Independents
AndrewD presents a video featuring Felix Baumgartner demonstrating his personal Urwerk UR-210, offering a unique insight into the watch's features and robust design. This post provides a rare glimpse into the daily wear and technical aspects of a complex independent timepiece, directly from one of its earliest wearers.
Late last year I met with Felix who was wearing the prototype UR-210 . The watch had been on his wrist for 11 months and he had just delivered the first eight pieces to customers. Join Felix in this video as he shows the features and functioning of the UR-210.
Felix conveyed a recent story that demonstrated how robust the design was: “In Hong Kong someone dropped it from a height of one meter. My heart stopped for a moment but the watch survived. It was a good test.”
“Our traditional side means that our watches are wearable and you can read the time comfortably. Unlike some modern watches, ours are not ‘art pieces’.”
“When you are wearing the watch or if it is beside your bed at night you can feel or hear the hour passing.”
My thanks again to Felix Baumgartner who was very generous with his time and shared his passion and enthusiasm.
Andrew
The Urwerk UR-210 is a notable timepiece from the independent brand, recognized for its distinctive satellite hour display with retrograde minute hand. This model continues Urwerk's tradition of unconventional time-telling mechanisms, combining complex horological engineering with a futuristic aesthetic. It represents a significant evolution in the brand's design language and technical capabilities, pushing the boundaries of traditional watchmaking.
The UR-210 features a large, robust case, typically crafted from materials like titanium and steel, housing a self-winding movement. Its signature complication is the retrograde minute hand, which sweeps across a 120-degree arc before snapping back to the beginning, paired with rotating hour satellites. The watch also incorporates a winding efficiency indicator and a power reserve display, adding to its functional complexity.
For collectors, the UR-210 stands out as a bold statement piece, embodying Urwerk's commitment to avant-garde design and innovative mechanics. Its limited production and unique visual identity contribute to its desirability among enthusiasts of independent horology, offering a distinct alternative to conventional high-end watches.
These watches are masterpieces. That they are so original, yet legible and wearable, is truly an accomplishment. I worry that, if I were to wear one, I would stare at it all day and never get any work done. Also, there would be little risk of me doing any activity that was so energetic that I would need to turn down the efficiency of the winding system. :-) Regards Jon
It's interesting to read about this new complication and I agree that it is useful. Just wondering if this complication is superfluous , especially when the PR indicator is there. To me, while the PR indicator indicates the amount of power reserve and the efficiency indicator indicates an average rate of power added onto the watch via charging over a period of last 2 hours. If having this complication entails dedicating a portion of the PR dedicated to run it, then it could be superfluous. I not
The Efficiency display is a 'snapshot' of your activity, averaged over the previous two hour period. Unless you are being very active, or waving your arms around, the power reserve is not going to move very much in that 2 hour period. You are of course correct that a larger PR indicator may provide similar information, but few watches have such a 'grand' Reserve de Marche. I assume the 'short' PR or the watch relates to the energy required to move such a large and heavy hand and hour display. Bu
and the pictures that you provided. Urwerks has always been very innovative in their design of watches. The rotary arms that shows the hours and minutes are so "Urwerk" by now, that it has become the brand characteristic. Most people who notice the watch could identify with the movement as an Urwerk by just looking at the watch face. Many of it's watches spot this design and one can only fathom how much energy it takes to turn the watch arms. You are right, that could explain the short power res
Is a power reserve if it is under two days? That is not just for an Urwerk.
... useful on any automatic watch. The state of wind is so dependent on your degree of activity and winding efficiency of the movement that you otherwise never know the state of wind of the mainspring. [Completely unlike a manual wind watch that you can just wind to full whenever you wish - although the UR-210 gives you the option of manual winding as well.] And although it may not apply to the Urwerk, there are many watches that have better isochronism and performance when they are more than ha
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