What It’s Like to Wear an $85,000 Watch

From where I sit, what’s currently on my wrist is utterly surreal. There’s hardly another way to describe it because I’m wearing a watch that costs just shy of $85,000.

Yes. That eye-watering figure is real, and again, surreal.

The watch in question isn’t from my personal collection. It’s on loan from Swiss horologist Ulysse Nardin, and it’s the remarkable, truly jaw-dropping Ulysse Nardin Freak One Gold.

Far be it from me to let this timepiece out of my sight (perhaps another reason my heart is racing), but the watch backs up every bit of hype in my time with this horological beauty on my wrist. It puts the rest of my watch collection to shame. I lean on modern classics like assembled-in-America Shinola Runwell or the eye-catching Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph, certainly nothing too fancy in the slightest.

My collection also includes the likes of a Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic and a Norqain Adventure Sport Chrono. Reliable, tough, hard-wearing watches with casually rugged style appeal befitting what you might call my aesthetic. Heck, my first two watches were a Timex Weekender and a Timex Easy Reader (stick with what you know).

I pound the pavement to cover watches of all shapes and sizes, be it the aerial heritage of Breitling, the nautical designs of Panerai or the James Bond-approved Omega. 

All wonderful in their own right, but nothing to match the watch I can’t stop staring at on my wrist right now. 

Watches of the caliber of the Ulysse Nardin Freak One Gold aren’t normally my purview, but I appreciate a timepiece that soars into the stratosphere in matters of horological design, engineering, and prowess. 

For starters, the Freak One Gold doesn’t feature a traditional dial, hands, or a crown, but it does feature a lavish titanium and 18-karat gold case. Under the hood, it gets even more precise and awe-inspiring, in a way that’s unlike any watch I’ve personally worn (I’m thankful every day for this job, no doubt). 

While it’s easy for some manufacturers to knock off iconic styles, there’s not a chance anyone is taking Ulysse Nardin for a proverbial ride. This watch is that genuinely unique, my friends.

My dad’s a Rolex man. I’m a Shinola fella. My freelance writer salary doesn’t quite afford such amazing luxuries as the Ulysse Nardin Freak One Gold. But when opportunity knocks in the form of an $85K watch on loan (one that’s every bit as good as advertised), that call is one that must be answered. And heavens alive, am I glad I did. 

The reason the Freak One Gold currently rests in all its 44mm beauty on my wrist? 

The timepiece celebrates 25 years of the original Ulysse Nardin Freak Watch, which is billed as a “21st-century watchmaking icon” by the Grand Prix of Horologie of Geneva. The honor is not one given out lightly (and in similar fashion, I did indeed have to sign for delivery of this utterly ingenious, gorgeous watch). 

To be nominated and win the “Iconic” honor at the GPHG, “the watch must stem from an emblematic collection or be a model that has had a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the market for more than 20 years.” Consider each of those criteria met swiftly and impressively for the Freak One, with the Freak One Gold rising through the ranks in successive fashion. 

So, it begs the question. How does one set the time or even read the time without traditional watch hands or a crown? 

A locker button with the “Freak” insignia rests below the 6-o’clock marker, allowing the bezel to be released and then rotated forwards or backwards. 

A barrel drum drives the hour-wheel arbour, which then rolls within a hidden fixed rack, driving the central pinion. The arrow barrel indicates hours, making one rotation every 12 hours. Still with me?

The flying carousel derives force from the integral central pinion, set on an external rack that helps the baguette complete one rotation every 60 minutes. Oh, and it doubles as the minutes hand. 

A fine study in engineering and astoundingly precise design, it’s a joy to watch this timepiece work. 

The self-winding flying carousel movement is a wonder to behold, built like a watch within a watch. 

Beneath the sapphire glass crystal of this surprisingly sporty 44mm timepiece, which boasts a textured black rubber strap, is the proprietary Caliber UN-240 movement. 

Built from 229 parts and featuring 15 jewels, Ulysse Nardin calls out its “complex composition,” one bolstered by “impressive precision and longevity.”  

The movement boasts an impressive 90-hour power reserve, and the effect on the wrist of the timepiece at large is one of inspired luxury. This watch very well might live on in my dreams. 

It’s no joke. The delicate inner workings of this handsome watch (which happen to be on full display through a transparent caseback) are accented by a sturdier-than-expected build, which rests nicely on my wrist (to say the least). 

The Freak One was originally centered around “the concept of an engine showcased as an art form,” and the end result is a watch that performs and looks almost like a hypercar in wrist form. Bravo, bravo indeed. 

Jean-Christophe Sabatier, Chief Product Officer at the watchmaker, notes that the exceedingly technical watch “also has intense emotional value,” and I’d have to agree. Unlike other high-concept horological masterpieces that I’ve covered in my line of work, this does indeed feel like a functional watch made to be worn, rather than put on display, however wild its price tag might seem. 

The OG Ulysse Nardin Freak Watch changed the course of modern horological history–a hill I’m willing to die on–and the Ulysse Nardin Freak One Gold is an absurdly cool, lavish, and fitting addition to that exceptional legacy. 

This watch certainly doesn’t fit within my budget, but after having had the chance to take it for a spin… Well, a guy can dream, can’t he?