Introducing: Urwerk EMC SR-71. Celebrating its 10th anniversary with a limited edition.
To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Urwerk’s EMC (Electro-Mechanical Control Watch) has been redesigned to cover the legendary SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft fuselage. Limited to 10 pieces, the EMC is a mechanical watch whose concept and movement were conceived, developed and created by Urwerk in 2014.
The EMC’s traditional functions (hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve) are complemented by an original, patented piece of information – the Performance Indicator. Thanks to this novel feature, it is now possible to assess the chronometric accuracy of a mechanical movement at the touch of a button. This innovation makes the EMC the first device that allows the wearer to measure the performance of a watch in real time. Moreover, with this information, the wearer can adjust the settings of the watch to achieve the ultimate goal of perfect timekeeping.
The drive that provides the power takes the form of a double barrel mounted vertically on a single axis. This twin barrel in series provides the EMC with an 80-hour power reserve, thus ensuring the EMC’s stable, linear chronometric performance. Its chronometric adjustment screw is accessible from the outside of the watch and can be adjusted extremely finely via the balance rate index regulator by adjusting the effective length of the hairspring.
The EMC control function consists of an optical sensor connected to the balance wheel. This sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver, one on each side of the balance wheel. Its job is to record the vibrations of the mechanism running at a frequency of 28,800 vph — 4 Hz — for three seconds. This measurement is triggered manually by pressing the start button. This then provides the EMC’s reference chronometric rate with the help of a 16,000,000 Hz electronic oscillator. The performance of the EMC 4 Hz balance wheel is compared with this extraordinary oscillator to obtain the most accurate measurement results. watch replica
The calculator determines the difference between the movement’s chronometric rate and that of the reference oscillator (indicated by the letter δ). Every microsecond difference between the two values represents an increase or decrease of one second per day in the movement’s chronometric rate. A variation of 0.0000014 seconds per half vibration is equivalent to a variation of one second per day. The EMC’s monitoring unit (optical sensors and computers) is powered by a micro-generator made by the Swiss company Maxon, famous for developing the electric motors that equipped NASA’s Pathfinder Mars rover.
The case is made of titanium steel with a crank handle and a screw-down bezel made of the SR-71 alloy (titanium, aluminum, vanadium, silicon, iron and molybdenum), and is 47.55 mm wide, 49.57 mm long and 17.58 mm thick.
This EMC SR-71 watch is currently available in a limited edition, one of which features elements of the legendary aircraft’s fuselage. This “modified” titanium alloy was melted down and then processed into the screw-down bezel and charging crank of the EMC generator.
It’s not without reason that the layout of the screens on the dial is reminiscent of the cockpit instruments of the SR-71. The watch, like the aircraft, is a machine that provides information about its performance. The dial is a personal cockpit; in addition to the accurate time, the EMC also provides information about how it works and how to “drive” it. It is a unique and exciting experience.
As a result, the EMC SR-71 looks like a dashboard with four separate dials, two of which feature a screw-down bezel. The focal point is the seconds indicator (at 2 o’clock), whose tip is designed like a stealth aircraft. This is one of EMC’s flagship features and a testament to its smooth and precise operation. On the left (at 10 o’clock), the EMC’s performance is displayed in seconds per day, while its power reserve appears below at 5 o’clock. At 7 o’clock, a set of hands indicates the classic hours and minutes. On the back of the EMC, its in-house movement is visible behind a sapphire crystal.
The Urwerk Manufacture movement is designed, developed and crafted in the Urwerk workshop. Its performance is tested in four positions over a 30-day cycle to meet the most stringent standards for precision watches. The SR-71 is a legendary aircraft, a racing beast designed for maximum performance. This is also the spirit in which we designed the EMC, says Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of Urwerk. The movement offers a power reserve of 80 hours when fully wound.
The mens replica watch is presented on a NATO strap (nylon, leather), inspired by aviation seatbelts with Velcro fastenings.
