Category: Urwerk

UR-1001 Zeit Device is a complicated watch, similar to the era of more than 1,000 years.

Zeit equipment consists of a series of constellations, including rifles in flight and orbiting satellites. Urwerk designs springs, dials and carousels internally.

UR-1001 includes 10 indicators and functions. Basically, it does not include Urwerk’s satellite hours, back minutes, day/night indicator, rotating satellite calendar showing month and date, and total oil change indicator.

The Urwerk brand continues to define the impossible with its unique creativity.

Urwerk UR-210 entered the field of watchmaking in 2012, and its fascinating display of hovering hours immediately attracted attention. However, the talent of this watch surpasses its amazing style, its display is intuitive to use, the wearer’s comfort is extremely high, and its finishing is comparable to the watches of veterans of haute horology. The brand has just released the final version of the model and for me, I will be sad to wave goodbye.

Swiss high-end watch brand Urwerk has always viewed the world differently from its competitors. Felix Baumgarter and Martin Frei, the founders of Urwerk, seem to dream of being unfettered. This creative duo has a wealth of knowledge and has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to overcome difficulties.

Since its establishment in 1997, Urwerk has avoided the usual pointers, and usually prefers the hovering time, slowly walking a minute away to save time. Every creation is high-tech and seems to be conceived for a lifetime on another planet. However, surprisingly, the duo was inspired by the Campani brothers and their wandering clocks produced as early as the 16th century.

A few years ago, I wore Urwerk UR-210 for several weeks and found that it gave the wearer unparalleled comfort. In addition, the display is very easy to read. Before co-founding Urwerk, the outstanding watchmaker Felix Baumgarter (Felix Baumgarter) worked for some traditional haute watchmakers. Therefore, each Urwerk model is infused with high-quality traditional decoration, and the brand is regarded as a model of high-end timepieces, which is not surprising despite its modern style.

Now, Urwerk is clearly familiar with the expression “all beautiful things must come to an end” and revealed the latest version of the final version of the watch, UR-210. The model looks good because it is always made from the beginning, like many horophiles, I will be sad to see it disappear. However, under the leadership of Baumgartner and Frei, I suspect that another fascinating work will emerge soon.

Press release of the brand (June 2020)

URWERK will release the latest version of its iconic UR-210 on June 17, so now is the ideal time to highlight the seven features that make UR-210 so special:

1. Inspiration from the Nautical Observatory

“In order to develop the UR-210 and ensure its accuracy and long-term performance, I drew inspiration from the watchmaking culture my father instilled,” explains Felix Baumgarter. My first teacher was my father, Gerhard Baumgartner (Gerhard Baumgartner), who was known for his wealth of knowledge and watchmaking skills. Since I was five years old, I can enter his workshop to discover and even touch the antique mechanical masterpieces he is restoring. My superheroes are Thomas Tompion, Antide Janvier, Abraham Louis Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud. Thanks to the knowledge I learned from my father when I was a child, URWERK is at the forefront of innovation today. “

1. Retrograde system

UR-210 has one of the largest retrograde systems available. “We want to expand its size to the maximum possible. The UR-210 retrograde pointer is a complex mechanism that interfaces with the hour satellite and indicates the minutes. The initial test was epic. The system is excellent and the power released is very powerful. , So as to overwhelm the machinery. We must perfect the system to find the appropriate compromise between power and speed to complete the design. To fully appreciate the complexity of this movement, you must not only observe the process of the minute hand jumping from 60 back to 0 , You must also listen to its voice. It is the sharp “relaxation” signal it sends out that marks the beginning of each new hour.” Felix Baumgartner (Felix Baumgartner).

1. Winding efficiency

UR-210 has a new automatic winding efficiency indicator function, and has been patented. It indicates whether the user has generated enough power in the last two hours of use to keep the mainspring of the UR-210 fully wound. This is a very personal instruction, which varies with the wearer’s behavior. The more you move, the better the watch can show appreciation by displaying green. This is an emotional indication between the wearer and his watch. “I like the idea of ​​fusion and interaction between the owner and the watch. The UR-210 can display the time, provide visual effects, and help the wearer understand more about themselves: this is a pedometer on the wrist.” Martin Frey

1. Turbine

Thanks to UR-210, URWERK can perfect and perfect our turbine adjustment automatic winding system. The goal is to provide as much user control as possible by being able to select and perfect the winding mode. “My career started with the after-sales service of major watch brands. I had to deal with recurring problems caused by premature wear parts, so we developed a system that minimizes the problems. The UR-210 turbine is inspired by The regulator used in the large sonata movement.” Felix Baumgartner

1. Aesthetics 1

“The protective band frames the UR210 sapphire crystal glass with complex shapes. There is a certain amount of G-Shock in this design element. I like the three-dimensional appearance of this situation because it encourages the eyes and hands to interact with it. Unique form Gives the iconic characteristics of the case.” Martin Frey

