Tag Archives: urwerk

Urwerk’s UR-100V LightSpeed clocks speed of light as it beams through our solar system

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From how I believe, understanding of time is biologically inherent in animals, but humankind has always looked heavenward to keep track of time. It is not astonishing then to say that astronomy and the cosmos have been a deep-rooted inspiration for horologists through time. While the moon phase has seen the most exciting everyday rendition; the speed of light and its usage have been little explored for the wrist.

“Urwerk’s UR-100V LightSpeed is the realization of this dream.” The latest entrant in the long list of time-and-space-related timepieces in the UR-100 series, the UR-100V LightSpeed, as the name suggests, is based upon the concept of light: essentially the time sunlight takes to reach each planet in our solar system. This phenomenon with a wandering hour carousel has been physically depicted through a miniature solar system on the dial of the new UR-100V.

Designer: Urwerk

UR-100V is like most of Urwerk’s black round watches, but it differs in how it lays out the eight planets of our solar system with indications of time, a ray of sunlight takes to reach them. For instance, it needs 8.3 minutes to reach the Earth, and for the furthest planet, Neptune, it requires 4.1 hours. This is overly perplexing when you reflect on the fact that light travels at a speed of 299,792,458 km/s (symbolized mathematically by the letter “c” that forms the foundation of Einstein’s theory of relativity and the conceptual hyperspace travel in Star Trek and Star Wars universes).

This incredible beauty of distance, time and light in our solar system is embodied by the UR-100V LightSpeed, where the ultimate reference is the Sun, which is the inspiration for the black PVD-treated aluminum rotor in the back, visible through the sapphire caseback. “Starting from the Sun, we calculated and illustrated the time taken for a ray of light to reach each of the planets,” Urwerk’s artistic director and co-founder Martin Frei says.

“Wearing this creation is like having a piece of the universe on your wrist, a vision of the cosmos in miniature, on a human scale,” Martin notes. The display of the cosmic bewilderment and time telling in the UR-100V LightSpeed is powered by self-winding, in-house movement regulated by a Windfänger airscrew. The movement gives it 48 hours of power reserve, and runs three rotating satellite arms along an arc toward the bottom of the dial to mark time in hours and minutes (no hands required).

All this wonderful haute horology is packed within a durable 43mm case made from grade-5 titanium. It is adorned with layers of black carbon DLC coating, sand and a shot-blasted finish. Urwerk pairs this fascinating machinery with a red textured rubber strap featuring a folding clasp. Surprisingly, there is no mention of this being a limited edition. If you have CHF 65,000 (roughly $75,000) to spare, you can grab a celestial wonder for your wrist now!

 

 

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URWERK UR-102 “reloaded” is modern reinterpretation of a classic timepiece

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URWERK introduced the iconic UR-102 wristwatch way back in time at the Baselworld 1997, and now the classic horological piece is reinvented in a modern avatar.

The Geneva-based brand has instilled a reputation for creating timepieces that push the boundaries of aesthetics. Now with this reloaded version of the wristwatch that broke the notions with its round shape and absence of hands back in the era, URWERK wants to revive old watchmaking traditions.

Designer: URWERK

The UR-102 “reloaded” restates the celestial body-like appeal of the watch, inspired by the Sputnik satellite. Therefore, the semi-reflective appearance and tweaked look retaining most of the DNA takes precedence in the looks. Case size has increased from 38 mm to 41 mm for a stronger presence and the crown earlier located at the 3 o’clock position has now moved to 4 o’clock integrating the futuristic appeal a notch higher. Also, the crown is now merged with the case and the lugs are now angular compared to the sharp lugs on the original UR-102.

The wandering hour complication has only one moving part like its inspiration and comes with a semi-circular arc on the dial to display the minutes. That arched minute scale wanders like a satellite from 0 to 30 and then returns to the 60 position during the descent. With the reloaded version URWERK has gone with a much clearer font for better readability. On the inside, the wristwatch is powered by a 4Hz frequency self-winding caliber 2.02 movement at 28,800 vph frequency and a power reserve of 48 hours.

The reloaded version water-resistant for up to 30 meters is safeguarded with a bespoke sapphire crystal on the face. To match the stunning dial, there is a rubber strap embellished with a textures Baltimore-quilt pattern and a micro-blasted titanium buckle. URWERK has not detailed in much about the horological design, but it’ll be available in satin-brushed titanium and black options. Keeping in mind the exclusivity of the UR-102 “reloaded” watch it’ll come in a limited twin-set edition of 25 units for a steep price tag of CHF56,000 (US$60,000).

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Urwerk UR-120 a.k.a Spock is Vulcan salute to thinner, smoother, more elegant timekeeping

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To go ‘where no watchmaker has gone before,’ the indie horologist Urwerk has derived inspiration for the latest mindboggling timepiece from Star Trek science fiction TV series. The UR-120 is the newest diversified watch in the Urwerk’s decorated portfolio and is perhaps one of the thinnest in the lot. Without a doubt, a timepiece to behold for Star Trek fans who have always been fanaticized by the expanse of the universe.

To achieve the thinness, the watchmaker has reshaped its concept and “redesigned the entire satellite system,” from the previous iterations. The three satellites (usual of Urwerk watches) now comprise two sub-elements that split in an unconventional manner to resemble Spock’s Vulcan salute from the Star Trek series. The iconic V-shaped hand gesture accompanied by the words “Live long and prosper,” comes to life on the watch dial as the sub-elements perform a split display.

