Geneva-Based Watchmaker URWERK Introduces the Enchanting UR-100V UltraViolet

URWERK debuted the UR-100V UltraViolet timepiece to the Swiss watchmaking community during the Geneva Watch Days event, which runs from August 29th to September 1st, 2022.

The UR-100V UltraViolet is equipped with a satellite time and date display. When the clock reaches sixty minutes, the minute hand disappears and is replaced with a kilometre indication. The image depicts the 555 kilometres travelled by every individual on Earth every 20 minutes. When measured at the equator, this is the average spinning speed of the Earth (rotational distance). In the other direction, the orbital distance of the Earth around the sun is shown as 35,740 kilometres per 20 minutes. Thus, the UR-100V's display treats hours and kilometres equally. At night, these devices emit an incandescent blue light to show the hours and a brilliant green light to indicate the miles travelled.

My father, Geri Baumgartner, is an expert in the restoration of antique clocks, and he surprised me with a gift that inspired my design. Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK, once characterised as "unique" a clock designed by Gustave Sandoz for the 1893 World's Fair because, rather of showing the passage of time, it displays the angular distance travelled by the Earth's equator throughout its rotation.

The brand-new URWERK Calibre 12.02, concealed within the watch's dome, has a three-satellite time display. By relocating the hour markers closer to the minutes scale, the updated centre carousel makes reading the time even more natural and uncomplicated. This metal merry-go-round was anodized, sanded, and shot-blasted before being finished. Each satellite screw has a round satin finish. The satellites are secured by a brass carousel that has been sandblasted and coated with ruthenium. The metal used to construct the time display's frame has been blasted and smoothed. The UR-100V's automatic winding is controlled by a bidirectional rotor and a Windfanger airscrew.

About URWERK

URWERK was established in 1997 with a single mission: to create haute horlogerie clocks that successfully combine classic design with innovative technology. The concept of "URWERK" was initially developed in the ancient Mesopotamian city of UR, a long way from Switzerland. While WERK may imply anything from "to labour" to "to create, develop, shape, forge, and provoke emotion."The international headquarters of URWERK are located in the Swiss city of Geneva.