URWERK – UR-SATELLITE UR-100 SpaceTime Titanium/Steel Edition
Tracking the Earth as it spins
and flies through space and time
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The UR-100 takes us on a journey through both time and space, two concepts at the very core of URWERK. Using its orbiting satellite hours and minute hands, the UR-100 displays both time (hours and minutes) and space (distance travelled), merging these two concepts in the creation of the all-new UR-100 SpaceTime.
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The
UR-100 SpaceTime features
URWERK’s iconic orbital hour satellites, differing however in one significant way. Rather than the red-arrow-tipped minute pointers on the hour satellites disappearing after 60 minutes when replaced by the next, the
UR-100 minute arrow passes beneath and between subsidiary dials, reappearing to display intriguing new astronomical indications: distance travelled on Earth and distance travelled by Earth.
Distance travelled on Earth
The first indicator at 10 o’clock evaluates the distance in kilometers that we have travelled on the Earth without even leaving our desks! It is based on the average speed of the rotation of the Earth on its axis at the equator, covering a distance of
555 km every
20 minutes.
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The
UR-100 simultaneously presents three different space-time realities, providing a thought-provoking reminder of our voyage through time and space.
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“For me, watches have a philosophical dimension. They are a physical
and abstract reproduction of our situation on Earth, with the dial
representing the equator, simultaneously in constant motion while
seemingly stationary for us,”
says Martin Frei, chief designer and co-founder of URWERK.
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Felix Baumgartner, master wachmaker and the other co-founder of URWERK agrees:
“We live in a universe governed by three dimensions — time, rotation, and orbit — that we attempt to measure and master, but what escapes us is this notion of spacetime.”
Caliber 12.01
Powering the
UR-100 SpaceTime is the automatic
Caliber 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.
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In-house testing of the flat turbine rotor regulation system found that it provided significant and exponential protection against excessive rotor speeds (the Windfänger rotates six times for every rotation of the winding rotor).
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The design and construction of the
URWERK Caliber 12.01 required incredibly high precision because of the extremely tight tolerances between the minute hand and three different dials and domed sapphire crystal it passes between.
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The shape of the case may remind
URWERK aficionados of the aesthetics of the brand’s early watches. As
Martin Frei explains, "
Towards the end of the 90's, we unveiled the UR-101 and UR-102, the UR-100 is a little like our ‘Back to the Future.’ We broke down our approach and used some of the original design elements of our early constructions. The case of the UR-100 is a deconstruction of an early URWERK case. The steel dome of our historic models is reproduced in sapphire crystal. The form is emphasized by the titanium and steel case. I constantly question the diktat of symmetry and played with proportions to catch the eye."
Genesis
The
URWERK UR-100 was inspired by a nineteenth-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.
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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).
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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.
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Technical Specifications
Collection: UR-SATELLITE
Model:
UR-100 SpaceTime Edition
- UR-100 Iron - Titanium and steel)
- UR-100 Black - Titanium and steel with black DLC
Limited to
25 pieces.
Movement
Caliber: UR 12.01 with self-winding system governed
by low-profile planetary turbine minimizing over-winding and wear
Jewels: 39
Frequency: 28,800 vph - 4Hz
Power reserve: 48 hours
Materials: Orbital satellite hours turning on
Geneva crosses in beryllium bronze;
open-worked aluminum carousel; triple baseplates in
ARCAP
Finishes: Circular graining, sanding, brushing
Chamfered screw heads
Hour and minute indications in Super-LumiNova
Indications
Orbital hours; minutes,
- distance travelled on Earth’s equator in 20 minutes,
- distance Earth travels around the sun in 20 minutes
Case
Materials: Case in black DLC-coated titanium and stainless steel
Dimensions: Width
41.0 mm, length:
49.7 mm, thickness: 14.0 mm
Glass: Sapphire crystal
Water resistance: Pressure tested to
3ATM (30m)
Price CHF 48,000 (Swiss francs / tax not included)
Production
limited to
25 watches
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Press Release - 2019
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Media contact:
Ms Yacine Sar
Telephone: +41
22 900 2027
Mobile : +41
79 834 46 65
press@urwerk.com
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