Ulysse Nardin - Rolf Schnyder, 75 years of adventure
Looking back on Schnyder's 75 years feels much like an adventure novel, and Schnyder is the first to admit that he had a great time. "It's been quite an adventure so far, and I'm not nearly done," he says. "I grew up in Zurich, Switzerland, raised like many a Swiss boy, playing, skiing, and learning in this beautiful country. But I had a desire most others didn't have, to see what was far outside the borders."
At the young age of 22 Schnyder was hired by a Swiss Trading Company and sent to Bangkok to distribute Swiss timepieces in Thailand - and this brave journey into the East also heralded the beginning of an odyssey into the world of watchmaking that would span the next 53 years. In 1968 he founded in Thailand the first Swiss factory in the Far East to produce precision watch components for export to Switzerland. He later built a watch case factory in Manila and a dial factory in Kuala Lumpur that produced a variety of precision watch components for the Swiss watch industry.
I found the exotic adventure I was yearning for - I discovered places no Swiss person had ever set foot (and even wrote about them for Swiss and other publications," he details. "I learned the language, roamed the country selling Swiss watches and made my start as an entrepreneur. This area of Asia was unchartered territory for Europeans at that time, so I was able to do things impossible to do now - like building a raft at the Burmese border and floating down the famous River Kwai, camp on the beach at Phuket (as there were no hotels back then), spending time in Laos and Vietnam during the war, visit China during the Cultural Revolution, and more. I roamed far and wide, through Thailand, Laos, Bali, Cambodia, China, South Vietnam, Japan and spent 3 months leave in the South Pacific sailing through the islands from Fiji, Tonga to Tahiti and Bora Bora.
One of Schnyder's hallmarks has been to mix great fun with hard work - he played rugby for the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, organized tours for Europeans to remote parts of Thailand and the Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, started companies, collected antiques and lived it up as a carefree bachelor. As a veteran snow skier he switched to water skiing on a whim entered competitions and wan the Hong Kong water ski marathon around the island in 1967.
"It was more than I could have ever dreamed, and during this time, I laid the foundation for the future with a keen eye for opportunity and the ability to take calculated risks," he adds.
During one of his annual visits to St. Moritz, where Schnyder competes on the famous Cresta Skeleton Run he learned that Ulysse Nardin was for sale. That was in 1983 when Switzerland's watch industry was in the doldrums due to the arrival of the quartz age. Ulysse Nardin was little more than a shell, a carcass with a famous name he describes it, and he set about transforming the brand with an emphasis on unique, complicated watchmaking with innovation at its core. Watches like the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, the Planetarium Copernicus, the Tellurium Johannes Kepler, the Minute Repeater Jaquemart San Marco, the Freak, the Genghis Khan and more followed, all having a common theme - innovation. Ulysse Nardin has been a leader in the adopting of new materials, new technologies and new ways of doing things since Schnyder relaunched the brand.
In recognition of his contributions to watchmaking, Schnyder was awarded the "Spirit of Enterprise" Gaia Award in 2003 by the Musee International d'Horlogerie for his entrepreneurial achievements and commitments. This award was followed by the bestowment of the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve: Asian Edition in Singapore this year for his continued contributions towards watch making technology and innovations.
Schnyder currently splits his time between Switzerland and Malaysia. When he is not overseeing business in Le Locle, he is either at his home in Kuala Lumpur or visiting subsidiaries and retailers around the world. Schnyder shares a beautiful sprawling tropical home with his Sarawakian wife Chai, and they are the proud parents of three teenage children.
To celebrate his birthday, and to honor how far Ulysse Nardin has come, the brand has decided to introduce a limited edition Freak Diavolo in platinum, complete with Schnyder's signature on the case. This special Freak, limited to 75 pieces worldwide, was chosen because the Freak is emblematic of the innovation that has characterized Ulysse Nardin's rebirth. As Schnyder describes it, the Freak shook up and inspired the watch making fraternity. The Freak combined technical innovation with a revolutionary esthetic. A Carrousel Tourbillion without crown, no hands, no dial and with a novel Dual Direct escapement made in a new light weight material - silicium - which required no lubrication.
