The Urwerk U-100 was initially released in two different versions back in September 2019 under the Space-Time names. You can see the previous iterations of this watch here. The Urwerk UR-100 Space-Time was launched in two 25-piece limited editions, one referred to as UR-100 Iron in titanium and steel, and the second one UR-100 Black in black PVD-coated titanium and black PVD-coated steel. The Urwerk UR-100 was inspired by a 19th-century pendulum clock —a present to Felix Baumgartner from his father Geri, a now-retired renowned clock restorer— made by Gustave Sandoz for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
The regulator-style dial does not show time. Instead, it shows the distance of the Earth’s rotation at the equator. The extra-long pendulum beats every 2.16 seconds, making every oscillation one kilometer. The main dial has a scale of 10,000 kilometers, shown in units of 100 kilometers so that each tick —half oscillation— indicates 500 meters traveled on the Earth’s surface—at the equator. The top subdial —10 km— is divided into 10 units, while the lower subdial showing a total of 40,000 km —approximately the equatorial circumference of the Earth— is divided into increments of 1,000 km.
As a side note, Urwerk takes the first part of its name from the 6,000-year-old city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. It was there that the Sumerians divided the daily track of a shadow into 12 parts, creating our basic unit of time. These first crude measures have since evolved into today’s highly sophisticated chronometers, but the principle remains the same: our days are governed by our silent spinning orbit around the sun. We passengers unwittingly travel several billions of kilometers through space every year on our rotating planet at an average speed of 30 kilometers a second. It’s a journey displayed on the dial of the UR-100 GunMetal.
In addition to Urwerk ’s trademark satellite configuration of the wandering hours and minutes, the UR-100 GunMetal brings your spin through space into sharp focus. When the minute’s hand has completed its 60-minute journey, it reappears on a 20-minute scale of 555 kilometers. This is the distance you travel in 20 minutes if you are standing on the equator of our rotating planet. The opposite scale tracks your journey through space around the sun: 35,740km every 20 minutes.
In the display on the UR-100 GunMetal, time and distance are on a par, the hours and minutes in vivid green, and the kilometers in bright white. Watchmaker and Urwerk’s co-founder, Felix Baumgartner, reveals that he got the idea from a clock given to him by his father, Geri, a noted restorer of antique timepieces. “It was made by Gustave Sandoz for the Universal Exhibition of 1893. Instead of showing the time, it showed the distance traveled by a point on the equator.” Urwerk’s designer and other co-founder, Martin Frei, struggled to adapt the clock’s indication to the UR-100. “The way I see it, a watch is both a physical and conceptual representation of our position on the rotating Earth. It fixes us on an exact, but ephemeral, time and longitude.”
Under the UR-100’s dome, is the Urwerk automatic calibre 12.01, with baseplates in ARCAP and a power reserve of 48 hours. The automatic winding rotor is regulated by a flat turbine, the Windfäng —Swiss German for “air trap”— that minimizes shocks to the rotor bearing and reduces over-winding and wear and tear. The rotor, which is partially supported on its periphery by the flat turbine, also has a larger diameter, resulting in a lower mass and therefore less wear. This 39-jewel automatic movement provides a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound. The movement features orbital satellite hours turning on Geneva crosses in beryllium bronze; open-worked aluminum carousel and triple baseplates in ARCAP.
The UR-100 Space-Time GunMetal is available in a limited edition of 25 pieces with a case in Titanium and stainless steel with a GunMetal PVD finish.
Sticker Price CHF48,000 Swiss Francs —approximately $48,000 USD. For more info on Urwerk click here.
