The UR-102 “Gaïa”

From Urwerk for Only Watch -

Courtesy of Urwerk 

Per Urwerk -

URWERK reaches for the stars with the UR-102 “Gaïa”

Geneva, May 30th 2021

It is an iconic model, jealously safeguarded until now at the heart of the watch Maison, since it marks the beginning of the URWERK adventure in the 1990s. The foundation stone. A watch of almost disconcerting simplicity, with a wandering hour as its only marker of time. The UR-102. This one-of-a-kind model in asphalt-coloured anodised aluminium with a platinum caseback has been newly enhanced with a midnight blue lacquer. It will be auctioned on 6 November 2021 on behalf of the "Only Watch" charity to fund research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Courtesy of Urwerk

This unique piece embodies the wild aspirations of a team composed young dreamers who had only just graduated – from the School of Arts for Martin Frei and from the Solothurn Watchmaking School for Felix Baumgartner and his brother. In 1997, they set out to conquer the world, armed with a brilliant idea and modest capital. Their first watch, the UR-102, was presented at the Baselworld watch fair on the booth of the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants). This model ran resolutely counter to existing and generated a certain amount of controversy at the time its launch. It is now the symbol of victorious pugnacity, of salutary stubbornness. What a destiny!

"We have chosen to name this model ‘Gaïa’. We recently had the immense honour of receiving the Gaïa Prize* for Entrepreneurship from our peers. This award recognises a journey from oblivion to the limelight, along with tenacity, conviction and pugnacity that have repeatedly been put to the test. This model reflects this fierce determination that blazes new trails. We dedicate this symbol of hope to all those who struggle to make things happen”, said URWEK co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei.

This UR-102 is unique in many ways. It is undoubtedly one of the first watch creations to honour a mixed-genre approach merging the common metal aluminium with the nobility of platinum.

Its full, round shape is seamlessly smooth. Framed by precious platinum, the caseback features an interpretation of the Gaïa prize, a dazzling flight of fancy symbolising URWERK’s unswerving resolve to reach for the stars.

Technical specifications: UR-102 “Gaïa “

Based on the historical UR-102 

Original design by Martin Frei

Mechanism development and assembly by Felix Baumgartner

Case design and hand machining by Thomas Baumgartner

 

Movement                      Self-winding

Finishing                         Satin-brushed and rhodium-plated

Frequency                      28,800 vph

Jewels                            21

Power reserve                42 hours

Indications                      Hours indication by satin-brushed, rhodium-plated and engraved disks.   

                                       Hour-marker engravings filled with matt black lacquer

 

Case                               Case middle and lugs in anodised aluminium; 

                                       Screw-down caseback in circular satin-brushed platinum, Gaïa logo filled     

                                       with glittering hand-applied blue lacquer

Dimensions                    Diameter: 38mm; thickness 12mm; lugs 16mm

Glass                              Special-shaped sapphire crystal

 

Strap                              Sandblasted, polished and satin-brushed pin buckle

                                       Strap hand-sewn in Geneva (1 x black Baltimora and 1x black Alligator)

                                      

The UR-105 Kryptonite

From URWERK -

Courtesy of URWERK

The team from URWERK are back with a fun new model, the UR-105 Kryptonite.

And for once, I was very pleased to receive a press release that was not chuck-full of hyperbolic language, but rather told a cool story.  And in this case, I do not feel I could do it more justice than the original, so here it is in their own words -
 
“It’s one of the stories my horologist father told me as a child,” recounts watchmaker Felix Baumgartner the brand’s co-founder. “He was fascinated by the stories associated with the historical timepieces he restored. According to the legend, the Pope ordered a special clock from the Campani brothers. It had to tell the time in the dark when he celebrated the divine offices at night. But the clock had to be silent so as not to disturb the Pope when he slept, while the time had to be immediately visible. The Campani brothers produced the so-called “wandering hour” clock in which the hands were replaced by hour numerals that successively traversed a scale of 60 minutes. The passing hours were illuminated from within the clock by a candle. Needless to say, many of these clocks, made largely of wood, caught fire, and the system fell into disuse, but one survivor was sent to my father for restoration. I found it fascinating.”

Courtesy of URWERK

Thus one of the fundamental requirements of every URWERK watch is to show the time clearly in the dark. “I enjoy the idea of fulfilling the Pope’s specifications,” says Martin Frei, URWERK’s co-founder and chief designer. “By preserving its original DNA, we have kept the concept alive.”

