Photographs by Yasuo Takeura
Naomasa Furukawa (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Naomasa Furukawa (Chronos-Japan)
Build your own world with satellites
Urwerk is a duo consisting of master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and art director Martin Frey. When you pick up a timepiece they create, your eye is immediately drawn to their highly imaginative exterior, with its edgy case with complex curves and a huge crown positioned at 12 o'clock. Turning your gaze from there to the dial, you're greeted by an unfamiliar time display. The unique "Hour Satellite Display" is Urwerk's signature timekeeping system, with four dice-like "Hour Satellites," each engraved with three indexes, alternating along the minute scale to tell the time. Watch enthusiasts will also know that Urwerk gained worldwide recognition with the "Opus 5," developed in collaboration with Harry Winston in 2005.
Their unique ideas also extend to the development of proprietary mechanisms, such as a turbine-controlled winding efficiency selector, an indicator that displays the winding efficiency over the past two hours, an oil change that calculates the operating time and indicates the optimum time for an overhaul, a regulator that allows the owner to adjust the effective length of the balance spring via the regulator, and an EMC that measures the rate by incorporating an optical sensor into the mechanical movement.
However, the hidden essence of Urwerk lies in the authenticity hidden behind its eccentricity. The precision of the case processing is extremely high, and the surface treatment and decoration of the parts are of a quality befitting a luxury watch. Let's take a look at the many Urwerk creations that are born from freely moving between heresy and orthodoxy.
