Independents

URWERK 201

INSPIRATION

Felix Baumgartner

"The 201 began to occupy a part of my spirit during the conception phase of the Opus V for Harry Winston. I had already seen the mechanism in my mind and imagined it functioning as an evolution of our satellite hours. I tried to anticipate the difficulties and became impatient to work on this new challenge because I wanted URWERK to go much further down the development path than we had dared to go before; to go to a much higher level and to push the complication/concept much further. It was difficult however to find the limit as to what was humanly and technically possible, and what was haunting me to believe at all costs was possible... "

Martin Frei

"The 201 does not have any official birthday. In 2004 what was to become the 201 existed already in a shadowed corner of my mind and the process of it taking form on my design bench is as follows. First I scribbled the wildest ideas into my scrapbook; then, armed with my fetish tools - a black and a red crayon, semi-greasy with points lightly moist so that they slip easily over the paper - I filled pages on pages of sketches in what was virtually a semi-hypnotic trance.

The resulting drawings had, on first view, strange shapes with right angles, sharp points and very defined lines. And then, one idea began to impose itself much stronger than all the others and the vision astonished me: a galactic spaceship with a shape reminiscent of a powerful animal. The form imposed itself on me and I repeated it over and over on my sheets from different angles of view: front, back, profile... and I baptized it, Hammerhead."

URWERK presents their audacious new 201

URWERK launches into 2007 with a Horological thunderclap!

Felix Baumgartner, Martin Frei have designed, developed and crafted a timepiece setting new benchmarks in contemporary haute horlogerie.  The 201 will have aficionado's hearts pounding with cutting-edge technology and avant garde aesthetics melding in a three-dimensional micro-mechanical fantasy.

Time on the 201 is displayed using telescopic minute hands operating through the middle of three orbiting and revolving hour satellites. The telescopic minute hands precisely adjust their length to follow the three vectors marking the minutes: 0 -14,  15 - 44, 45 - 60. Extended, they enable the 201 to display the time across a large easy-to-read, dial. Retracted, they allow for a very wearable and comfortably sized case; thus providing the wearer with the best of both worlds!

This original feat of precision micro-engineering is achieved by means of 'transporters', one end of which follows a cam plotting the path of the minute indication, the other controlling the precise length of the minute hand. These transporters - hidden under the wings between the satellites- undergo a special MOVIC surface lubrification treatment eliminating the necessity for lubricating oils. In fact, as a result of URWERK's research into lubrication techniques and metal surface treatments, practically no oil is necessary or is used in the entire revolving satellite complication.

There are four hours on each of the three satellites: 1/4/7/10, 2/5/8/11 and 3/6/9/12.  As the new hour moves to the start of the minute chapter, its hand extends to indicate the minutes. As the hour passes, the two other satellites, with minute hands retracted, are slowly rotating so that they are ready in turn to take the center stage.

The orientation of the hour satellites and frontal time indication are in keeping with URWERK's tradition of crafting timepieces which are easy to read without having to turn the wrist. The shape of the hour satellites - angular truncated pyramids rather than square faced cubes - ensures that the time can be clearly and instinctively read side-on as well as from above.

Completing the indications on the dial are a 50-hour power reserve indicator on the left, balanced by a day/night indicator on the right

"URWERK is a laboratory of constant innovation and ideas. We test and experiment with the latest generation of  materials and surface treatments to discover what works best and where. URWERK works without the security of a safety net because our original concepts are realised for the very first time by ourselves. Step by step, model by model, we develop the brand and imprint our mark on Swiss haute horlogerie" . Felix Baumgartner: master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK.

Control Board

The Control Board on the back of the 201 was inspired by the gauges of a sport car; therefore, it is only fitting that the ingenious features and completely original indications displayed reflect that influence:

• The 'Oil Change' indicator  informs the owner that a service is due after three years of operation.
• The linear 100 Year Plus indicator functions like a car's odometer and is a completely new and totally original indication on a wristwatch. The 100 Year Plus indicator keeps track of the total hours of the movement's operation for well over a century
• The Fine Tuning screw. An easy to use adjustment enabling the wearer to precisely tune the timing of the watch to his own specific life style.

Ingeniously, neither the 'Oil Change' nor '100 year plus' indicators use any power from the mainspring. Both are operated directly from the winding of the crown; thus eliminating any effect on the timekeeping of the movement or a reduction in power reserve.

"The 201 is a machine to master time. It has the force, the character and the aggression necessary to hold onto the minutes. The 201 is like a living machine adapting to its environment, reacting and transforming its temporal path. Despite my playing a role in bringing it to life, the watch continues to impress me  The 201 is a machine you have to tame, which is why I nicknamed it, 'Hammerhead'" .

Martin Frei, designer and co-founder of URWERK.

With their neoteric 201, URWERK have taken their philosophy of innovation to previously undreamed of limits. The unique design, complication and features on this incredible timepiece are the result of years of research, experimentation, prototyping and testing. Not content with simply modifying yesterday's complications, URWERK , invent, develop  and craft the complications of tomorrow.

