The brand founded in 1997 by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei has once again hit the mark with the introduction of the Urwerk UR-100V UltraViolet, a variant of one of their most famous collections.
From my initiation to independent watchmaking, I must say that I have always had a soft spot for Urwerk, a brand capable of fusing cutting-edge mechanics within cases that look like real spaceships.
From the “simpler” versions, if I may, to the more eccentric colors, the Maison of Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei always leaves their fans and collectors speechless.
With this new UR-100V UltraViolet, presented at the Geneva Watch Days 2022, the Maison wanted to give an unusual color to the case of its UR-100 by combining it with a rubber bracelet capable of creating a contrast that enhances the design of this masterpiece of contemporary haute horology.
The ultraviolet color
This color was chosen for a not-so-usual reason. Violet is at the end of the spectrum of humanly visible colors and anything beyond that is out of the color field, hence out of our eyes’ perception.
According to the Maison, this color represents the shade par excellence. The one of fighters, outsiders and madmen. The message that Urwerk wants to convey is that if you have to make yourself heard, do it in purple! Speaking of this color, Martin Frei explains why it is so special to him:
“I like the fact that a color is much more than what we perceive. The color spectrum visible to our eyes ranges from red to violet. Beyond this shade, the color transforms into a waveform that our eyes are no longer able to perceive, the ultraviolet. I am fascinated by the idea of creating a watch that celebrates this boundary, this turning point, this passage from the perceptible to the imperceptible. The UR-100V UltraViolet represents this exploration of limits. Our UltraViolet conveys something mystical, it is a shade that is on the edge of a dimension that we call color ”.
The characteristics of the new UR-100V UltraViolet
Accompanied by a white rubber strap, this new Urwerk fully reflects the stylistic canons of the UR-100 collection. On the dial of this wrist spacecraft, the hours and minutes are indicated with the satellites that have always distinguished the Maison. Moreover, on the sides of the dial we can see the indication of two pieces of information.
As for the first, the minute satellite which acts as a hand, once the 60th minute is reached, disappears and reappears as an odometer. It illustrates the 555 kilometers traveled every 20 minutes by each inhabitant of the planet, meaning the average rotation speed of the Earth calculated at the Equator (rotation distance).
However, on the opposite side the revolution of the Earth around the Sun (orbital distance) is indicated, that is 35,740 kilometers every 20 minutes. The reason they chose to include this information was explained by Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK, who said that:
“This creation was inspired by a gift from my father, Geri Baumgartner, a renowned restorer of antique watches. It is a watch made by Gustave Sandoz for the Universal Exhibition of 1893 and its peculiarity lies in the fact that instead of indicating the hours, it indicates the rotation distance traveled by the Earth to the Equator “.
When it is dark, you can witness some real beauty: the dial equipped with luminescent material, lights up in an incandescent blue for the hours and in a flaming green for the kilometers.
The caliber of the new UR-100V UltraViolet
Under the domed glass of the UR-100V beats the new self-winding URWERK 12.02 caliber with the time indication via the three satellites.
Felix Baumgartner explained that the central carousel has been redesigned for this caliber and the indexes have been brought closer to the minute scale for an even more intuitive and fluid hour reading. The automatic winding of the UR-100V uses a bidirectional rotor regulated by a pneumatic Windfänger screw. The power reserve is guaranteed for 48 hours.
The aesthetics of the new UR-100V UltraViolet
At first glance, the aesthetics of the UR-100V case will recall that which characterized the first models of the independent brand.
In this regard, Martin Frei specified that Urwerk took up some aesthetics solution from their first creatures and the traditional approach of the brand has been deconstructed.
For example, the steel dome of the historic models is reproduced, on this new UR-100V, through the transparency of the sapphire crystal. Its perfection is highlighted by the roughness of the titanium and steel case, with purple DLC coating.
The size of the case is 41.00 mm wide, 49.7 mm long and 14.0 mm thick. Water resistance is guaranteed up to 3 ATM (30 m).
Price
The new Urwerk UR-100V UltraViolet will be priced at CHF 55,000 (excl. taxes), corresponding to approximately EUR 56,000.
For further information on the Urwerk world, I invite you to visit their website.
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