A little over a week ago, the Watch Advice team sat down to look at all 62 Lots that will make up this year’s Only Watch – the charitable auction that raises money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – a disease affecting 1 in 3500 boys that progressively weakens all their muscles, including the heart, the loss of the ability to walk and global autonomy as they get older. 

We selected 10 pieces that were the most unique, those pieces that we felt the brands who made them pushed the boundaries in terms of either out of the box thinking, or something very different in design or materials to what they would normally do. If you missed our first article, then you can read Our Top 10 Picks For Only Watch 2023: Part 1 here. Now, onto part 2!

Lot 39 – Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata

Why We Love It

Louis Vuitton have been doing some out there pieces recently, remember the Tambour Opera Automata released earlier this year? LV’s high watchmaking via their La Fabrique du Temps is out there, and this piece is no exception. It incorporates a lot of artisanal techniques such as the micro-sculpture and grisaille enamel on the dial, and depicts the likeness of Albert Einstein in one of his most notorious photographic and mischievous portraits, sticking his tongue out in an unexpected moment of levity.

Being part of their Automata collection, it has the LV 525 calibre Automata mechanism featuring 4 animations, jumping hours, retrograde minutes and power reserve indicator so you can see how much of the 100 hours you have left!

Full Details: Only Watch – Louis Vuitton

Lot 41 – Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece

Why We Love It

Maurice Lacroix normally play in the mid range luxury segment and not normally a brand you would think producing a skeletonised hand-wound movement in a completely clear, hand finished sapphire case and crown. The movement also showcases the Only Watch 2023 colours across the off-centre dial’s periphery and indices, and on the bridges and plates.

This style of watch and the techniques used are a first for the brand, showcasing Maurice Lacroix pushing their boundaries here. The open-worked design allows the wearer to see the regulating organ, the mainspring in various states of tension, the gear train and even the keyless works. This puts Maurice Lacroix into the realms of high horology!

Full Details: Only Watch – Maurice Lacroix

Lot 55 – TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds

Why We Love It

The Monaco isn’t a new watch for TAG Heuer, it’s a classic. But what this watch is, is a first on many levels for TAG Heuer. The new TH81-00 is a first for TAG – an automatic split-seconds chronograph, is one of the most complicated chronograph complications on the market today. This is housed in a re-designed case inspired by the original 1969 model, but this time TAG Heuer have constructed it from texturised Titanium, designed and made in-house at the TAG Heuer Institute. Oh, and the movement, it’s also titanium!

This watch has been two years in development and showcases that TAG Heuer is really starting to look to both its past and future when it come to it’s watches, not just high level pieces. Well done TAG Heuer!

Full Details: Only Watch – TAG Heuer

Lot 58 – Tudor Prince Chronograph One

Why We Love It

This a little left of field this one. The Tudor Prince isn’t in the current Tudor line up, but it was up until 2000. For Only Watch 2023, Tudor has gone back in time to 1976 and brought the Tudor Prince Chronograph back to life, updating it substantially for 2023. This time, the brand has gone out on a limb and created their Only Watch version in full 18k yellow gold, compete with the oyster bracelet and patented T-fit clasp.

The chronograph movement is first for the brand however, with a brand new MT59XX prototype chronograph calibre built from the ground up and fully in-house. With a -2/+4 secs per day accuracy and their standard 70hr power reserve, this is a movement you will start to see filtering down eventually to the Black Bay Chrono, or maybe a re-birth of a classic is in store?

Full Details: Only Watch – Tudor

Lot 60 – URWERK Space-Time Blade

Why We Love It

We love this because, well it’s just cool. The Space-Time Blade is a 1.67m tall clock that tell the time with hours, minutes and seconds, and in addition, tracks the speed of the Earth’s rotation through space. This links nicely back to their watch pieces, like their UR-100 with the revolving satellite display and distance travelled on Earth and distance travelled by Earth.