URWERK 201:  Innovations and Complications

The new 201 is the result of three long years of research and development by a five man team at URWERK: 12 months in conception and design, 12 months of machining and testing parts, and 12 months of prototyping and testing mechanisms before final production.

The Carousel and Satellites

The patented Carousel is the critical component of the revolving satellite complication. It is responsible for not only the rotation of the hour satellites but also the integral telescopic minute hands. This rotating central hub is an extremely complex part to manufacture due to the extreme precision and tight tolerances necessary. Many of the carousel's intricacies have to be machined and finished to tolerances of 1/1000mm.

After the Carousel and satellites are milled, they are micro-sandblasted, carefully finished with fine cashmere brush, treated with a sophisticated PE-CVD treatment called 'Blaktop' which hardens, colours and lowers the coefficient of friction. The back of the Carousel is satiné, a process which leaves a distinctive light matt finish without removing material. The 90° edges of the satellites are beveled using a diamanté process resulting in perfect mirror finish angles.

There has been no detail spared in maximising both efficiency and readability of the hour satellites. Rather than being set perfectly perpendicular to the horizontal, they are slightly inclined at 85 degrees so that the wearer does not have to tilt the wrist to easily read the time. While technically it may have been easier to have the satellites rotate to the next hour in one step, URWERK have designed the complication so that they rotate over three stages ensuring a more constant use of power.

The Transporters

The Transporters - one for each minute hand- allow the telescoping hands to precisely adjust its length to follow the vector of the minute marker. One end of the transporter follows a cam simulating the path of the three minute indication vectors, while the other controls the length of the minute hand. The cam's shape was designed by plotting 380 points of reference to ensure precision in the length of the telescoping minute hands.

The Transporter measures 0.895mm (thickness) plus  the lubricating surface treatment is 0.005mm, thus making the total thickness of the transporter 0.900mm. The dimension of the place in carousel where the transporters work is 0.905mm. A tolerance of just 0.005mm!

These transporters - hidden under the wings between the satellite- undergo a special MOVIC surface lubrication treatment so that lubricating oils are not necessary. MOVIC is just one of many treatments and/or process that URWERK developed for use in the 201 resulting in practically no oil being necessary for the lubrication of the entire revolving satellite complication!

The Telescopic Minute Hands

The telescopic minute hands, when extended to their maximum length of 4.8mm enable the 201 to display the time on a large, easy-to-read dial. The minutes are shown over 3 straight line segments: each 15minute side has a length of 8.3mm while the central 30 minute segment is 16.6mm. When they are not passing across the minutes, the hands retract to their minimum length of 1.8mm allowing for a very wearable and comfortably sized case.

Inside each telescopic minute hand is a minuscule spring. The longer a spring is the more uniform its elasticity. As the overall length and diameter of the space for the spring is fixed, the only way to make it longer is to make the filament a finer diameter. URWERK had already pushed the boundaries of the lower limits of the diameter of springs down to 100 microns - the size of a human hair - with the revolutionary Opus V. With the 201, URWERK brings the size down even further to an incredible 70 microns (0.07mm). This technological advance has led to a considerable increase in power and efficiency.

CONTROL BOARD

The Oil Change Indicator

The 'Oil Change' indicator informs the owner that a service is due after three years of operation when the dial changes from white to red. Powered directly from the winding of the crown, this indicator has no detrimental effect on either the timekeeping precision of the movement or the power reserve.

The Fine Tuning Screw

While Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the first to provide a facility allowing his clients to adjust the fine regulation of his pocket watches, URWERK were the first to incorporate this extremely useful function into a wristwatch. The fine tuning screw allows the user to easily and precisely regulate the timing of the watch to tailor it to their specific life style.

The Linear 100 Year Plus Indicator

The 100 Year Plus indication is a completely new and original indication in a wristwatch. Inspired by the odometer of a car, the 100 Year Plus indicator keeps track of how many years the movement has been in operation. Powered directly from the winding of the crown (as is the Oil Change Indicator), this linear gauge has no detrimental effect on either the timekeeping precision of the movement or the power reserve. The linear indicator advances every six years up until a maximum of 118 years!

Technical Characteristics

Model : URWERK 201

Case : available in white gold, red gold, platinum and black PE-CVD platinum (platinum models in limited editions of ten pieces)

Movement : calibre UR 7.01; mechanical movement manual winding; 21,600bph/3Hz

Functions : revolving satelite complication; integral telescopic minute hands

Dimensions : 45.6 mm X 43.5mm X 15mm; micro sand blasted; satin finish; back in titanium.

Dial : ARCAP P40. Carousel polished with a diamond milling-cutter. Rotating satellite hours. SuperLumiNova treatment on hour and minute markers.

Indications : Dial featuring: hours and minutes indicated by revolving satellites with telescopic minute hands AM and PM indicator; power reserve indication. Control Board featuring: user adjustable fine-tuning function (+/- 30seconds day); "Oil Change" indicator; linear 100 year plus indicator - the world's first horological odometer.

URWERK 201 in white gold

URWERK 201 in red gold

URWERK 201 in platinum