Maximillion Cooper, Founder & Creative Director of Gumball 3000, has led the rally since 1999, and its partnership with Ulysse Nardin now brings a second watch.
Ulysse Nardin today introduces the Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2, limited to 150 pieces. It marks the third year of the collaboration, in the rally’s black and orange.
The movement itself shows the time. An hour disc turns once every 12 hours, and a flying carrousel, rotating once an hour, marks the minutes. The disc is Carbonium®, carbon fibre upcycled from the aerospace industry and woven with orange epoxy resin, so no two are identical.
The 43mm case is black DLC titanium, and the automatic Calibre UN-230 runs for 72 hours on a full wind.
“This watch represents both brands daring creativity and bold lifestyles, making it a natural fit for the rally’s participants and luxury watch collectors all over the world,” says Cooper.
Three years in, the partnership still reads less like a co-branding exercise than a shared instinct: both watch and rally treat forward motion as the whole point.
The Basics
Brand: Ulysse Nardin
Model: Freak X Gumball 3000 – Edition 2
Reference: 2303-270LE-2B-GUM/3A
Diameter: 43mm
Thickness: 13.78mm
Case material: Black DLC titanium
Dial: No dial; orange Carbonium® hour disc; minute wheel with orange Super-LumiNova® ring; indexes and bridges in white Super-LumiNova®
Water resistance: 50m
Strap: Black openworked rubber-coated strap, orange insert and stitching
Limited edition: 150 pieces
The Movement
Calibre: UN-230 Manufacture
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying carrousel
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 72 hours
Frequency: 3Hz (21,600 vph)
Jewels: 21
Images courtesy of Ulysse Nardin.