The tube is made in collaboration with Dalibor Farny, the company behind the Nixie Tube clocks, which this consists of eight individual tubes in the blade, and connects to the bronze pedestal. This is one piece that would look great in the corner at night, with each tube emitting an orange glow.

Full Details: Only Watch – URWERK

So, there you have it – this rounds out our Top 10 picks for Only Watch 2023 with what we think are the most unique creations put forward by each brand participating this year. If you’re wanting to check out more of each Lot, then head to onlywatch.com/collection for the full collection. And if you missed Part 1 on our Top 10 picks, then check it out here.

Back in Novemeber of 2021, URWERK released the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket (Which you can read about here), and was a combination of greys – from Payne grey to lead grey, and everything in between. Such a hit it was, URWERK’s artistic director and co-founder Martin Frei, wanted to take this to another level – and today, introduce the UR-100V Magic T.

The core difference in the new Magic T is the way URWERK has finished the Titanium. Martin Frei goes on to explain “All the beauty of the metal is there. We also worked on the legibility of our timepiece, adding complexity to the dial that is now broken down into several elements to give it more structure.”

Like the Full Titanium Jacket, the new Magic T works on the satellite time configuration, with wandering hours and minutes, and continues on with the design elements of tracking the earth’s rotation and orbit around the sun. The first is a counter for kilometres – those travelled by the Earth along its own axis in 20 minutes, namely 555. The other also counts kilometres – this time those travelled by the Earth around the Sun during the same period of time, namely 35,740.

The wandering hours takes a little bit to get used to, as a very unconventional way of displaying the time. As the wandering hours hands move across the minutes track, it showcases the time in the large widow adjacent to the minutes indicator and the red and yellow minutes hand indicate at what point past the hour it is. Once the minutes reach 60, the next wandering hours hand comes through and the process starts again. Pretty ingenious when you think this mechanism is from the 17th Century!

And night time reading of the UR-100V is done with ease. URWERK have given the Magic T lot’s of Super-LumiNova across the minutes track, all the hours and even the model and Earth rotation tracks. This makes what could be described as a hard to read watch in the day a little easier at night. And under the lens, looks stunning when viewed up close.

The way the URWERK has been able to take the one material and create both colour variations as well as surface textures is a feat in itself, or rather should I say, Magic. The UR-100V Magic T case for the most part is Sand shot-blasted Titanium, where as the movement has contrasting circular graining, sanding, shot-blasting, circular satin finishing and even chamfered screw heads, all in one watch, and from one material that’s notoriously hard to work with, and is finished impeccably.

Inside the UR-100V Magic T is the calibre 12.02 governed by a Windfänger airscrew. This calibre 12.02 drives the carousel which is the wandering hours and minutes on the three “satellites” shown on the dial. The Calibre 12.02 movement operates at a frequency of 28,800 VpH (4Hz) and can power the watch for up to 48 hours. 

The URWERK UR-100V Magic T is surprisingly wearable at 41.0 mm and 49.7 mm across the wrist and only 14 mm thick. The lack of lugs and the integrated bracelet that hugs the wrist and drops straight away will help with the wearability, and when you see the images of this on the models wrists, especially the women, you can see that this won’t wear large at all.

Final Thoughts

The URWERK UR-100V Magic T is, like most URWERK pieces unique. But this is part of the brands appeal – you won’t meet too many people on the street that have one. And this is a seriously cool watch with some great engineering put into it. Whilst you look at the watch and think it to be bulky, the design and the fact that it is made from Titanium will mean it wears well, and judging on the first release images, fits on the wrist, even smaller ones. If you’re after a statement and talking piece, and have the means to buy it at around $98,000 AUD (if you do the conversion to Australian Dollars, yet to be confirmed), then this could be a great choice – albeit a bold one!

