Urwerk launches UR-220 SL Asimov
Urwerk’s latest UR-220: Invisible spacecraft during the day and light-emitting device at night, the UR-220 SL Asimov is the third variant of the 220 series. Under the impetus of designer and co-founder of Urwerk Martin Frei, the model has undergone subtle changes in materials, colors, finishes and aesthetic features. Against a background dominated by black carbon, UR-220 re-examined the fascinating gameplay of contrast and brightness.
UR-220 SL Asimov uses a illuminated truncated pyramid-shaped hour transmitter to indicate the time. The cube shape in the previous version of UR-220 is the result of careful production on Urwerk CNC machine. In this iteration, these elements without any sharp edges are cast from silicon molds and manually adjusted to ensure their perfect finish. Their hardness at the end of the process is close to that of ceramics. This technical expertise was developed by the Swiss company RC Tritec, which has 80 years of experience in this field.
Therefore, the three-hour transporter is “made” in color, especially the Swiss Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 BL. When they become phosphorescent, the transition occurs at night. There is no engraving here, because the satellite and the time scale are the same thing. They are light traps, a kind of active pigments, their function is to capture each light unit, and then restore them in the dark, in order to achieve the best night readability.
This new display highlights the technical characteristics of the time reading. It is still based on Urwerk’s patented roaming hour satellite complication. The hovering time is shown on three rotating truncated pyramid-shaped transporters. Each one inserts a 3D minute hand in turn, which moves at 120 degrees on the minute scale and jumps back sharply to the “0” mark at the end of the hour to welcome the next transporter. This powerful and rapid retrograde minute display is undoubtedly the most impressive in the watch, especially the minute hand hollowed out on all sides. Urwerk replica watches
The dial also provides a power reserve indicator, which can be read on two small dials. These 24-hour scales indicate the autonomy of the movement. During manual winding, the instrument on the right first indicates the demeanor of the mainspring, and once it reaches the maximum level, the indicator on the left takes over. The power reserve display is divided into two “reservoirs”, composed of 83 mechanical components, which proves the complexity of its development.
There is a digital oil change meter on the back of the UR-220 SL Asimov, which appears on two adjacent rollers. The wearer of the watch triggers the device by removing the protection pin and pressing a button to activate a counter that will show the effective operating time (in months) of the mechanism. After 39 months (three years and three months), service is recommended, and once completed, the Urwerk team will reset the counter and replace the pins.
This UR-220 SL Asimov is a typical expression of Urwerk-ian design structure, in which the interior and exterior merge into a coherent whole. Internal or external shapes, finishes and colors can be combined, moved or flipped in any direction. The complex shape of the bezel, the elongated hollow line in the middle of the case, and the strength of the crown at 12 o’clock are all part of Urwerk’s unique clock layout.
