Watches Of Switzerland and Ulysse Nardin create “Freak” adventure video

The number of watch and jewelry retailers with their own creative director can probably be counted on one hand. Jay Gullion holds this position at Watches of Switzerland.

Gullion is tasked with creating cinematic stories and imagery for the luxury retailer and producing unique campaigns with watch brands that sell through Watches of Switzerland stores. Most recently, he worked with Swiss luxury watch brand Ulysse Nardin to introduce the latest version of their iconic Freak watch, the Freak S Nomad, in Watches of Switzerland stores. The video was unveiled to customers and friends at New York’s Watches of Switzerland store in SoHo in May. It is one of a series of videos and events taking place in Watches of Switzerland stores across the country.

Watches of Switzerland is based in the UK and has a long history there, but its expansion into the US market is relatively new. Gullion says it’s important for the retailer to create an identity in the US and that’s essentially its job.

“The plan is that we work directly with these watch brands and come up with films, campaigns and creative ideas that we collaborate on so that we speak from a perspective that is unique to Watches of Switzerland. That’s just what sets us apart. We’re not just putting two logos on the same billboard over and over again. We’re creating something new. From start to finish, it’s just a unique situation and we’re using it to grow.”

Ulysse Nardin introduced the first Freak watch in 2001 and it was immediately hailed as a revolutionary timepiece. It has no dial, no hands and no crown. Instead, it features a one-hour carousel equipped with a groundbreaking automatic caliber – the first to use silicon escape wheels.

The Freak S Nomad uses the same carousel design and silicon escape wheels as all other versions and adds a diamond guilloché decoration to the rotating hour disc. The in-house automatic movement, Caliber UN-251, has a 45-hour power reserve. The movement and dial are housed in a 45mm titanium case and compartment, anthracite PVD-coated titanium bezel, carbon fiber side plates and anthracite PVD-coated titanium caseback.

The Freak S Nomad is an adventure-themed watch. To reflect this, Gullion chose a somewhat wacky location: Svalbard in Norway, the world’s northernmost functioning civilian settlement. The tiny archipelago is known for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a building that stores duplicate seeds from gene banks around the world in case natural disasters or human intervention damage or destroy these global repositories.

Gullion teamed up with renowned Norwegian adventurer and creative director Joel Hyppönen to create the video. In the two-minute video, titled “77.8750° N 20.9752° E” (the polar coordinates of Svalbard), Hyppönen was filmed wandering through the ice-covered rocky terrain, appearing like a mere speck compared to the overall landscape of mountains, crevasses and glaciers. Juxtaposed with these images is a close-up of the watch on Hyppönen and images of the Ulysse Nardin production facility with its pristine laboratory interior where the Freak is made. It’s exploration and discovery on the largest and smallest scale.

David Hurley, Deputy CEO of Watches of Switzerland, points out that the videos produced by Gullion are shared on social media and the internet, increasing their reach and providing data that can be used to create campaigns that appeal to their audience.

“I think (the video) reflects our customers and how they want to live their lives or how they actually live them,” Hurley said. “We’re bringing Jay’s wonderful content and campaigns across the channels and reaching those people when and where they want to consume media. Then we use that data and analytics and give it back to Jay, who can tailor the campaigns accordingly.”

Gullion described the experience in the northern landscape as both inspiring and unsettling. When they were there, it was full sunlight, which disrupted sleep patterns. The landscape was difficult to film and move around in. And there were polar bears.

“It’s a very interesting place,” he said. “There’s 24 hours of daylight. The whole idea was about exploration. So we went there and explored the area with the freak watch. Then we traveled to Switzerland to the manufacturer and filmed there.”

He added: “Polar bears were the biggest problem. You always have to have one person with a gun. I think you have to have one person with a gun for every four people. They come so fast.”

Use this link to watch the video.