Reference: UR-100V Magic T Limited Edition

Specification:

• Case: Width: 41mm, length: 49.7mm
• Thickness: 14mm thick
• Case Material: Sanded shot-blasted titanium
• Dial: Satellite hours on beryllium-bronze Geneva crosses; aluminium carousel; carousel and triple baseplates in ARCAP alloy
• Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal
• Water resistance:30m / 3bar
• Movement: Selfwinding UR 12.02 movement governed by a Windfänger airscrew
• Power reserve: 48 Hours
• Bracelet: Titanium, with 32 sanded shot-blasted links

International Recommended Retail Price: CHF 58,000 (excluding Tax)

Availability: Available now through The Hour Glass Sydney and for more information, head to urwerk.com

URWERK is one of those brands that are known and pride themselves on being ultra-modern, edgy and completely different from most other brands out there. If you’re after an under-the-radar watch, then maybe this article isn’t for you; stop reading right now! But if you’re wanting to explore your ‘darker’ side, then maybe it is; read on!

To understand the UR-112 Black to Black, you need to understand its origins:

The UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black belongs to the Special Project line. Martin Frei, the co-founder of URWERK, said: “The inspiration for the 112 line came straight from the USA. Felix and I were lucky enough to discover the impressive car collection of Mr Ralph Lauren. Amongst the rarest models was the Bugatti Atlantic. WOW! It was love at first sight. Its perfect lines, its spine running along its body, its Art Déco features. This Bugatti is a true wonder!  It was the muse that inspired my first drawings of the UR-112.” 

If you’re not a car fanatic, the Bugatti Atlantic Type 57 SC is indeed a work of art, and even if you’re not, one can appreciate the lines, the long bonnet and grill and the impressive stature of the Bugatti. Adding to this, the Type 57 SC is one of the rarest cars in the world, with only two examples of the original four produced remaining. Ralph Lauren has one of these; the other is in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. It’s no surprise that URWERK has taken inspiration from this marvellous machine. Enough about cars; back to the piece in question.

The UR-112 Aggregat Back to black comes in a steel and titanium body with a complex architecture. Let’s start with the upper part. Its steel bonnet is grooved and open-worked. It gives a glimpse of the richness of this gleaming speed machine. This cover opens vertically to give access to the secondary power reserve and digital seconds indications. Its central titanium body is satin-brushed, sandblasted and bead-blasted, thereby forming a field of functional microdots. The two blackened steel wings of the UR-112 Aggregat Back to black fit into this central body. Each part has its own design language and finishing, and look, all combining to come together to create the automotive look fashioned after its inspiration.

Unlike other URWERK models, there are no cubes, no carousel with satellites, and no 120-degree sector-type indication like on so many models that have marked its history of over the last 25 years. The UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black displays jumping hours and trailing minutes on prisms. It’s a cool look for a mechanical watch that displays time in a digital format, something you don’t see very often (or at all). Shifted to the front of the watch, they’re visible in their large sapphire crystal housings. As the hours jump on one side and the minutes advance in five-minute increments on the other, an additional trailing indicator shows the accurate minutes. 

Felix Baumgartner, the co-founder of URWERK and master watchmaker, said: “Once again, we’ve let our guts speak for us in making a spaceship, a UFO that is a technical challenge. This UR-112 is pure madness in terms of the mechanics and the finishes. The energy generated by the UR-112’s central engine is being distributed in four directions along no less than 12 axes. It’s actual mechanical lace. We will only be able to make a very limited number of them, but this is sheer unadulterated watchmaking pleasure!”

Looking under the bonnet, so to speak, you’ll find the UR-13.01 calibre. A large barrel providing 48 hours of power reserve is coupled with an automatic-winding rotor. Pressing the two pushers on the sides of the watch opens the cover and reveals the power-reserve indicator and the spectacular small seconds. The latter is composed of a skeletonized silicon disk attached to a red anodized aluminium bridge, a typical URWERK design feature.

