luxury Urwerk watches
UR-202: Winding Regulator
The UR-202 Turbine Automatic is not the first watch in the 200 series, it was the UR-201 series launched by Urwerk in 2007. A concept that fits very well with the UR-103 series, with an unusual case design where the hours are indicated by a rotating element and the minute track is at the bottom of the case, but it is a very different watch. The case is heavier than previous Urwerk watches, measuring 45.6mm x 43.5mm and 15mm thick, with three flat faces on the top, left and right sides and a curved edge on the bottom. The rocket motor crown sits on top between the lugs, and the overall aggressive styling of the UR-202 has earned it the hammerhead moniker, following a tradition started a year ago when the UR-201 Black Shark was given its black PE-CVD Platinum attire.
A large sapphire crystal provides unobstructed views of the work area. The triangular rotating satellite element has a cube-shaped hand with hour numerals, similar to the UR-103’s quadrangular design concept, with four numbers marked on each of the three arms. Through the middle of this orbiting and rotating hour satellite, the telescopic minute hands are stuck, able to adjust their length to follow the minute orbital sector by means of a high-precision “transmitter” that controls the variable length of the minute hands. The UR-202 provides moon phase information (power reserve on the UR-201 model) and a day/night indicator on the dial side, above the minute track.
While the UR-201 retains the control panel found in the UR-103, it now displays an oil change indicator to mark maintenance intervals of three years and a linear 100+ year moving total hours scale with fine adjustment screw enlarged and in the center Location. However, for the UR-202 mower, which is powered by an automatic movement, Baumgartner and Frei demonstrated a unique winding adjustment system that replaced the control board. The two tiny turbines visible on the back of the UR-202 act as air compressors, with a switch to select the appropriate function – the turbines spin freely normally, the winding rotor brakes, and reduces winding efficiency by about 35% as needed The watch owner is in a playful mood or stops winding altogether, blocking the turbine and rotor.
More than 200 years ago, watchmakers used air friction to regulate the speed of striking clocks; the technique was later updated to regulate the frequency of the minute repeater. This innovation (the UR-202 was the first watch to be wound controlled by air pressure) is extraordinary and highlights the connection between Urwerk’s creations and traditional watchmaking craftsmanship. Plus the user-operated Urwerk micro-adjustment screw, which is actually an invention of the pocket watch era, not to mention the Campanus brothers’ pope clock display. But all of this is a strong testament to Urwerk’s ingenious use of modern technology available to watchmakers, with tolerances down to 1/1000th of a millimeter on some components.
The UR-202 is not as productive as the UR-103 series. In addition to the Hammerhead, there is also a limited edition of 12 White Sharks produced in 2010 as part of a Rare Species project with retailers in Paris and Singapore, and more notably, the UR-202S nicknamed the Full Metal Jacket, produced in collaboration with Maspoli The Urwerk bracelet, available in two versions to match the case material. Still, the UR-202S is significant for another reason. The S in the model name stands for the stripes that adorn the dial, and they were created using the first 5-axis CNC machine the watchmaker had acquired. The substantial investment made it possible to manufacture most of the required components in-house, but also provided Urwerk “with invaluable flexibility and quality controll”, Felix Baumgartner explained at the time.
UR-CC1: Linear, part one
Don’t let the simplicity of the dashboard-like indications of an old car fool you. The UR-CC1 King Cobra (2009) was inspired by the Patek Philippe ref. 3414 prototype, manufactured by Louis Cottier and designed by jeweler Gilbert Albert in the 1950s, but before Urwerk, no other watchmaker was able to introduce a line with a true retrograde A mass-produced watch with sex display.
The idea of this watch, born in the early days of the company, is characterized by two cylinders displaying two horizontal indications: one for jumping hours and one for retrograde minutes. The seconds indicator is displayed on the top of the case, and it is displayed in two ways, and the rotating disc shows the seconds digitally and linearly. It took three years of development, production and testing to ensure that the rotation of the large hour and minute hands and the instantaneous flyback function were realized without affecting the timing accuracy.
