mm NON-upgraded Freak with the rectangular shaped teeth escapement (I think that part is called the escapement).

Le Freak…. oh, before I go on, here’s a link for some audio accompaniment J …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6EVsVMyVhY&feature=related

… represents quite a departure for me in several ways:

It is a great departure from my more classic acquisitions over the past year.  By any standard of comparison, Le Freak, represents a bold step in a new direction not just because of the bold design of the case and carrousel (?) tourbillon hand, but also due to the pioneering use of new materials at the time.  It’s also my largest watch so far at 42.5mm which I was trying hard to keep under my cuff the while of last working Friday and today and also the first time I have bought another piece from the same brand.

The look of the Freak, which I contend suffers no middle ground (either you love it or find it an ugly clunky thing), somehow called out to me when I first laid eyes on it but because it’s so different from what I am used to in traditionally cased watches with comparatively simple hour and minute hands, I had to take a lot of time to see it again and again and again to ensure I wasn’t going through some kind of weird faddish mood.  However, this fear was easily dispelled over the months and in fact grew to become an acquisition obsession despite my trying to distract myself with the acquisition of other pieces in the meantime.  Speaking to many authorities here whom many of us are familiar with many times over and over again (who btw did very little to talk me out of it LOL) also re-affirmed my desire for the Freak.  I mean, just look at her.

BTW, the Freak is not known to react well to fluids of any sort so I was really careful in setting her down on the side of my little lava water feature.

I also got the next few pics from the net to appreciate better her lovely hands.  Far from the ordinary but so sexy. 

 Reminds me of some of Botero’s works in a “freakish” way….

Botero against the Singapore business district skyline

Botero at the Singapore Esplanade

Botero at the Singapore River

I first toyed with a RG Freak from the first owner in Singapore of such a piece who was kind enough to let me try on his piece a couple of times.  I subsequently managed to try on some other RG pieces and each time, I found myself a tad hesitant, not due to the general daring design but due to the fact that the Freak being what it is, (it’s by no means  a subtle piece) and being encased in a solid block of Rose Gold just maybe pushed it a tad beyond my comfort level for attention.

So when the opportunity came up 2 weeks ago to acquire a mint condition, full set, single owner, non-upgraded White Gold Freak, I decided to take the leap of faith and just move for it despite not having had the opportunity to see the White Gold version on my wrist.  This of course after I received endorsement from my second son who will be the eventual owner of this Freak J

From the images on the net, the WG version seemed much more understated (that is as understated as the Freak can be) than the RG piece and maybe even a tad “washed-out” but when I took possession, my first reaction was, apart from tingles in my stomach, “Wow, so damn nice!”. On my 4^th day of ownership now and I have no doubt it was the right choice of case material for ME.

So far, my Freak also does not seem to be plagued by the poor time keeping that some seem to have reported and this is very consistent with what Bernard and the nice gentlemen at the UN service centre in the US told me about it…. That many of the first generation Freaks with the original escapements do indeed do run well and it is only those that perhaps have escapements unfortunately contaminated by dust or other like particles may face some issues.

But a word for future original (and maybe even the current batch) Freak aspirants…. Don’t expect a perfect watch that keeps time accurately.  The Freak as I have been warned is one that seems hell bent on making a ruse of COSC standards and has actually earned as part of its reputation to break all boundaries when it first appeared, the keep exceptionally bad time. LOL!

So why then Le Freak and especially for me who was willing to suffer a 3.5 month layout of my Dato at Lange for running 17 secs fast a day?  I don’t know…. I just know that for some reason, the calling was very strong and although still on my honeymoon with her…. I just love her!

For me, I accept this (albeit it took rationalizing over the months) of the Freak and take it for the bold efforts to push the boundaries or traditional watch making.  It also symbolizes a morphing of my taste in watches (which scares me some LOL) away from the conservative as look for pieces that posses a different representation of time.  The Freak for me is a step in that direction and is definitely consistent with what I have in mind for my first acquisition next year.

So as a time keeper, she is definitely not perfect but as a collector’s piece in my novice opinion…. Le Freak is Imperfectly Perfect!

C’mon sing it…..Ahhhhhh Freak Out!  Hope you enjoyed the extremely retro music as well. J

Note : All Botero pics taken off the net as is the close-up of the hands in the middle.  The rest are with my Sony Ericsson W995 so do excuse the quality