A transmission shaft stands out in the middle of this incredible mechanism. Measuring several centimetres in length, it’s possibly the longest component in contemporary watchmaking. To guarantee its lightness and rigidity, it’s made of titanium and ensures the coupling with the display module, located at the front of the shell. It establishes this link thanks to a new succession of gears that drive the hours and minutes prisms via two 90° bevel gears. The black aluminium prisms featuring grooved sides are enhanced with Super-LumiNova and secured by planetary systems that ensure they rotate both on their axis and in space. This kinematic approach calls for absolute precision and contributes to endowing the UR-112 Aggregat Back to black with a totally unique and unconventional design. 

No matter which way you look at the UR-112 Aggregat Black to Black is a very cool statement piece with design roots in some very impressive automotive history. This coupled with the jumping hour, dragging minutes and digital seconds, you also get some cool retro time-telling in a fully mechanical work of time-telling art.

The URWERK UR-112 Aggregat Black to Black is a 25-piece limited edition and priced at CHF 280,000 (excluding tax)

Specification:

• Case: 42 mm and 16 mm in thickness
• Case Material: DLC-treated titanium and steel
• Dial: Black
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating 
• Water resistance: 30 metres with screw-down crown
• Movement: UR-13.01 automatic
• Power reserve: 48 Hours

The UR-100 C52 comes with an ultra-tech case that is made from High Resistance CTP Carbon. This particular carbon material is composed of 52 layers that have been compressed in epoxy polymer resin. This design of carbon fibre gives the weight its ultra-light feel, making the case of the UR-100V C52 weigh in at an extremely light 11 grams! The weight of the titanium on the case back is included in this total case weight as well! 

Co-founder and chief designer of URWERK, Martin Frei, states that “the curves enhancing the bezel of the UR-100V C52, tracing their way from the crown to the sides of the watch passing through the lugs, are a classic reference. We find this same motif on the ancient Greek columns. Striations were drawn and dug in the stone almost 2500 years ago to channel rainwater and control its flow along these ageless pillars. This motif has become the symbol of classicism. I often play with this reference. With the new UR-100V, the circular case results from precision-cut 52 layers of carbon. The design extends all around the wrist thanks to the original rubber strap specifically designed for this watch.”

Design:

The carbon case measures a width of 41mm with a length of 49.7mm. The 52 layers of carbon certainly give this piece character. The case features a variety of surface finishes, from ridges to the curves of the dial to the refined chamfered and sharp lines. As mentioned earlier, the watch comes with a titanium baseplate. 

As it’s well known already, URWERK has a very unique and iconic design when it comes to displaying the time on the dial. The display of the minutes and hours is done via satellites. Felix Baumgartner, the master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK explains how this unique time-telling is shown in that “a minute hand (one of three), once past the 60-minute mark, disappears to then reappear as a kilometre counter. It illustrates the 555 kilometres we travel every 20 minutes on the surface of the Earth. 555 kilometres/hr is the average. speed of rotation of the Earth at the Equator. Opposite this indication, another displays the speed of the Earth’s revolution around the sun, i.e., 35,740 kilometres in 20 minutes. On the face of the UR-100V, hours and kilometres share the same status, the same value. The hour and minute numerals indications are illuminated in highly legible incandescent green for easy ready.” 

Movement:

The movement used inside this timepiece is the UR 12.02 which is an automatic-winding system which is governed by the low-profile planetary turbine, which minimises over-winding and wear and tear. The UR 12.02 movement operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28, 800 VpH) and has a minimum power reserve of 48hours. Several different materials have been used to create the movement including beryllium bronze for the orbital satellite that turns on the Geneva crosses, the open-worked carousel made from aluminium, and the triple baseplates made from ARCAP. 

An extremely lightweight watch with a slender yet refined case, the UR-100V C52 Carbon is the latest piece to continue the 100V collection. A timepiece that is sure to grab attention all the while feeling like it’s not even on your wrist! 

