URWERK X Revolution UR-105 Bronze Warrior
Since the beginning of time, since the emergence of Homo erectus, it can be seen from the evidence of the Serengeti Plain that dates back to 500,000 years ago that human beings and his ancestors have had amulets, armors, weapons and tools in their personal universe They left a decorative imprint on it. Perhaps it is in the use of a sharp tool called a knife to mark the surface’s return to purity, as a way to express the early days, to explore the expressive vision buried under the subconscious, to respect a person’s god and express A person’s Freud identity, carvings resonate most powerfully. men replica watches
Since the rise of Swiss watchmaking, engraving has been inseparable from watchmaking craftsmanship. The engraving technique can be as simple as the personalization of the initial letter, or as complicated as the hollowing and filigree technique on the case. Guilloché’s art is to hand-carve huge golden dials and use imitation patterns in Anglo-Saxon art and neoclassical architecture. In the art form of flinqué, carving is also celebrated with enamel, including applying translucent enamel on the carved surface, or in champlevé, excavating part of the dial or case and using enamel to fill the remaining voids to create ethereal art miniature.
Although I have the greatest respect for the advanced art forms of traditional sculpture, the truth is that many of these crafts belong to a classistic and backward world. On the contrary, I have always hoped to create a powerful new association for this art form by linking it with today’s visual identity and images. I have always wanted to change the concept of sculpture from something gorgeous, decorative and (let us face reality) feminine to exaggerated, heartfelt, and even positively masculine. Through an accidental encounter on Instagram, I discovered the work of Johnny Dowell aka King Nerd, a former master sculptor of the famous British gun manufacturer Purdey. My whole view of sculpting and its expressive potential has changed drastically.
Because in Johnny’s work, I see the same desire, that is, to respect his skills and define a new language at the same time, evoke the world of Japanese manga, Marvel and DC comics, tattoo images and even martial arts movie culture. I saw in him the collision of two worlds: the world of anti-traditionalists and rebels, and the world of loyal craftsmen. I knew that I had to transfer his art to the canvas of my favorite mechanical watch by creating a series of Revolution pièce unique timepieces with him.
I know that the first brand we have to work with URWERK is URWERK, because the brand is intellectually and philosophically consistent with Dowell’s work. Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei created their brand with exactly the same desire as Dowell, which is to respect their craftsmanship and advance their story at the same time, and promote its development by creating today’s watches for contemporary audiences. Baumgartner said: “My father is a watchmaker. His father is a watchmaker. I respect them, but I don’t want to repeat what they did. I see that most brands are content to repeat the past. Today 99 % Of watches are the miniaturization of complication 200 years ago. We want to create a new kind of complication. We want to advance horology. We want to redefine the language of time.” When I first met Felix Baumgartner and stared While looking at the attractive flame engine with his sapphire top cover UR-103.03, I realized that I was witnessing a new chapter in the watch industry. URWERK watches use the orbital hour satellite system to reveal the passage of time, which passes through a fixed minute orbit on the bottom edge of the case. This system actually originated in ancient times. But the end result is completely modern.
Frei said: “Although our inspiration came from the 17th century night clock designed by the Campani brothers for Pope Alexander VII, the resulting URWERK watch is completely modern and more inspired by science fiction movies than by the antiquity of clocks. We thought Let you take a look at our watch and experience the complete transformation of the way you experience time.” It is in this respect that URWERK has changed my experience of reading time. Instead of witnessing the arbitrary progress of the hands on the dial, I saw a satellite hovering for a moment in a certain arrogant posture.
The brand’s watchmaker Baumgartner said: “Our idea is to create something powerful, original and expressive, so the word’UR’ in our name means original or original.”
Chief designer Frei said: “By removing all the pointers, you give up the traditional way of measuring time. At that moment, you change the concept of time from a practical measurement to something that time has personal meaning to you. It will let you Your mind enters a state of religious trance and meditation, which you will experience in shaman rituals.”
Since the actual timekeeping part of the replica URWERK watch is relatively small, it frees up space on the top plate. In many cases, the top of the watch is made of sapphire crystal, allowing the owner to witness the function of the satellite system. But in other cases, the entire top area can be covered with metal to provide a perfect engraved surface. Baumgartner and Frei have been experimenting with decorative carvings on this large metal canvas for a long time. Frei said: “The first experiment in the UR-105 series of watches was Tyrannosaurus Rex, where we created a unique pattern that is reminiscent of the scales of dinosaurs or giant reptiles.”
Baumgartner said: “We like this effect because it is both ancient and modern. This watch looks like a science fiction instrument, but it is buried in the ruins of an ancient civilization.” The collector apparently agrees with the UR-105 T -Rex’s entire production run was sold out immediately. URWERK continues to experiment with decorative engraving, using the exquisite skills of the gun engraver Florian Gullert to create last year’s Amadeus UR-210, whose case and bracelet are fully engraved.
When Baumgartner and Frei first saw examples of Dowell’s work, they were fascinated. Baumgartner said: “We like Johnny’s prints because, like us, he respects his roots, but defines his own language.”
Frei said: “His work has a strong primacy and truly conforms to the spirit of’UR’. At the same time, we like his reference materials, he incorporates popular culture, comics and tattoo references in this cunning way. “For the first collaboration between URWERK and Revolution, Baumgartner and Frei want to work with Johnny Dowell to completely subvert the perception of sculpture.
Baumgartner said: “We fully understand what you want to achieve. People think that carvings must be baroque, gorgeous and gorgeous, but we want to find a new contemporary language that connects carvings with today’s audience.” Urwerk UR-110 Bakelite
Frei said: “We wanted to create a series of engraved watches centered on power symbols and warriors. For the first watch made in exclusive collaboration with Revolution, we chose the image of a samurai, and then the image of a dragon.”
Dowell said: “I like these patterns because they are very common. Anyone who sees the images of samurai and dragons will immediately understand that they are these huge totem images related to power and warrior mentality. When studying how to render these patterns, I I have studied traditional Asian art, comics and even tattoo art to study how they permeate all these disciplines. Then I created images that blend all of these to some extent, and I hope this style is unique in the world of carving Yes. I also like Felix, Martin, and you for choosing a bronze case for our first collaboration, because the aging of this material is reminiscent of the patina on ancient armor.”
Baumgartner said: “We are very satisfied with the results of the first batch of watches we collaborated with. This is a good demonstration of the infinite creative possibilities associated with our timepieces.” He added with a smile, “This is simply too bad. .”
In 2018, URWERK, Revolution and King Nerd will continue to launch a series of unique carving patterns, hoping to bring us surprises and joy. Our goal is to create a watch that will explode to your cerebral cortex, crush your impulse control matrix, and make you full of desire. I am also happy to announce that we will also make a series of such watches for The Hour Glass Singapore.
Michael Tay, owner of The Hour Glass, said: “We are now living in a world where savvy consumers avoid mass luxury goods. He doesn’t want things that are as ubiquitous as everyone else. That’s why customization Tailors are experiencing such a renaissance. This is why vintage watches, each of which is associated with other different aging watches, are associated with modern audiences. I applaud what URWERK fake , Revolution and Johnny have done, and I am very happy that Hour Glass is also Will be the exclusive partner of these watches. I am very happy to see how expressive this new form of engraving can connect with modern consumers.”
