Edouard Koehn – World Heritage Titanium Edition

Edouard Koehn – World Heritage "World Time" Night & Day 42mm Titanium Edition 2022

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World Heritage: 
First variations of dials and leather straps.

Following the success of its World Heritage model presented in 2021 with an anthracite dial, the independent Swiss watch brand Edouard Koehn is continuing the development of this collection with two new dials, one silvered and one black, associated with beautiful coloured leather straps that enhance the richness of this very watchmaking piece. As for the rest, the technical characteristics that made the first model a success have been retained: the association of two functions, on the one hand a "world time" and on the other hand an alarm. All this in a 42mm titanium case housing an exclusive automatic calibre.

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This World Heritage Edouard Koehn thus offers a rare duo on the market. Indeed, this timepiece combines the world time function with the alarm function. Two complications that are very useful for travelers, since one allows one to see at a glance the world time in one of the 24 time zones, while the other allows one to wake up in time to catch a plane!

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To give a contemporary touch to this otherwise very classic timepiece, very sixties in its design, this Edouard Koehn is proposed in a 42 mm case, waterproof to 50 meters, made of grade 5 titanium which, in addition to being extremely light and hypoallergenic, allows for an optimal alarm acoustics! This metal transmits sounds particularly well.

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The first version had a beautiful anthracite dial. Today, the brand is enriching this collection with the arrival of two new dials: one silver and one black. Two great classics that have kept the specificities of the first anthracite version. Indeed, despite the numerous information offered on the dial, it remains perfectly legible in any occasion!

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The main cities in each time zone appear in the center, associated with a 24-hour ring with day ⦁ in the light grey part - and night - in the black part. Two large Alpha hands with luminescent material mark the passing of time associated with Arabic numerals (3,6 and 9) and applied indexes on a silvered or black sunray ring depending on the version. The perimeter is reserved for the alarm function, each hour being subdivided into 15-minute portions. The alarm time can be set by means of the crown located at 4 o'clock; it is indicated by the thin hand with a red arrowhead.

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As for the engine, this worldtimer-alarm features a latest-generation mechanical automatic movement, the EK-MVTWTA01, reworked in collaboration with Concepto, an independent manufacturer of high-end mechanical movements based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. With a double barrel, it beats at a frequency of 4Hz and offers a beautiful 48-hour autonomy.

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Another new feature in 2022 is the arrival of brand-new calf leather straps that perfectly highlight the dials. A navy blue that evokes the blued steel hands and two more summery versions, a white and a sky blue leather that offer to these timepieces a summer outfit that suits them perfectly.

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The Edouard Koehn brand was relaunched in spring 2020. As a reminder, Edouard Koehn began his career as a watchmaker at the court of the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach and created his own eponymous brand in 1891.

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This watchmaker, who headed Patek Philippe, was always a fan of the unique object and the very small series. This spirit is perfectly preserved today with these watches marketed in limited series produced in Switzerland at La Chaux-de-Fonds, in small quantities. 

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model: World Heritage "World Time"Titanium Edition

• REF : EK-WTA01 SILVER DIAL  - 88 Pieces LIMITED EDITION
  REF : EK-WTA03 CADRAN NOIR  - 88 Pieces LIMITED EDITION

CASE
MATERIAL : Grade 5 Titanium
SIZE : 42.00 mm diameter, 14.50 mm height  

CRYSTAL : Double sided antireflective sapphire
WATER-RESISTANCE : 50meters
DIALS

• Silver sunburst, applied indexes, Superluminova – silver central disc
• Black sunburst, applied indexes, Superluminova – black central disc

HANDS : Alpha type luminous - Superluminova
CALIBER
Calibre EK-MVTWTA01 MVTWTA01 (CONCEPTO base calibre entirely modified for
Edouard Koehn) – mechanical self-winding, double barrel which is simultaneously winding
the watch and the alarm functions.
Functions: Hours-Minutes-Seconds, 24-Hour World Time by central disc, Night & Day
indication, Alarm.
Manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
FREQUENCY : 28'800 vibrations/hour, 4Hz
RUBIES : 31
POWER RESERVE : 48 hours
STRAP
Genuine calf leather, white, sky blue, dark blue and black
BOUCLE : Folding type

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URWERK – UR-120 aka Spock

 

URWERK – UR-SATELLITE UR-120 “aka Spock” Titanium / Steel Bezel Automatic 2022

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The UR-120 aka Spock
« Live long and prosper! »

 

Hand up, palm forward, fingers parted in the middle, and then the greeting: « Live long and prosper! » This is a meme known to all Trekkies, almost a world heritage, a salutation that rings like a blessing. This sign is also an integral part of URWERK's brand DNA. It's had pride of place on a wall of the Geneva workshop for ages. And now, so does it above the mainplate of the new UR-120, whose time display reproduces the Vulcan salute. Such is the latest challenge Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have taken on, with the hope that it too shall live long and prosper.

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At the crossroad of technical advancement, watchmaking development and space-time inspiration, the UR-120 is a new stage in the constant mutation of the URWERK species. This UR-120 furthers the codes of the UR-110 collection and reshapes its concept. Martin Frei, co-founder and Artistic Director of the brand, goes back up on the ring for a new challenge, 11 years after the UR-110 won the Design Watch Prize at the 2011 GPHG. « I just loved the UR-110, but there were so many other ways to go about it, to keep it evolving...That's what a designer's mind is like. The process is never-ending. » And so Martin Frei went back to the drawing board. « The idea was to go in a thinner, smoother, more elegant direction. To do that, we redesigned the entire satellite system. Each satellite is now made of two sub-elements to make it thinner, easier to read and to give it unprecedented fluidity. »
 
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This new satellite display of the UR-120 was born 16.5 million light-years from Earth, in the Beta Quadrant. That's where the original inspiration for its display, a V-shaped open hand, is customary: in Mr. Spock's civilization, on Vulcan. It relies on rotating satellites which split open so they can spin, each on their own axis. This unprecedented innovation allows for a substantial gain in thickness.  