"Almost 30 years ago, I bought Ulysse Nardin, a calculated risk as I believed there was a b chance that unique, innovative mechanical watches could thrive, and it turns out I was right," Schnyder explains. "I fell in love with this grand old brand and our new innovative direction. To celebrate my 75th birthday, I've chosen the Freak because it was an historic breakthrough for Ulysse Nardin and for the watch industry in general, and it is by far our most important piece."
When asked what he wished for when he blew out the 75 candles on his birthday cake, Schnyder commented "I wish I could turn the clock back and do it all over again"!
Freak Diavolo Rolf 75
Ulysse Nardin, the leader in timepiece invention and innovation, demonstrates breakthroughs in watchmaking with the Freak Diavolo Rolf 75.
An evolution of the iconic Freak - a game changer in haute horology - the Freak Diavolo follows in its predecessor's footsteps, showcasing unrivaled advancements in technology, materials and design.
Ulysse Nardin, the Swiss watchmaker acclaimed for its thousands of "firsts" in watchmaking, takes the lead in ingenuity, once again with the new Freak Diavolo Rolf 75, a progression of the groundbreaking 2001 Freak.
Due to the ultramodern, minimalist and unconventional design of the Freak's tourbillon carrousel - one that possessed no true dial, crown or hands - and being the first timepiece to successfully present escapement wheels constructed of silicium, a revolutionary material at the time, the Freak forever changed the course of haute horology. Now, like its siblings - the Freak DIAMonSIL®, Freak Diamond Heart and Freak Blue Phantom - the Freak Diavolo Rolf 75 pays tribute to the original Freak's pioneering spirit by expanding its use of silicium and taking its tourbillon to new heights.
Named after its devilish-in-appearance power-reserve backing, with its red "horns" and black cloak-like backdrop, the Freak Diavolo is the cleverest of timepiece creations. Case in point, silicium is used in its hairspring (Si 1.1.1. patent pending) and throughout the majority of its escapement - the heart and most delicate part of the watch. Through the introduction of silicium in the original Freak, Ulysse Nardin transformed haute horology manufacturing and continues to perfect the use of this technologically advanced material with the Freak Diavolo. Performance is further amplified through its application of cutting-edge technology, such as photolithography. And, the Freak Diavolo reveals another development in the Freak family -- a flying tourbillon that indicates the seconds, as well as two new ball-bearing systems and a balance-wheel concept and design.
Its tourbillon carrousel (developed entirely in-house) does one complete rotation around the center in 60 minutes. The Freak Diavolo's frequency of 4 Hz (28'800 A/h) in association with its 8 mg*cm2 inertia balance wheel make this instrument exceptional, as no other tourbillon is regulated by such a powerful oscillator and benefits from such a long power reserve (more than eight days). Its outstanding performance is the result of the perfect application of new technologies, such as photolithography, and the use of the best and latest-developed materials, like silicium and LIGA nickel, at core locations.
Ulysse Nardin's expertise in watchmaking is further exemplified by the Freak Diavolo's seconds indicator, which is nothing else than a flying tourbillon replacing the usual oscillator of the other members of the Freak family. Its cage is equipped with an arrow indicating the seconds on a yellow half-circle, rotating in one minute on itself, with the zero position holding steady on the axis of the minute indicator.
The two specially conceived ball bearing systems enable the "flying" function of the minute movement and of the seconds-indicator tourbillon without the need for a supporting bridge.
So simple and user-friendly, the Freak Diavolo can be wound by turning the lower bezel, and the time can be adjusted by turning the upper bezel; while the direct gear link crafted between the three "hands" averts dephasing, or the throwing of hours, minutes and seconds out of step when adjusting or readjusting time.
Not only brilliant in function, the Freak Diavolo is also stunning in aesthetic with its clean lines, robust black and charcoal tones, accents of vibrant color, platinum case and elegant crocodile strap. The Freak Diavolo Rolf75 is the ultimate symbol of unwavering imagination and unusual style, staying true to the inventive character that defines the Freak timepiece collection. Avaible in a limited edition of 75 pieces.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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