Independents

Geneva week 2014: Urwerk – UR-210Y, EMC and more

 

Let´s start with a big mistake. It was me who did it. Until now I looked at Urwerk as if they would produce watches and for several reasons they didn´t get much of my attention.

In fact they don´t make watches, they create machines of desire.

When I just had my first appointment with them in Geneva, I had the pleasure to talk to Martin Frei (artist, chief designer & co-founder of Urwerk) and one of their watchmakers (sorry, I am really bad when it comes to names). We had a very long conversation and only briefly about watches, to be honest. It was more about art, antiques, languages … and the good things in life. Between I found some extra time to look, handle and shoot some of their machines.

Why is it important to talk about all this you may say? Well, it is necessary to understand their approach, their fortes and of course my view.

When they start a new project they don´t have classical watches in mind. It is something more philosophical, something with the eye, hand and heart of an artist. To discuss such projects Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei meet at several (chilling or even chaotic, but never boring) places somewhere in Switzerland – both stay in different parts of the same country.

The outcome is contemporary and (almost) closer to art as to classical watches. Just to look at them is not enough. One has to handle them and to feel their cases. There is at least one more “dimension” to understand and for me it was full of pleasure. It doesn´t happen that often that I experienced something like this. Let me try to explain. When I handle some of my antique stone sculptures from China they speak to me and please me. Most of the time I don´t care what it was made for and only enjoy it. Also when I handle a Leica rangefinder camera (no matter from which era) the first thing in mind is never the function as a tool/camera. It is much more and difficult to explain. For sure it is something very personal and I can´t imagine to get bored of it. It is just so different from any other camera out there.

Something similar I experienced while handling the machines from Urwerk. It was a real pleasure and good surprise to touch them and to play/interact with them. Only after some time I thought about the time. None of us needs an expensive watch to tell the time, but all of us need something that speaks to our heart – at least when we are open to it.

NO RESTRICTIONS – “When we innovate we enjoy the freedom of tolerating no restrictions or taboos. We can go further and push the limits to really try out what is possible.” (Martin Frei)

The results are desirable to say the least, but I guess not for everybody. It is only for those who look for much more than just a (another) watch to tell the time.

OK, I will stop talking now and start to show some pictures instead. Please try to look at them as a machine and as a piece of art, for the wrist. Once you like it or think you miss something I would recommend to handle one in the metal, but please don´t blame me if you are addicted afterwards J

 

UR-210Y

The nickname is “Black Hawk” and it is easy to see why, isn´t it?

The dial of the UR-210Y features a traditional power reserve indication at one o’clock. In a near mirror image at 11 o’clock we find a similar indication. No, it isn’t a duplicate fail-safe, but something much more important which deserves our full attention, because it is actually a world-first complication that indicates winding efficiency over the last two hours.

Has your recent activity been enough to replenish your UR-210Y’s energy levels? If yes, the winding efficiency indicator will point emphatically to the green zone. If not, you have been using more energy than you are generating, and the winding efficiency indicator will point to the red zone. Armed with knowledge of both winding efficiency and available power reserve, you are then able to intervene. If your UR-210Y indicates an insufficient supply of energy, you can position the winding efficiency selector at the back of the watch to “FULL”.

 

The rotor will then convert the slightest movement into stored energy. In this configuration, a turbine connected to the rotor provides smooth, unimpeded power. But if you are more active, then that may provide more power than required and unnecessarily wear the mechanism. In that case, you would position the winding efficiency selector to “REDUCED” to engage the rotor damping system. An air turbine compressor mounted on ruby bearings spins and creates internal resistance – enough friction to slow down or dampen the automatic winding rotor. In “STOP” mode, the automatic winding system is disabled completely and the UR-210Y runs off reserve power and may require manual winding.

“Being able to interact with your watch, to have a dialogue with it… these concepts remain at the heart of our creations” (Felix Baumgartner)

 

“Our UR-210Y is a watch that lives on your wrist. It is dependent on you: You feed it with energy, you breathe life into it. The UR-210Y acts as a mirror of your level of activity” (Martin Frei) 

Back to the dial side, the UR-210Y’s satellite complication with retrograde minute is both highly original and totally explosive. The principal feature is a high-tech, oversized, three-dimensional retrograde minute hand. Its function is to enclose the hour satellite and indicate the time as it transverses the 0-to-60-minute scale. This one-hour journey through time, tracing an arc of 120°, is smooth and fluid. But the true nature of the piece is revealed at the end of the 59th minute. Then a sharp distinct “click” signals the return of the minute hand to its starting point. In less than 0.1 of a second the hand flies back to dock with the next hour satellite. This high-speed retrograde system is based on three key elements:

 

· A central axis set in ruby bearings provides excellent stability for the satellite/retrograde complication. A cylindrical marine chronometer type spring runs vertically around the axis and generates the optimal tension required for the retrograde minutes flyback.

· A minute hand, which also forms a frame for the hour satellites, displays the time in an extraordinary way. Milled from aluminum to exacting tolerances of approximately 3 microns, the whole structure has a total weight of just 0.302g and is counter balanced by a brass weight. This three-dimensional cage offers rigidity as it transfers energy from the cylindrical flyback spring in the top center of the carrousel to the double-star gear underneath.