Courtesy of URWERK

A great watch, more often than not, has a great story behind it.  And this is clearly one of them.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

UR-105 CT  “Kryptonite”  – Specifications

Movement

Calibre:
UR 5.03 with the selfwinding system governed by twin turbines

Jewels:
52

Frequency:
28,800v/h - 4Hz

Power reserve:
48 hours

Materials:
Satellite hours turning on Geneva crosses in beryllium bronze; openworked aluminium carousel; openworked digital seconds; carousel and triple baseplates in ARCAP.

Finishes:
Circular graining, sanding, brushing
Chamfered screw heads
Hours and minutes painted in SuperLuminova

Indications
Wandering hours; minutes, digital seconds Power reserve

Case

Materials:
UR-105 CT hunter case in titanium, coated with AlTiN

Dimensions: 
Width 39.5mm; length: 53mm; thickness: 17.8mm

Glass:
Sapphire crystal

Water resistance:
Pressure tested to 3ATM (30m)

Something New from Urwerk

Here's the scoop, straight from the source -

Courtesy of Urwerk

The EMC watch, constructed by the URWERK company, is a milestone in luxury watchmaking as the first and only mechanical watch in which the rate can be checked electronically at any time simply by pressing a button.

The originality and ingenuity of the EMC concept have been widely acclaimed. The 2014 Geneva Grand Prix d’Horlogerie awarded the EMC two first prizes in the “exceptional mechanism” and the “innovation” categories, while the watch earned Felix Baumgartner the title of Watchmaker of the Year in Hong Kong. Just as important for the URWERK team are the plaudits received for the EMC from Mr Philippe Dufour, the recognised virtuoso of high-grade watchmaking.

For this last version of the EMC — the Pistol — URWERK has brought together the leading craftsmen and the most skilled hands to do justice to these five unique watches. Florian Güllert was responsible for the engraving, Joséphine and Sylviane took care of the leather work for the strap while URWERK’s artistic director, Martin Frei, and master-watchmaker, Felix Baumgartner, have unstintingly given of their best to create this watch. The EMC Pistol is the fruit of this exceptional alliance.

The case is of titanium and steel.  43 mm wide, 51 mm in length, 15.8  mm in height.

The movement is Calibre UR-EMC.  Manually wound with a power reserve of 80 hours.

EMC Black

From Urwerk -

Courtesy of Urwerk

Here's the scoop, straight from the source -

Nuking the Fridge with Zenith

I am sure that Russel Westbrook is a good guy.  I am sure that Zenith are a good hearted company…

But really?

Zenith is proud to be welcoming an exceptional ambassador who shares its values of daring, pleasure and authenticity: three-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook. To seal this friendship, Zenith pays tribute by creating a five-watch limited edition Pilot Type 20 Annual Calendar. These specially decorated models were developed in cooperation with Russell – acclaimed for his sense of style – and designed in keeping with his own codes of elegance.

Courtesy of Zenith

Well, we were told quarantine until Friday, July 18th, but another well-known blog has jumped the gun (if not jumped the shark) and frankly, I would assume that Zenith won't fault my daring, pleasure and authenticity whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, so here goes -

Courtesy of Urban Dictionary - I present you with "NUKE THE FRIDGE":

Nuke the fridge is a colloquialism used to refer to the moment in a film series that is so incredible that it lessens the excitement of subsequent scenes that rely on more understated action or suspense, and it becomes apparent that a certain installment is not as good as a previous installments, due to ridiculous or low quality story lines, events or characters. 

The term comes from the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which, near the start of the movie, Harrison Ford's character survives a nuclear detonation by climbing into a kitchen fridge, which is then blown hundreds of feet through the sky whilst the town disintegrates. He then emerges from the fridge with no apparent injury. Later in the movie, the audience is expected to fear for his safety in a normal fistfight. 

Fans of the Indiana Jones series found the absurdity of this event in the film to be the best example of the lower quality of this installment in the series, and thus coined the phrase, "nuke the fridge". 

So here's the thing - Nataf is gone, but clearly not forgotten from the halls of Zenith.  I know I don't work there, but if I am honest, this in combination with the "flying lips" from the Rolling Stones Zenith makes me wonder if there are a few too many watch designs planned over perhaps too much absinthe?

FELIX BAUMGARTNER - absolutely makes sense.  But this is vanity boys and girls.  And expecting excitement from us (the public) after Baumgartner with tepid (and downright goofy) partnership pairings is more than a let-down.  They are "nuking the fridge".

The Experiment Continues - Taking a Dark Turn...

This just in from the folks behind C3H5N3O9 -

Courtesy of C3H5N3O9

Electro Mechanical Control - that's EMC to You!