This self-winding watch is 45.7 mm high, 43.5 mm wide and 15 mm thick, regulated by a “flying brake turbo” pneumatic shock absorber. Urwerk produced 25 King Cobras in brushed gray gold and 25 other watches in black gold, all with titanium case backs, the gray gold and black Cobras are treated with AlTiN (Titanium Nitride) and the base is PE-CVD Titanium was treated and a platinum version was added later.
UR-203: welcome to the show
The UR-203 (2010) is a special black PE-CVD Platinum version of the 200 series, produced by Urwerk, and stands out for the way it showcases its micro-mechanics. Baumgartner and Frei had to redesign the model to represent this fascinating sight. The satellite module had to be revisited, “The horological challenge of this complication was to develop a complex mechanism with the fewest number of components to ensure its reliability and longevity,” says Felix Baumgartner. Ultimately, the UR-203 satellite module with dial, hour satellite, telescoping minute hand and dial weighs only 3.57 grams, which is 65% lighter than the UR-202 module.
Watch indications include satellite hours and minutes with telescoping hands, an oil change alarm, and a 150-year chronograph odometer to report the total number of years the movement has run. In addition, the UR-203 is equipped with an adjustable automatic winding system first introduced in the UR-202, which has a switch to control the air pressure generated by the turbine to determine the winding rate.
EMC: Moving forward
The quest for precision and the desire to learn more about how the owner interacts with his watch led Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner to a new creation, EMC – Electromechanical Control. Launched in 2013, the EMC won the Watch Innovation Award and the Popular cheap Watch Award for Mechanical Excellence at the Grand Prix de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva the following year.
The Urwerk EMC is a mechanical watch with some electronics inside to measure the timekeeping performance and report it back to the owner. An optical sensor mounted on the balance wheel records the rate of oscillation. This sensor is connected to an electronic oscillator used as a reference, and the board calculates the difference between the run rate and the reference rate. A precision indicator on the side of the dial with a range of +/- 20 seconds per day informs the owner of the Urwerk EMC if adjustments are required. Practical, user-friendly part – the owner doesn’t need to take his Urwerk EMC to the watchmaker if the watch’s accuracy is poor. Fine adjustments are made by turning the designated screw on the back of the watch.
EMC begins the UR-Chronometry collection, which becomes the first Urwerk to offer hours and minutes indicated by traditional hands. The EMC has four displays on the dial side, the accuracy indicator being the largest one, which also includes a seconds sub-dial, hours and minutes sub-dials, and a power reserve indicator. The hand-wound movement uses vertically mounted twin mainspring barrels, providing a power reserve of 80 hours.
The first edition EMC had a titanium and steel case measuring 43mm x 51mm and a thickness of 15.8mm, and over the next two years the Fake watches was introduced in titanium and black coated steel EMC Black, as well as in titanium and engraved steel Case, EMC pistol. In 2016, Urwerk launched the second generation of EMC, the redesigned and improved EMC Time Hunter.
The hour and minute dials take center stage, zoomed in, and the running seconds are displayed on a disc in the upper right corner, with the 80-hour power reserve indicator positioned opposite in the lower left corner. Accuracy indicators now feature one hand to show timing accuracy (now + or – 15 seconds per day) and – a new feature – amplitude on demand. Since most watch movements oscillate between 220° and 280° for maximum efficiency, the amplitude of the balance wheel indicates whether the movement is functioning properly or needs service. “The new EMC allows you to obtain reliable and accurate data on your watch at the touch of a button – information that until now had been the preserve of professional watchmakers,” explains Baumgartner. “Using this information, you can fine-tune one of the most exciting and exciting inventions—the mechanical watch—for yourself.”
Launched in January 2016, the EMC Time Hunter is available in titanium and steel, with one set featuring a green ceramic coating. Skeleton X-ray model coming in September. For 2020, Urwer added to the UR-Chronometry collection the EMC Stormtrooper in a ceramic lacquered grade 5 titanium and stainless steel case reminiscent of Darth Vader’s soldier’s armor and the EMC Desert Sage. perfect copy watch
