Across the past 25 years the Gumball 3000 rally has become a mainstay in the motorsport calendar, celebrating everything from the sublime to the ridiculous in supercars. Vintage Porsches stand shoulder to shoulder with the latest Koenigsegg hyper cars, driven by a combination of rally drivers, celebrities, royalty and influencers. It’s as much a rolling car show as it is a race, taking place over 3,000km, which in 2024 will lead from Saigon to Singapore. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of this event Ulysse Nardin have released the limited edition Freak X Gumball 3000.
Gumball 3000, Singapore
The Freak X has had some interesting variants in its time, such as the very memorable Razzle Dazzle, but to my mind this is one of the coolest. It has a stealthy black case measuring 43mm made from a combination of DLC coated titanium and Carbonium, a carbon composite material. The sort of dark, sporty look you’d expect to see on a high performance supercar like those found at the Gumball 3000. That’s matched by the black void of the dial area.
Freaks, if you are unfamiliar, use carrousel movements. And a carrousel movement, if you are unfamiliar, is one in which the entire movement rotates in the case. Essentially the calibre itself functions as the minute hand with a large dark orange indicator denoting the time as the entire thing spins. A second, squatter, orange indictor marks the hours. It’s presented on a matching orange rubber strap from Delugs.
It makes for a truly unique display and the combination of orange, black and grey seen across the movement here once again works well with the supercar inspiration. The movement on display in the Freak X Gumball 3000 is the calibre UN-230. It’s an automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve, which is pretty impressive considering the power needed to spin the entire movement around its own axis.
The Freak X Gumball 3000 is a limited edition of 150 pieces, all of which are initially reserved for participants in the event. Which makes sense because the exhibition caseback bears the event’s logo in the signature orange colour seen across the piece. I think what I like about the watch is that it has a balance of cool supercar seriousness with the slightly goofball energy of the orange accents and Gumball name. It knows that it is itself a somewhat ridiculous object and it embraces that, carrying itself with the self confidence of a hyper car.
Price and Specs:
More details at Ulysse Nardin.
