To celebrate 20 years of their existence, Urwerk released the UR-105 CT Streamliner towards the end of 2017. Masters of horological disruption and the first independent brand to break the mold of watchmaking, Urwerk has continuously released irreverent and unique looking timepieces designed by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei. While the new UR-105 CT Kryptonite is not necessarily a totally new watch but a watch based off of the CT Streamliner with mint green accents and a gorgeous titanium case, this Baselworld 2018 release is even better than its predecessor.
With an impressive matte finish thanks to its titanium AlTiN coated case, luminosity is at the center stage. Named “Kryptonite" from the intense green light emitted from the hour markers, but far from having the baleful effect of the mythical meteorite, the contrast between the case and the coated vivid phosphorescence of the numerals is astonishing.
The Dial
With the shape of an alien spaceship or the helmet of a gladiator, the hours, minutes and seconds are indicated at the front thanks to the emblematic and instantly recognizable signature element of the brand for 18 years. This carousel has been recently redesigned by Urwerk and includes the hours, minutes, seconds and a power reserve indicator that is located on the far right. A digital seconds indicator is located on the far left.
The mechanism was made using a photo-lithographic process, with each marker openworked to make it as light as possible. The highly polished disc features a black honeycomb pattern layer on top and a bright red framing indicator completes the design.
With its wandering hour indication based on an openworked carousel, which carries the four satellites, each bearing three numerals for the hours, the hours successively sweep past the minutes scale for an analogue and digital display of the time. When it comes to the hours and minutes, these are indicated by the carousel hour indicators with mint green Arabic numerals and by a minute scale at the bottom of the dial. As time passes by, it is common to see two different hour pointers on each end of the minute scale. As the passing hour disappears under the case lid after being briefly aligned with the red '60' minute marker, the new hour will align with the '0' on the right side of the minute scale.
On the far right corner, opposite to the seconds indicator, there is a 48-hour power reserve indicator with white and red segments and the remaining power reserve is marked my a small thin needle hand. The mint green numerals and minute track make the watch pop much more as they are highly contrasting against the grey colored titanium case. A perfect color combination in our opinion.
Making things even more interesting, all numerals and indicators are coated with luminescent material that starts to glow at the lightest change in lighting conditions. Like a bright spaceship that fills up sky with its glow, the bright lume on the Urwerk UR-105 CT Kryptonite is simply stunning.
The Case, Lid & Strap
This time featuring an AlTiN coated case, the UR-105 CT Kryptonite features a unique shape that is based off of an octagon with deep grooves along its length and on the top of its lid. With a catch on top of the lid secured to the case, you open it up to reveal the full mechanism of the UR-105 CT Kryptonite.
When this lid is closed, the watch looks more simple and rugged; however, once you open the lid up, the intricacies of its movement come to life in a remarkable way. The titanium case measures 53 mm in length, 39.5 mm wide and 17.8 mm thick.
Rounding out the somewhat industrial and superhero design of the new Urwerk UR-105 CT Kryptonite the watch continues to feature an oversized winding crown. Unfortunately for those of us with bigger hands, the crown is hard to pull out as the space between the crown guards and the crown is very tight.
Secured by a black fabric strap that looks in between aramid fabric and sailcloth, the Urwerk UR-105 CT Kryptonite looks rugged and ultra sporty, just like a watch that you would expect to see on the wrist of some superhero or Sci-Fi movie character. The strap is equipped with a AlTiN coated titanium pin buckle.
The Movement & Case Back
Turning over the UR-105 CT Kryptonite reveals the two pneumatic turbines on the back, this time with mint green accents. These turbines govern the selfwinding rate, which can be set with a lever that could very well look like the safety lever on a semi-automatic pistol.
The lever can be moved to three different positions. In the 'FULL' position, the slightest movement of the wrist is harnessed to rewind the barrel spring thanks to the turbines system. Turning the lever to 'STOP' disengages the turbines selfwinding system and you can then use the crown to wound the UR-105 CT Kryptonite. An intermediate position, 'RED.' —for reduced— engages the turbines to dampen the winding rotor and avoid over stressing the mainspring, if you are particularly active.
The beating heart inside the Urwerk UR-105 CT Kryptonite is the same as the one on the Streamliner, the automatic UR 5.03 calibre governed by twin turbines. This 52-jewel movement features a Swiss Lever escapement and beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph to provide a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound. The satellite hours are driven by bronze beryllium Geneva crosses and an openworked aluminum carousel.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the new Urwerk UR-105 CT Kryptonite wears surprisingly comfortable for its size and unique shape. Even nicer than its counterpart released last year, the Kryptonite is a perfectly executed timepiece that just made the UR-105 CT even more desirable. Kudos to Urwerk on this release. Available in a limited edition of 100 pieces.
Sticker Price CHF65,000 Swiss Francs —approximately $65,500 USD— for either version. For more info on Urwerk click here.