For URWERK, a precision timepiece should have at its base a movement that is accurate, reliable and long lasting. Such a movement should meet specific criteria including accuracy in 5 positions between -4 seconds and +6 seconds over 24 hours. However, while it is one thing to regulate an accurate watch in the controlled world of a workshop, performance in the sometimes-extreme real world, i.e. on the wrist, can be very different. Changes in position and temperature, and shocks, can all adversely affect isochronism (timing regularity) of a wristwatch. 

Courtesy of Urwerk

The challenge with EMC was in developing a mechanical watch that can be regulated by its owner to obtain the finest chronometric performance. EMC is the first precision mechanical watch that enables timing to be both easily monitored and easily adjusted by its owner.

URWERK's Mechanical "Smart Watch" - the EMC

Courtesy of URWERK

Since its inception in 1997, URWERK have made their mark in the world of haute horlogerie with innovative displays and indications, in particular their signature satellite complications. In parallel with this, the watchmaking team has always taken pleasure in exploring new avenues and meeting new challenges.

URWERK's New Website is Live!

Courtesy of URWERK

Come one, come all!  The new URWERK site is live!

The UR‑210 - More than the Sum of its Parts

Ever wonder what's in a watch?  Well, in so far as Urwerk's UR-210, wonder no more!

Courtesy of Urwerk

This assemblage of goodies comes together to form this -

Courtesy of Urwerk

So here are the details straight from Urwerk -
The dial of the UR-210 features a traditional power reserve indication at one o’clock. In a near mirror image at 11 o’clock we find a similar indication. No, it isn’t a duplicate fail-safe, but something much more important which deserves our full attention, because it is actually a world-first complication that
indicates winding efficiency over the last two hours.



When you are comfortably nestled in your armchair, the indicator will be tending towards the red zone to tell you that your UR-210 is not being wound enough by its automatic rotor and is running on stored energy. However, if you are moving around energetically, the indicator will point towards the green zone, a sign that you are replenishing your watch with new energy. This entirely new indication does not measure mainspring torque, but calculates the difference between the consumed and generated energy of the mainspring.

Armed with knowledge of both winding efficiency and available power reserve, you are now able to intervene. If your UR-210 indicates an insufficient supply of energy, you can position the winding efficiency selector (at the back of the watch) to “FULL”.

The rotor will then convert the slightest movement into stored energy. In this configuration, a turbine connected to the rotor provides smooth, unimpeded power. But if you are more active, then that may provide more power than required and unnecessarily wear the mechanism. In that case, you would position the winding efficiency selector to “REDUCED” to engage the rotor damping system. An air turbine compressor mounted on ruby bearings ​​spins and creates internal resistance – enough friction to slow down or dampen the automatic winding rotor. In “STOP” mode, the automatic winding system is disabled completely and the UR-210 runs off reserve power and may require manual
winding.

Courtesy of Urwerk

Back to the dial side, the UR-210’s satellite complication with retrograde minute is both highly original and totally explosive. The principal feature is a high-tech, oversized, three-dimensional retrograde minute hand. Its function is to enclose the hour satellite and indicate the time as it transverses the 0-to-60-minute scale. This one-hour journey through time, tracing an arc of 120°, is smooth and fluid. But the true nature of the piece is revealed at the end of the 59th minute. Then a sharp distinct “click” signals the return of the minute hand to its starting point. In less than 0.1 of a second the hand flies back to dock with the next hour satellite. This lightning fast retrograde system is based on three key elements:

·       A central axis set in ruby bearings provides excellent stability for the satellite/retrograde complication. A cylindrical marine chronometer type spring runs vertically around the axis and generates the optimal tension required for the retrograde minutes flyback.

·       A minute hand, which also forms a frame for the hour satellites, displays the time in an extraordinary way. Milled from aluminum to exacting tolerances of approximately 3 microns, the whole structure has a total weight of just 0.302g and is counter balanced by a brass weight. This three-dimensional cage offers rigidity as it transfers energy from the cylindrical flyback spring in the top center of the carrousel to the double-star gear underneath.

A double coaxial star-shaped cam regulates the retrograde mechanism through its gearing and its rotation defines the trajectory of the minute hand. When the minute hand reaches 60, the double star trips a (one of three) hockey-stick shaped spring under the mechanism, which liberates the minute to fly back to the next hour satellite at 0-minutes.


www.urwerk.com

Urwerk

A little late night eye-candy -

More to come on Urwerk, I promise...

Stay tuned!