One of watchmaking's most important independent brands has done it again. The UR-100V' Blue Planet' has a lot going on, so let's dive in
Revolutionising Time
As a guy fascinated with the history behind watchmakers, Urwerk are a brand that I adore. I don't think it's too unfair to say that they have single-handedly revolutionised how watchmakers perceive time itself, the very construct the industry is fixated with. Founded in 1997, Urwerk's founders Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner sought to design and create Haute Horlogerie timepieces that would fuse traditional watchmaking with futuristic design and vision.
Their original design inspiration was the arc of the sun across the sky, and to create a watch that would tell the time like a sundial – with a single hour numeral representing the sun moving along a semi-circular minute track spanning from 9 to 3 o'clock. This intuitive design and visual representation of time as we naturally know it – where the sun is in the sky – is what Urwerk's design has continuously been based on, and allows them to stand out as a genuinely independent watchmaker in every sense of the phrase.
While many indie brands have particular niches within the industry, I don't think many brands can say that they have innovated within their niche to the extent that Urwerk have, and that's an incredible feat that deserves commendation. While Urwerk’s original design inspiration is clearly related to the Audemars Piguet Star Wheel, they have taken a fragment of an idea and developed upon it in an amazing, bold and consistent way that speaks to their ingenuity as watchmakers and designers alike.
The UR-100V 'Blue Planet'
Released on April 1st 2021, the UR-100V continues Urwerk's core collection, the UR-100, while also expanding upon it in a wonderfully exciting way. Inspired by Urwerk's roots, the UR-100V "Blue Planet" tells the time as Urwerk envisaged it all those years ago, while also featuring a whole host of astronomical complications that build upon its solar and celestial-inspired design origins and push Urwerk's watchmaking credentials even further into the ether of Haute Horlogerie.
Continuing with Urwerk's original design philosophy and fascination with space, the UR-100V "Blue Planet" features a litany of nods to the role the heavenly and astrological have had on the brand. Just looking at its name, the phrase "Blue Planet" can either be a reference to the name of David Attenborough's legendary documentaries focused on the natural world, or the term "Pale blue dot" that Carl Sagan coined in reference to Voyager 1's iconic 1990 picture of Earth from about 6 billion (with a b) kilometres away that shows our wonderful planet as a tiny pale blue dot within a band of light amongst the blackness of space.
Where Innovation and Creativity Collide
With many watches that feature innovative movements and incredible complications, they tend to look quite cookie-cutter in their execution. Not to say they aren't good looking watches, but anyone can tell the Urwerk UR-100V "Blue Planet" is a unique watch thanks to its stunning design. Featuring a monochromatic blue design all over, it is visually gripping, to say the least.
While a lot of brands tend only to colour their dials or bezels, the Blue Planet lives up to its name and is almost entirely blue. Constructed of sandblasted stainless steel, its 41mm width x 49.7mm length x 14mm thick case has been given a blue PVD treatment all over. Furthermore, the titanium case back is also PVD-coated and features a nice nod to the brand's earlier models in the form of a bubble-like sapphire crystal. Fit onto a blue textile leather-backed strap with matching blue stitching; the monochromatic design is gorgeous.
Time Telling and The Celestial
While the dial is far from what you'd typically expect on a watch, it provides the UR-100V "Blue Planet” with a lot of its character. Featuring wandering hour satellites and a yellow arrowhead that arc along the bottom of the dial and point to the corresponding minute track that occupies the same trajectory, the UR-100V "Blue Planet" is surprisingly legible. With the digital numeral being housed much closer to the minute track than previous UR-100s, the user experience is made that bit more pleasant.
Beyond just the hours and minutes, the dial also indicates where along the Earth's 555.55-kilometre rotation around the equator we are. As the 555.55km journey lasts 20 minutes, the 2nd of the three yellow arrowheads appears at 9 o'clock and remains visible until 11 o'clock or thereabouts, tracking the journey. Mirrored on the other side of the dial, the third yellow arrowhead appears at 1 o'clock and follows the Earth's 20-minute-long 35,742km journey in its orbit around the sun until 3 o'clock. While these pieces of information are somewhat trivial, they compound upon Urwerk's fascination with the celestial and otherworldly in quite a romantic way.
The Life Source
As with any watch, the UR-110V relies on its movement to provide it with its life. The UR-100V features a new movement that includes a redesigned carousel that brings the wandering hours satellites closer to the minutes scale, as I mentioned earlier. This cal. 12.01 is also, paradoxically, more exposed under the UR-100V's dial than its sapphire crystal exhibition caseback. Most of what we see is its drilled full rotor and its black baseplate – one of the free non-blue parts of this watch. Like most Urwerk baseplates, this one is made from ARCAP, an iron-free antimagnetic alloy.
Interestingly, this winding rotor is regulated by a flat "Windfänger" turbine. This is designed to minimise shocks caused by sudden movements and prevent the rotor's bearing from experiencing excessive wear and tear or overwinding. Ticking away at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the Urwerk cal. 12.01 features a power reserve of 48 hours, which is something I wish they would have beefed up, but that's just me – it is an automatic movement, so it shouldn't be too much of a worry.
Final Thoughts
When I first discovered Urwerk, I was not a fan of theirs at all, but as I discover, experience and understand the brand's story, inspiration and journey, I have grown to appreciate them. The UR-100V "Blue Planet" might not be a watch for everyone, but in reality, it doesn't need to be. Priced at $53,000 with just 25 pieces made, this is a watch for a collector that wants something unlike any other watch they own or their friends own. Urwerk doesn't make watches to appeal to the masses; they create watches that speak to their own unique identity. And that is perhaps the purest form of watchmaking there is, and the UR-100V "Blue Planet" is probably one of the richest expressions of Urwerk's DNA available, and I love it.
Specifications
Urwerk UR-100V ‘Blue Planet’
Reference number: UR-100V
Case size: 41mm width x 49.7mm length
Thickness: 14mm
Material: Blue PVD steel case, titanium backcase; blue PVD sandblasted steel crown
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 3 ATM (30m)
Movement: UR 12.01 Self-winding mechanical movement regulated by Planetary Turbine Automatic System
Functions: Satellite hour and minute indicator, rotation of the earth in 20 minutes, revolution of the earth around the sun in 20 minutes
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28.800 v/h, 4Hz b
Power reserve: 48 Hours
Strap: Blue canvas strap
Availability: Limited edition of 25 pieces
Price: CHF 48,000 (HKD $407,560) excl. tax
For further information, visit Urwerk Online.