· A double coaxial star-shaped cam regulates the retrograde mechanism through its gearing and its rotation defines the trajectory of the minute hand. When the minute hand reaches 60, the double star trips a (one of three) hockey-stick shaped spring under the mechanism, which liberates the minute to fly back to the next hour satellite at 0-minutes.

 

 

Case

 

Material Titanium and AlTiN-treated steel

Dimensions Width 43.8mm, length 53.6mm, thickness 17.8mm

Glasses Sapphire crystal

Water resistance 30m/100’/3ATM

Surface finishes

Strap:

Satin finish; bead-blasted

Fabric

 

Movement

 

Caliber UR-7.10

Jewels 51

Escapement Swiss lever

Balance Monometallic

Frequency 28,800v/h, 4Hz

Balance spring Flat

Power source Single mainspring barrel

Power reserve 39 hours

Winding system Self-winding coupled to turbines

Materials Plate in ARCAP P40; 3D minute hand in aluminum with brass counterweight; central cylindrical spiral in spring-steel; hour satellites in aluminum; central carrousel and screws in Titanium Grade 5

Surface finishes Circular graining, sandblasted, circular and straight satin-finished plate; satin-finished and diamond-polished satellites; beveled and polished screw heads

 

Indications

 

Patented revolving satellite complication with wandering hour and three-dimensional retrograde minute hand; power reserve indicator; winding efficiency indicator (patent pending)

Super-LumiNova treatment on markers, dials, indexes, hands, and satellites

 

Controls

 

Two-position winding crown

On the back: winding efficiency selector

 

 

The UR-210Y is available in a limited edition of 75 pieces in titanium and AlTiN-treated steel.

 

Conclusion :

 

A piece of art for the wrist and probably my (and my sons) favorite one at the moment. I don´t know where to find the budget for it at the moment, but I am tempted … I was just not prepared to like it that much!

 

 

EMC

"With EMC, we have found a way to decrypt the language of a mechanical watch and make this language understandable to all. To do so, we have integrated a type of optical ‘Big Brother’ inside the watch. On demand and in real time, it monitors the balance frequency and converts this measurement into seconds gained or lost per day.

To achieve this, we had to reinvent the balance wheel to make it ‘readable’ for our optical sensor. We took advantage of this requirement to completely revisit this critical component. The balance wheel, unlike most watch components, has undergone amazing evolution through the ages, to arrive at three arms and timing adjustment screws. We focused our research on the aerodynamics of the balance to harness its full potential. We performed material, profiling and stability tests in order to achieve the optimum result: A linear balance, perfectly poised to minimize power loss." (Felix Baumgartner)

 

I won´t go into technical details even when they are impressive (a Witschi for the wrist J), because to me it speaks on a different level and that one I tried to cover with my pictures. It is all about shapes, angles, different finishings and the interaction with the machine.

 

 

Case

 

Material: Titanium and steel

Dimensions: 43mm width, 51mm length, 15.8mm height

Crystal: Sapphire crystal

Water resistance: Pressure tested to 30m / 3ATM

Finishing: satin finish; shot-blasting

 

Movement

 

Calibre UR-EMC calibre conceived, developed and manufactured by URWERK

Escapement Swiss lever escapement

Balance wheel in ARCAP P40, linear balance coupled to the optical sensor

Frequency 28,800 vph – 4Hz

Balance spring Flat

Energy source vertically mounted double mainspring barrels, connected in series

Power reserve 80 hours

Winding Manual winding

Finishing: Côtes de Genève, snailing, micro-bead blasting, polished bevels on screw heads

 

Artificial intelligence

Generator Maxon® generator with manual winding charging super capacitor EMC system Optical sensor controlled by an integrated circuit board ; 16'000'000hz reference oscillator

 

Indications Hours, minutes, seconds; precision delta, power reserve. Timing adjustment screw

 

 

Here we go with my pictures and I would like to ask you to judge by your own:

Just a thought: A Zaha Hadid machine/object for the wrist?!

Just in case you are still looking for a watch, look at the time and enjoy the different finishing on the hands – as a start.

A detail I was happy to observe:

If you want to use the crown you have to push the “button” first and then it comes out – convenient, easy and helpful.

Conclusion :

 

On pictures I prefer this one, but (so far) not in the metal. Maybe I need more time with it …

The only weakness I could observe is the strap. Maybe something in rubber, textile or Barennia leather could do the job.

One more machine just for the pleasure of looking, even when it is not new anymore.

 

 

CC1

It is inspired by the “Cobra” Ref. 3414 (with cal. 9-90) from Patek Philippe (1958/59), but clearly with a contemporary approach.

There have been posts about it before (of course), but I had the chance to take my own pictures and to make my own observations – only now.

As you can see, the strap causes trouble and asks for an appropriate solution.

At the end I would like to give you a hint about what is coming in Basel, sometime soon …

Yes, only a movement so far. Promising? Well, let´s see …

I would like to thank for the quality time I had with the two gentlemen mentioned above and Yacine for their invitation and warm welcome – to start the whole thing. It was very refreshing and an eye-opener to me.

 

Oliver

This message has been edited by small-luxury-world on 2014-02-05 13:56:26

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