URWERK

This month, the independent Swiss watchmaker, Urwerk, celebrates their 20th anniversary. In doing so, they have created a new timepiece to mark the occasion: the UR-105 CT Streamliner. The Art Deco influences are apparent in its geometric angularity and symmetry explains Martin Frei, “the Streamliner has a minimalist design with few frills and clean lines. In the initial drawings, I thought of the Empire State, the Chrysler, and the Comcast buildings. That is why it has that vertical structure that seems to go on forever.” A liftable cover hides the mechanism underneath, revealing the time and power reserve. Sliding a lever on the top opens the cover and reveals the four satellites mounted to a carousel with three-hour numerals on each satellite. Time is displayed digitally for the hours and minutes are shown underneath the hours as the indicator moves

Two well-known watch companies – Laurent Ferrier and Urwerk – have to come together to create a one-off timepiece to be sold at Only Watch 2017, with all proceeds going to aid in fighting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The case design was created from sketches by Laurent Ferrier who said this about the watch, “It’s a cleanly cut watch. My friends know my love of cars, a predilection expressed in this watch. This new creation is like streamlined coachwork, fluid and without any affront to the eye.” This case is an alloy made from ARPAL+, which is a special material made by Cendres+Métaux in Biel, specifically designed for this unique timepiece. Originally developed for the electronics industry, ARPAL+ consists of 75% precious metals and resists wear and scratches better than white gold or steel. Its color never fades, nor does it

Just received an email from Urwerk that says Robert Downey Jr., is wearing an Urwerk UR-110 in rose gold (which retails for $115K), as Tony Stark/Iron Man in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie which debuts in theaters today. (Robert Downery Jr. is pictured above at the movie premiere with English actor, Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man.) According to an email sent from Urwerk earlier today, “Sony Pictures contacted us in late 2016. They told us a major character of their Spiderman Homecoming production wanted to see and maybe wear one of our watches. Could this be the latest scam?… We do not have any Ambassador and were/are not keen to pay for one so we declined politely. But they contacted us again, insisting it was a personal request and drop the name… So I flew all the way to Atlanta to meet

Single-malt “scotch” whisky and watches go hand in hand. It is not to say everyone that collects fine wristwatches drinks, or drinks scotch whisky, but an inordinate amount of the watch collectors I have met do like good whisky. Sometimes referred to as “liquid gold” single-malt whisky has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, and like watch companies, scotch companies also make rare expensive editions that carry obscene price tags. Needless to say, scotch and watches, pair very well together. Just ask Christopher Beccan, the Founder/Editor of Bexsonn, a blog entirely dedicated to fine whisky and timepieces. So, it is not that surprising when we heard earlier this week that the Macallan distillery, based in Moray, Scotland, and modern haute horology watchmaker, Urwerk, who is based in Geneva, Switzerland, have collaborated to produce a technically sophisticated two-chamber limited

For Only Watch 2015, which takes place in November, Urwerk has created a unique version of their UR-106 timepiece. The UR-106 features a newly designed satellite hour indication and moon phases. According to Urwerk, “The three arms each bearing four satellite hours successively pass over the minutes scale, giving a digital as well as an analogue indication of the time. This unique watch represents more than a technical and stylistic breakthrough; it highlights the social commitment of the independent brand.” The UR-106 “Only Watch” comes in a titanium case and steel bezel with black PVD coating and measures 35 mm wide by 49.4 mm long by 14.45 mm thick. The surface finishing includes circular graining, bead-blasting and satin finishing. The case is marked with “Edition spéciale.” Water-resistance is 30 meters.

Just yesterday URWERK debuted an all new collection called the UR-105TA. It features the brand’s Knight-shaped bezel, powered by a turbine automatic movement and offered in four different variations. All versions are presented in a black coated titanium case measuring (39.50 mm x 53 mm x 16.80 mm). And a black steel bezel is fitted to all but the RG (red gold) model. The Black Lemon and Black Orange feature bright (yellow or orange) lacquered hour satellites, minute track and caseback accents. The rose gold model has a black satellites and minute track, and rose gold accents on the caseback. The all black model, is as its name suggests: all black. The UR 5.02 movement’s automatic winding is regulated by dual air turbines (visible on the caseback), and controlled via a winding rate control lever on the back. The movement

The Electro Mechanical Control (EMC) which URWERK designed over the course of 6 years to improve the chronometric precision of the movement — was originally unveiled in titanium in 2013 — and is now going to be available in a black DLC treated titanium and steel case. Their goal was achieved with a special balance and barrels. The balance wheel is made from ARCAP, which is a non-magnetic, corrosion resistant alloy of copper and nickel. The geometry of the balance wheel maximizes the aerodynamics and minimizes loss over time. It beats at 4 Hz and is powered by dual barrels that are vertically mounted on a single shaft. The result is an 80-hour power reserve with consistent power delivery.

URWERK has just announced the UR-105M, a watch that uses four forged-aluminum satellites that slowly orbit the dial to indicate the time. It is available in two versions: the “Iron Knight” and the “Black Knight.” The first has a titanium case and steel bezel, and the second has a titanium case with black AITin-treated (aluminium titanium nitride) steel bezel. A darkened oversized crown at 12 o’clock controls the winding and time setting. The time display consists of four forged-aluminum satellites that orbit around the center of the watch. Each satellite is visible as it makes its complete rotation every 60-minutes along the minute scale. The hour is shown in an opening at the bottom of the dial. A running seconds and power reserve indication is displayed laterally on the case band through sapphire apertures. On the caseback is what URWERK

Today, URWERK unveiled “the world’s first precision mechanical watch in which the timing can be both monitored and adjusted by the user to suit their lifestyle.” The Electro Mechanical Control (EMC) movement was designed over the course of 6 years, with the goal to improve accuracy and precision. Their goal was achieved with a special balance and barrels. The balance wheel is made from ARCAP, which is a non-magnetic, corrosion resistant alloy of copper and nickel. The geometry of the balance wheel maximizes the aerodynamics and minimizes loss over time. It beats at 4 Hz and is powered by dual barrels that are vertically mounted on a single shaft. The result, is an 80-hour power reserve with consistent power delivery.

The Urwerk UR-210, aka Maltese Falcon, with a world's first winding efficiency indicator. In the upper right quadrant of the dial, the Urwerk UR-210 has a traditional power reserve indicator. In the upper left quadrant, is the brands new winding efficiency indicator. It indicates to the wearer, the winding efficiency over the last two hours. Naturally, if you are not moving around very much the indicator will point more towards the red side and if you are moving around a lot, it will point more towards the green side. "This entirely new indication does not measure mainspring torque, but calculates the difference between the consumed and generated energy of the mainspring." What can you do now that you know how efficiently your watch has been automatically winding over the last two hours? You could wind the watch more if you