Designer: Urwerk

The unique way of displaying time earns the thin and easy-to-read watch the ‘Spock’ moniker. The UR-120 a.k.a Spock has an unprecedented fluidity worthy of the USS Enterprise crew furthered by the swivel lugs. The uniqueness of the UR-120 is not limited to the display of time alone, the sandblasted steel and titanium combination case with substantially large – 44 mm long, 47 mm wide, and 15.8 mm thick – form factor and a curved sapphire crystal laid over the dial and a section of the caseback to reveal the movement inside.

The UR-120 is powered by a caliber UR-20.01 movement that runs the central carousel branching out with three planetary gears, each featuring a satellite. The movement offers 48 hours of power reserve, while the watch comes paired with a black calfskin leather strap. The timepiece is specifically limited edition by production, but its $100,000 price tag does break some barriers of limit for the wealthiest of blokes.

The post Urwerk UR-120 a.k.a Spock is Vulcan salute to thinner, smoother, more elegant timekeeping first appeared on Yanko Design.

This URWERK watch cased in gunmetal PVD-coated titanium ushers a new dimension in time-telling

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URWERK has a very uncanny knack for designing off-beat and fanciful watches that speak to collectors in the language they favor. Unveiling another new approach to displaying time on the wrist, the inventive matchmaker has launched the UR 112 Aggregat Bicolor, which is over and beyond the usual tide in Haute horology.

The Swiss watchmaker is at the vanguard of the technical revolution in watchmaking, introducing future-forward ways to display time. Case in point, this new Aggregat features rotating aluminum prisms to depict the jumping hours and minutes, filled with Super-LumiNova on the transparent display, visible from all angles. URWERK’s idea of a watch with the new UR 112 Aggregat Bicolor is not the ordinary that we have realized, but it’s not very complicating either. Generally trying to be out of the league can make things complicated, but that’s not usually the case with URWERK and the Aggregat proves it so well.

The interesting part of the UR 112 Aggregat only starts at the display; there is much more to this 42mm timepiece with an inventive black and gunmetal PVD-coated titanium case that is slightly rectangular in design and anthracite on the case and black in the sides and at the top cover. The watch may feel slightly heavy on the wrist owing to its 16mm thickness and 51mm length. Two things really make the Aggregat spring up from the other run of the mill watch designs; one is the dial that seems to be levitating under the sapphire crystal, and the other is its dramatic hinged cover which is controlled by pushers to pop up in order to reveal the other antics of the watch. Under this hood, you can find the power reserve and a skeletonized digital seconds counter.

The watch is powered by the company’s own UR-13.01 automatic movement, which features a Swiss lever-type escapement. The movement offers the watch a 48-hour power reserve. The peculiarity of the UR 112 Aggregat Bicolor is enough to suggest the watch is a limited edition piece – only 25 of these matte-finished titanium watches will be ever made and will arrive paired to a matching leather/nylon strap equipped with a buckle made from titanium. The URWERK UR 112 Aggregat Bicolor is not a cheap deal, it will set you back $274,000 a piece.

Designer: URWERK

Click Here to Buy Now!

This Stormtrooper-inspired watch brings a futuristic touch to an old-fashioned timepiece

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How do science fiction and futuristic tech meld with the design of a non-electronic watch? The creators behind the EMC TimeHunter blend these two concepts quite seamlessly with this Stormtrooper-inspired watch face. Because the design pulls from such an iconic image, it immediately catches your eye (apart from the natural contrast of white on black). The numbers on the watch face have a subtle glow … which looks like an LED screen, but in actuality, it’s just fluorescent-green and white paint, contrasting with the black background. The bright and crisp colors emphasize the futuristic aesthetic of the timepiece.

Aside from the Star Wars-inspired look, this watch has a well-designed surface. It offers more information than just the time of day … providing a peek into the clock’s inner workings. Let’s describe these modules, one by one. First, the center of the watch features the standard hour/minute clock face. On the top right (the 1 o’clock position), there’s a counter for the seconds in each minute. The module in the top left measures the TimeHunter’s rate of accuracy compared to “real-time.” Why does this matter? See, the EMC TimeHunter is a mechanical watch, and occasionally it needs to be rewound to maintain its precise timekeeping. Sometimes the ticker slows down by a hair, and those minor delays add up. In the bottom left, another module tracks the “life” left in the power-source that fuels the precision tracker (not the clock itself). This module mimics a gasoline tank for its design, which I personally thought was a cute touch… and while this product may have been inspired by Stars Wars, it’s a gift that all watch-wearers would love!

Designer: URWERK

Urwerk EMC Watch: Interactive Haute Horlogerie

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There are plenty of amazing watches out there, but this is the first watch I know of which allows you to evaluate the timing rate on the fly, so that you can fine-tune the mechanism, depending on the conditions you’re in.

UrwerkEMC watch tester display

The titanium and steel Urwerk EMC Watch has got a Witschi watch tester built-in. This device is electronic, but wound up manually, which is kind of cool. The Witschi listens to the watch’s rhythm and balance, and displays this information for the prior 24 hours. This is perfect for anyone for whom having accurate time is paramount. 

UrwerkEMC watch tester display back

The mechanism is designed to allow wearers to tweak timing based on the minor variances that can happen due to position, temperature and shocks. Its maker says “thanks to EMC’s unique and pioneering monitoring unit, not only can the wearer obtain the precise timing rate on demand, they can then use that information to accurately adjust the precision of their watch to suit their own personal rhythm.” 

urwerk emc watch 3

The watch is expected to retail for around $120,000(USD). Horologists, get ready to mortgage everything you own.

[via Uncrate]