Post-Baselworld 2015: URWERK Presents The UR-1001 “TITAN”

URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN” – Time to roll out the superlatives

The URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN” is the craziest, most complex, most desirable, most high tech, most futuristic . . .  in short, it’s the most badass of all URWERK’s creations. It’s an assertive titanium Zeit device indicating seconds, minutes, hours, day, date, month, years, centuries and even millennia, all in a thoroughly original and innovative way. What’s more? URWERK have provided the UR-1001 with a generously sized strap for wearing on the wrist. The “TITAN” is URWERK distilled to its pure essence.

The URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN” is so named because of its imposing titanium case of which the dimensions – 106mm x 62mm x 23mm – are as superlative as the complications within, making it an ideal platform for presenting URWERK’s savoir-faire.

Presenting the stand-out technical features of the URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN”:

A patented, revolving satellite complication with wandering hour hand and retrograde minute hand. Carrying three conical satellites bearing hour markers, the central carousel is the nerve center of the satellite complication. The carousel revolves on a precision ball bearing system so that no upper support bridge  – which would block the stunning view  – is required.

Revolving Satellite Calendar. The Revolving Satellite Calendar is an original – both technically and graphically – calendar complication completely developed in-house by URWERK. Visually it is in the same family as the hour satellite complication, with months and date replacing hours and retrograde minutes. However, whereas the hours rotate across the minutes with unchanging 60-minute regularity, the month automatically adjusts the last date on the calendar complication according to whether it has 30 or 31 days.

Felix Baumgartner URWERK co-founder and chief watchmaker – reveals how the mechanism works: “At the end of 30 day months — April, June, September and November — the date advances automatically to the 1st of the following month. At the end of the short months, a finger on a Maltese cross intervenes to make the date wheel advance two days to the next month.

“Oil Change” indicator. The shortest time interval measured on the back is the 5-year “Oil Change” indicator at centre right, which alerts the user when a service is due after three years when the dial changes from white (years one to three) to red (years three to five). This is counter is reset to zero when the timepiece is serviced.

100-year indicator. The 100-year indicator advances in 5-year increments and acts like the odometer of a car. Where a car’s odometer keeps track of the total distance number at vehicle has driven, the 100-year and 1000-year indicators of the URWERK UR-1001 register the total running time of the movement.

1000-year indicator. When the hand reaches the 100-year mark, the small pointer at the bottom of the 1000-year indicator on the left takes a small – small for the URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN”, but a giant leap for mankind – 100-year step upwards on its imperceptibly slow, but deliberate journey to a new millennium.

Fine finishing. The fine finishing and decoration throughout the case, dials and components of the “TITAN” are a harmonious blend of the contemporary and the traditional, echoing URWERK’s ethos of 21st century watchmaking based on a solid foundation of the very best in traditional horology. Clous de Paris guilloche on the dial provides both a rich texture and a pleasing contrast with the flat surfaces on the indications. The satellites and their hands feature diamond-cut bevels that reflect light during the day, while flush embedded white Super-LumiNova ensures legible reading of the time at night. Clous de Paris guilloche surfaces continue on the back of the timepiece and in a tip of the hat to URWERK’s home, Geneva waves (Côtes de Genève) are engraved on sections of the bridge supporting the base of the Hour Satellite Complication.

The URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN” retail price is on application.

The Hour Glass is the exclusive retailer for URWERK in Singapore.