Urwerk UR-120

Hand up, palm forward, fingers parted in the middle, and then the greeting: “Live long and prosper!” This is a meme known to all Trekkies, almost a world heritage, a salutation that rings like a blessing. This sign is also an integral part of Urwerk’s brand DNA. It’s had pride of place on a wall of the Geneva workshop for ages. And now, so does it above the mainplate of the new UR-120, whose time display reproduces the Vulcan salute. Such is the latest challenge Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have taken on, with the hope that it too shall live long and prosper.

This new satellite display of the Urwerk UR-120 was born 16.5 million light-years from Earth, in the Beta Quadrant. That’s where the original inspiration for its display, a V-shaped open hand, is customary: in Mr. Spock’s civilization, on Vulcan. It relies on rotating satellites which split open so they can spin, each on their own axis. This unprecedented innovation allows for a substantial gain in thickness.

It translates into a unique volume. At 44 mm long, 47 mm wide, and 15.8 mm thick, the Urwerk UR-120 case stands out with its perfect sense of ergonomics. Maximum height is reached in the middle of the sapphire glass, at the apex of a gentle curve. The upper part of the case is totally smooth, without a single screw or notch, offering perfectly fluid lines.

Driving Force

The latest celestial object in Urwerk’s constellation relies on splitting satellites. Inside calibre Urwerk UR-20.01, the central carousel is fitted with three arms, each one bearing a satellite. All four sides of said satellite bears an hour marker. When it exits the minute track and reaches the left part of the case, it actuates a trigger that commands the changing of the satellite face. The latter then shows its true nature with an unprecedented kinematic sequence.

The satellite splits open, revealing two rectangular studs. They take on a V shape, thus recreating the Vulcan salute that ultimately gave the UR-120 its nickname. Once separated, both studs spin on their own axis and shut, all in order to display the new hour unit.

There is a triple revolution taking place under the hood of this spacecraft: the satellite-bearing carousel spins on a central axis, each satellite counter-spins in order to remain upright and therefore readable and each stud spins on its own axis.

The other aspects of the display remain typical of the original URWERK species: the satellite carousel moves along the minute track sector, located at the right-hand side of the case. The side shown by the satellite and its position on that scale tell the hour and the minute.

First Edition

UR-120’s first series takes on an almost entirely gray form. The upper-case part, the bezel, is made of finely sandblasted steel. The lower part is made of sandblasted titanium and opens up a new design era. A small window offers a direct view on the Windfänger, the star-shaped component which regulates the automatic winding intensity. In the center, a large medallion harbors two types of finishing: deep grooves all over and at 9 o’clock, a plaque bearing the URWERK monogram. The crown is crafted out of steel and the strap is also gray.

That monochromatic continuum is interspersed with golden shards. All Maltese crosses and lyre-shaped springs are 24ct-gold PVD treated, which underlines the technical aspects of this timepiece. Not unlike the Bussard ramjets at the front of the Enterprise’s warp engines.

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