Emergency EMC Time Hunter Desert Saint
Urwerk EMC Time Hunter Desert Sage is the latest version of the GPHG award list, first released in 2013. Despite the passage of time, the watch is still a technical promoter and a shining example of breathtaking creativity. The new Time Hunter Desert Sage is housed in a ceramic lacquered grade 5 titanium alloy and stainless steel case and is limited to five pieces.
After the watch is assembled, it must be adjusted with a frequently used watch brand such as Witschi Chronoscope. This precision instrument is equipped with a powerful microphone that can monitor the beat noise of the Swiss lever escapement.
The beat note consists of three different pulses. The first sound is made when the pulse pin hits the fork of the pallet. It is used to calculate “rate deviation” and “error”. The second type of noise is generated when the escape wheel touches the pulse area of the pallet fork and the pallet fork touches the pulse pin, but this noise is irregular and therefore not suitable for evaluation. The third type of noise occurs when the teeth of the escape wheel meet the locking plane of the pallet fork and the lever hits the tilt pin. The third and last sound is used to calculate the “amplitude”.
The velocity deviation of the movement is measured in seconds per day. The tempo error is related to the behavior of the regulating organs (balance wheel and hairspring). The clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the balance should ideally match. If there is a difference between clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation, it is called a “beat error” and the pulse pin needs to be adjusted relative to the tilt pin. The tempo error is in milliseconds. Finally, “Amplitude is the angle from balance (idle position of the balance wheel) to the maximum distance (turning point).” Most watches have amplitude values between 260° and 310°. When the amplitude drops below this lower value (possibly due to lubricant aging), accuracy may be compromised.
Although the Witschi timer is an ideal tool for working on the watchmaker’s workbench, it is not suitable for portable use. However, in 2013, everything changed. The Swiss avant-garde watch brand Urwerk has launched its EMC Time Hunter watch, which enables “owners to measure the state of the watch’s movement (amplitude) and timing performance (accuracy) at the same time.
The crank mounted on the right side of the case folds outwards, similar to the start handle of an old car, it rotates until the dial indicator signal indicates that there is enough power to assess the health of the watch. The generated power is stored in a supercapacitor, which in turn provides power to an optical sensor that time the oscillations of the balance over a period of three seconds, thus providing an average rate. If the speed proves to be too fast/too slow, the fine adjustment screw on the back of the watch allows the wearer to simply adjust the speed accordingly.
In 2014, Urwerk EMC won two awards at the prestigious GPHG, namely the “Mechanical Anomaly Observation Award” and the “Innovative Observation Award”. The originality of Urwerk, led by its co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, has attracted widespread praise from the watch media all over the world.
Now, the prestigious watch brand has launched a new version of its award-winning model, the new Urwerk EMC Time Hunter Desert Sage, with a ceramic paint grade 5 titanium and stainless steel case with a camouflage canvas strap. The model is limited to five pieces.
The new EMC T imeHunter has out-of-the-box, unparalleled competitiveness and a world that is compatible with any URWERK work. Its unprecedented surface treatment ensures stunning results: the military beige chronograph and camouflage canvas strap complement each other The saint of the desert. This watch is a fighter plane and is difficult to crack. The shell is treated with ceramic paint and can stand the test of time. In addition to the protective properties of the latter, it can also enhance the fine particle surface of bead shot peened steel.
URWERK’s most “timed” collection has thus returned to the forefront and has a place in the field of military style, complete with technical vocabulary and urban grammar.
Style service function
EMC Time Hunter Desert Sage belongs to the UR-Chronometry series, which contains the URWERK watchmaking concept dedicated to excellent precision. In fact, they offer unique possibilities for measuring and adjusting the speed of movement.
EMC Time Hunter is essentially a dual measuring instrument. Just like a compass, sextant, and machine tool, its appearance and even surface mark its essence. EMC Desert Sage is made of steel, and the case back is made of titanium. Its aesthetics are not round, square or cushion-like, nor are it any iconic undefinable shape of URWERK. This high-tech “machine” embraces the inner contours of the “motor” and obeys the constraints of its various organs. It is not symmetrical, regular, flat or curved, but it still remains beautiful and unique. EMC’s design follows its function and goes beyond existing rules to create a unique personality.
In addition, its stainless steel “engine cover” is micro-sandblasted and then treated with a hard matte ceramic varnish. As a result, the surface of EMC Time Hunter Desert Sage has a granular appearance, reminiscent of military equipment.
Legibility
The same functionalism has a matte black surface on its dial, supreme. Each indicator area has its own clearly marked space. Each unit is coated with fluorescent green Super-LumiNova®, which is a neon color, and URWERK often uses it due to its perfect contrast. In addition to the main dial with a grid grenade pattern that displays the hours and minutes, EMC Time Hunter also has a small-disc seconds hand at 1 o’clock, scaled in 5 second increments, at 1 o’clock. clock. And there is a power reserve indicator at the 7 o’clock position, which provides information about the wind direction of the manual winding movement, and can achieve up to 80 hours of autonomy.
The indications related to the chronograph (precise timekeeping) monitoring function are concentrated at 11 o’clock and are indicated by the “EM Control” mark on the screw-in bezel. The range of rate accuracy is from -15 to +15, with seconds as the unit of measurement for daily rate deviation. The amplitude range is 180 to 330 (in degrees).
Heart and brain
The core of the EMC concept is a hybrid electronic/mechanical system that makes each of these timepieces identical and has two worlds. This is a completely mechanical watch, optimized with electro-optic circuits. On the one hand, its manual winding movement originated from URWERK’s thoughts and hands. The UR-EMC2 movement is specially designed for EMC series products. It is completely crafted, finished, assembled and adjusted by URWERK.
On the other hand, it contains an electronic module whose function is to measure the speed of mechanical parts. It has its own power, separate from the rest of the movement. The large retractable lever is located on the side of the casing, which raises the generator to supply power to the control microcircuit. With its laser diode, it can collect two basic data related to the movement. Point to the balance, read its amplitude (an indicator of movement status) and rate deviation (an indicator of accuracy), and then compare it with the internal clock. The latter takes the form of a processor running at a frequency of 16 MHz and is used as a reference oscillator, or benchmark.
On the one hand, the “engine”; on the other hand, the control unit. However, these two entities are not isolated from each other, on the contrary. They are integrated, nested, and URWERK has created a way to access both, which makes EMC Time Hunter the only watch in the world that can truly adjust the wearer. The timing adjustment screw can manually fine-tune the oscillation speed of the balance, thereby correcting the rate change that inevitably occurs over time, and is closely dependent on the wearer’s use of the watch. The corrector is located on the back of the watch and is engraved with the words “Fine Tuning”. It manages the movement’s behavior by modifying the length of the balance spring.
EMC TimeHunter Desert Sage watches are not only watches for precision watchmaking enthusiasts, but also not only interactive objects, but also not only hybrid watches that combine the superb technology of mechanical watchmaking with the possibilities provided by microelectronics technology. Timepiece. Although they were born in the URWERK watch and design geek circle, pure scientific methods are more important than truly unique watches. Ultra-clear, sharp, ultra-urban, each function transcends its function and enters the realm of pure style.