1. Aesthetics 2

UR-210 is one of the most symmetrical parts designed by URWERK. “Nevertheless, all our works have organic characteristics, irregularities and divergence points. UR-210 is architectural or sculpture, which reflects my interest and connection with the construction company that shares the office with me. The extremely high three-dimensional volume and crystal dome cover are purely URWERK, while providing clear and easy-to-read graphics and instructions.” Martin Frey

1. Recognition

“At the 2012 Basel International Watch and Jewellery Show, I had an early prototype of UR-210 in my pocket. I haven’t shown it to anyone. This part is superstition, but mainly because we want to complete it before submitting it for review. Finalized. Philippe Dufour visited our booth. As a true watch enthusiast, he never missed the opportunity to visit colleagues and was happy to provide suggestions. Therefore, Mr. Dufour was the first to see The person who worked on the prototype of UR-210, even though URWERK’s avant-garde style was completely opposite to him, he still liked it! Mr. Dufour’s approval comforted our approach. Since then, we have been lucky to see UR-210 Appeared on the wrists of celebrities including Ralph Lauren and Michael Jordan, but the emotion of Mr. Dufoff wearing “UFO” on his wrist is still one of my best memories One.” Felix Baumgartner

In the current watch copy market, stainless steel sports watches are at a fascinating crossroads. Auction prices, provenance, and social media hype have jointly promoted the prices of several high-end stainless steel models, even far higher than their precious metal counterparts. At this strange moment, steel deserves a place in gold in a way.

As the brand wanted to reinterpret the stainless steel model, this caused a certain madness in the industry. This trend has even entered the weird and wild world of Haute Horlogerie. The futuristic boutique brand Urwerk has transformed one of its cornerstone models into a tribute to the advanced concept of utilitarian metal. The limited edition Urwerk UR-100V Iron has a variety of finishes to highlight the luster of bare metal, while introducing an updated movement in one of its most famous designs.

Urwerk UR-100V iron asymmetric 41mm x 49.7mm case uses the same sci-fi style claw case as the previous version of the UR-100 series, but the material and surface treatment immediately mark it as something different. The case is a mixture of stainless steel and titanium, with countless flat surfaces, sharp chamfered edges and jagged ridges, with alternating fusion of polished and rough, industrial brushing.

Just like its predecessor, it really presents this shape from the side, because the crystal and the sapphire bubble dome of the back cover are combined to form a round UFO style, which is distinct from the corners of the case itself. It is a fascinating combination of organic and industrial forms. Although these domes are strong with a tall shell profile, they avoid the 14 mm thick non-abrasion resistance.

The unique hollow dial of UR-100V Iron continues to work on bare metal and surface treatment. The trademark satellite hour display of the UR-100 series is fully displayed here, although the mix of materials is more extensive. The Geneva cross that supports the rotating hour disk of each satellite is made of beryllium bronze alloy, and the carousel that rotates each disk is made of shot-blasted aluminum. The circular brush plate itself and the bottom plate are made of advanced antimagnetic ARCAP alloy. The display at 6 o’clock has been slightly adjusted from the previous version to improve readability, while retaining the vivid astronomical 20-minute scale, which plots the Earth’s rotation and orbital distance in space.

Undoubtedly, the focus is on the luster and luster of the bare metal alloy that plays a role, and UR-100V Iron uses the blue Super-LumiNova spray paint engraved on the hour and minute marks to inject a splash of color while creating a contrasting flame engine Red minute indicator.

The internal UR 12.02 automatic movement inside Urwerk UR-100V Iron is a subtle improvement on the UR 12.01 movement used in the previous UR-100 generation. In addition to the turntable used for the rearrangement of the satellite hour dial, the dial is also designed to bring the current hour display closer to the minute indicator for clear reading. Its movement is more or less the same as its predecessor. The unique Windfänger wound rotor adopts a miniaturized propeller to minimize the stress on the rotor bearing, thereby improving efficiency and extending bearing life. Performance also remains unchanged, with a pulsation rate of 28,800 bph, which retains 48 hours of power.

For non-traditional or asymmetrical lugs, such as those on the Urwerk UR-100V Iron, the factory strap design is crucial to the entire package, as there are few third-party alternatives. Urwerk chose the UR-100V Iron strap to emphasize the robustness of the stainless steel and titanium case. The strap is made of unsaturated royal blue filled Alcantara. The deep and rough texture of this material works well under heavy brushing, and the color echoes the dial text in the initial image.

Although the limited edition Urwerk UR-100V iron is not the most revolutionary version of the brand this year, one of its cornerstone series has a radical industrial atmosphere, which not only highlights the current status of stainless steel in the market, but also simplifies the readability of the series Sex.