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It translates into a unique volume. At 44 mm long, 47 mm wide and 15.8 mm thick, the UR-120 case stands out with its perfect sense of ergonomics. Maximum height is reached in the middle of the sapphire glass, at the apex of a gentle curve. The upper part of the case is totally smooth, without a single screw or notch, offering perfectly fluid lines.

Driving force

 

The latest celestial object in URWERK's constellation relies on splitting satellites. Inside calibre UR-20.01, the central carousel is fitted with three arms, each one bearing a satellite. All four sides of said satellite bears an hour marker. 

 

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When it exits the minute track and reaches the left part of the case, it actuates a trigger that commands the changing of the satellite face. The latter then shows its true nature with an unprecedented kinematic sequence.

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The satellite splits open, revealing two rectangular studs. They take on a V shape, thus recreating the Vulcan salute that ultimately gave the UR-120 its nickname. Once separated, both studs spin on their own axis and shut, all in order to display the new hour unit.

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There is a triple revolution taking place under the hood of this spacecraft: the satellite-bearing carousel spins on a central axis, each satellite counter-spins in order to remain upright and therefore readable and each stud spins on its own axis.
 
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The other aspects of the display remain typical of the original URWERK species: the satellite carousel moves along the minute track sector, located at the right-hand side of the case. The side shown by the satellite and its position on that scale tell the hour and the minute.

Creative energy

 

« In truth, when we realized we were going to have to open the satellite, I was over the moon, says Felix Baumgartner, URWERK's co-founder and master watchmaker. Our biggest challenge has always been to manage forces. At the exact moment of the salute, a lyre-shaped spring opens and then closes the satellite. Managing energy then and there is complex and very subtle. We need to manage the opening AND the stud rotation. We ended up manufacturing the spring ourselves, in-house, because we had to go through so many trials while defining its geometry and thickness. With the UR-120, we also experienced a considerable gain in readability: the hour markers these opening studs allowed have grown bigger by 35% compared to the UR-110. »

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As a rule, the way URWERK's creations are built and their dimensions result from technical constraints, and chief among them, the volume requirement of the display. A major part of URWERK's very nature is the ability to turn this spatial constraint into a design and watchmaking showmanship opportunity. It then becomes part of the global conversation on imagination, dreaming and the creative drive that keeps watches moving forward.

Principles of ergonomics

 

On top of this new watchmaking system and the volume it allows, UR-120 heralds several new design elements. Martin Frei acknowledges a personal interpretation of Gerald Genta's own design approach. « I've always loved the way his cases are constructed, with an intertwined lower case and upper case. Technically speaking, that's very smart. » And so, the UR-120 case is made up of two interlocking parts, equivalent to a caseback and a bezel. They connect seamlessly with the help of lateral screws.

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A further element of fluidity is provided by the presence of lugs on the UR-120, which are a rare occurrence in the line of URWERK creations. What's more, they're articulated. Inside the one located at 6 o'clock, URWERK has fitted a spring, which is part of the way the strap rests on and sticks to the wrist. The material this strap is made of is another novelty. Rather than its traditional technical fabric, URWERK went for calf leather, embossed with a ballistic-type pattern. It's reminiscent of a woven nylon while offering superior comfort and flexibility.

First edition

 

UR-120's first series takes on an almost entirely gray form. The upper-case part, the bezel, is made of finely sandblasted steel. The lower part is made of sandblasted titanium and opens up a new design era.

 

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A small window offers a direct view on the Windfänger, the star-shaped component which regulates the automatic winding intensity. In the center, a large medallion harbors two types of finishing: deep grooves all over and at 9 o'clock, a plaque bearing the URWERK monogram. The crown is crafted out of steel and the strap is also gray.

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That monochromatic continuum is interspersed with golden shards. All Maltese crosses and lyre-shaped springs are 24ct-gold PVD treated, which underlines the technical aspects of this timepiece. Not unlike the Bussard ramjets at the front of the Enterprise's warp engines.

« Live long and prosper! »

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: UR-SATELLITE

Model: UR-120 “aka Spock” Automatic Edition

Movement
Caliber:    UR-20.01, self-winding
Jewels:         32
Escapement:    Swiss lever
Frequency:    4 Hz; 28,800 vph
Power reserve:    48 hours
Materials:    Beryllium-copper, grey PVD brass, gold-PVD and black-rhodium, anodized aluminum, ARCAP, titanium, LIGA-processed nickel
Hand finishing:    Circular- and straight-graining, sandblasting, côtes de Genève, polished screw heads
Finishes: Circular graining, sanding, shot-blasting, circular satin finishing
Chamfered screw heads
Hours and minutes painted in Super-LumiNova®
Display
Analog minutes and digital hours satellites mounted on triple planetary gears
Case
Dimensions:    Width 47 mm; length 44 mm; thickness 15,8mm
Materials:    Sandblasted titanium, sandblasted steel bezel
Crystal:        Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
Water resistance:    Pressure-tested to 3ATM / 30m / 100ft
STRAP
Black calf leather with embossed Cordura pattern.

Price   CHF 120,000 (Swiss francs /wo. tax)

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Press Release - 2022
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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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