The World’s Wildest Auto Rally Gets a Wild Watch to Match

The Gumball 3000 is the world’s wildest auto rally. Running since 1999, the roving 3,000-mile journey spans multiple countries, is filled with supercars and other incredible vehicles, and counts myriad celebrities as it’s participants. It’s as much of a giant party as it is a race.

If there’s one watch brand that captures the spirit of Gumball 3000 — insane, ambitious, extravagant and with a reputation for extreme partying — it’s Ulysse Nardin.

That’s why UN has partnered with Gumball for the past three years, with the two coming together for the Freak X Gumball 3000 watch in 2024.

Now, with the 2026 Gumball rally slated to run from Miami to Mexico City this June as a precursor to the World Cup, Ulysse Nardin has blessed us with the second generation of its Freak X Gumball 3000 watch.

Ulysse Nardin

Gumball machine

The Freak X is the least extreme of UN’s three flavors of Freak — the other two being the Freak One and Freak S — in that it has a normal crown and its automatic winding is done via a traditional rotor instead of the brand’s Grinder system. But don’t get it twisted: The Freak X is still 100 percent a Freak.

The Freak X boasts the model’s trademark “no dial, no hands” setup with an oversized oscillator flying carousel driving the minute “hand” around the dial once every hour, while the hours are tracked by a marker on a rotating hour disc.

The entire “dial” is really just the front side of the movement, with the balance wheel, balance spring, escapement wheel and anchor all made of silicon, continuing the Freak’s pioneering use of the lighweight, amagnetic material in watchmaking, as the original Freak was the first watch to use silicon in a movement when it launched in 2001.

Ulysse Nardin

For the new Gumball 3000 Edition 2, the “dial” — which is actually the rotating hour disc — is made of Ulysse Nardin’s proprietary carbon composite, Carbonium. In this case, it’s made of carbon fibers that are upcycled from the aerospace industry and infused with orange epoxy, making a lightweight, high-tech material that looks cool as hell. Each dial plate is also entirely unique, thanks to the variances in the infusion process.

The indices and tips of the “hands” are coated with white Super-LumiNova, while the minute wheel — visible at 4:00 — features an ornamental ring in orange Super-LumiNova. The minute track of the flange is also punctuated by orange (non-lumed) accents every five minutes. (Orange is Gumball 3000’s official color, in case you couldn’t tell.)

The 43mm x 13.78mm case is in black PVD titanium, switching it up from the previous Gumball 3000 Edition, which featured a black forged carbon case and no Carbonium dial. The strap is also less in-your-face than the previous edition’s bright-orange rubber strap. This time around, we get an openworked matte-black rubber strap with orange inserts and orange stitching. Overall, the complete package is aesthetically cohesive and looks fantastic.

Ulysse Nardin

Availability and pricing

Like the previous Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition, the sequel is limited to just 150 pieces. Unlike the original, however, the watch is not priced at $52,500. Instead, it’s a relative steal at $46,400 (I know, I know), despite using the same in-house Cal. UN-230 movement.

The Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2 is available now from Ulysse Nardin authorized dealers, and you can register your interest at the brand’s website.

Ulysse Nardin

Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2

Specs

Case Size	43mm
Movement	Ulysse Nardin Cal. UN-230 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $46,400 at Ulysse Nardin

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