International pricing: 53,000 CHF

Availability: February 2022, Limited to 25 pieces

Co-founder of URWERK, Martin Frei, states in regards to this new piece that “with the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket, I am once again fulfilling a dream of mine. From my first sketches for URWERK until the present day, I have always envisioned and designed our creations on a metal bracelet. The latter is an extension of the watch around the wrist and in my mind, it complements the design perfectly. I like the fact that the material – in this instance titanium – is quite cold when you put it on your wrist. It warms up slowly on contact, acclimatising to you and gently embracing your skin. This extremely light bracelet also makes a special sound when you play with its links. It feels good. It is beautiful. To me, this watch is a real success and I am happy to see it come to life for real”.

Design:

The URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket features a 41mm x 49.7mm titanium case along with a colour matched crown. The bracelet is unique to this model as it is composed of 32 sandblasted titanium links that make sure the aesthetics of the watch are balanced and matching. The design and look of the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is a nod to URWERK’s past creations, in particular the first models where the brand has adopted their stylistic features. 

The sapphire crystal dome that’s presented on the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket took inspiration from the steel domes of the first models. As per the original creations, the case of the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket plays with different proportions and lines of symmetry to highlight the case and make it stand out. 

Master-watchmaker and URWERK co-founder says in regards to the construction of this watch that “our goal was to make the most comfortable watch to wear. The UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is a perfectly ergonomic watch. Its bracelet is ultra-light and incredibly soft against the skin. It’s a bracelet synonymous with pleasure”.

The dial is where all the fun is of course. The iconic satellite configuration shows the wandering hours and minutes. URWERK has designed the telling of time on this piece in relation to the distance travelled from the equator and also through space. The brand states that “when the minute’s hand has completed its 60-minute journey, it reappears on a 20-minute scale of 555 kilometres. This is the distance you travel in 20 minutes if you are standing on the equator of our rotating planet. The opposite scale tracks your journey through space around the sun: 35,740km every 20 minutes. 

Movement:

The movement inside the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is the brand’s new calibre 12.02. This calibre 12.02 drives the carousel which is the wandering hours and minutes on the three “satellites” shown on the dial. The Calibre 12.02 movement operates at a frequency of 28,800 VpH (4Hz) and can power the watch for up to 48 hours. 

Final thoughts:

The URWERK UR-100 has always been a special piece and certainly one that piques interest when worn. With previous iterations of the model being offered in rubber or leather straps, the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket finally gets a sturdy bracelet treatment. Not only does the bracelet make the watch feel more robust but is also comfortable to wear. With the full construction of the model being titanium, it gives the wearer more versatility in where and what they can wear it too. The URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is the much-needed model in what is already quite an amazing UR-100 collection. 

The Special Project collection was started by URWERK’S co-founders Felix Baumgartner (Master Watchmaker) and Martin Frei (artistic director and designer). The two got together to create this new adventure on a blank page in the brand’s book.

The inspiration to create the UR-112 Aggregat stems from dreaming of new mechanical challenges to overcome. This timepiece is as technical as it gets, and the aesthetics of it are driven by its technicality too, through the gears and near-manic assembly precision. 

Felix Baumgartner states that “We nicknamed this watch the Aggregat because the UR-112 brings different elements together. From a single source of energy, we power all displays and mechanisms of this UR-112. This force is distributed sparingly, some even “recycled” so that from the digital second at the top of the dial to the dragging minutes and the jumping hours at the opposite extreme, each display receives precisely its required dose of energy with none wasted.” 

Design:

The UR-112 Aggregat is housed in a 42mm x 51mm black and Gunmetal PVD-coated titanium case. The watch features a fully digital time display, which shows all the way from the hour down to the seconds. The hour and minutes are displayed on triangular prisms which operate on transparent cylinders. These cylinders have been created to be levitating in appearance when seen through crystal. 

The bottom left of the dial features the digital hour display, with all 12 numerals being engraved and then filled with Super-LumiNova for added nighttime visibility. The bottom right features the minutes, which have been created in the same fashion as the hour markers. Instead of every minute, it is displayed in 5-minute increments. 

The top left shows a power reserve indicator which is certainly a useful indicator to have on a mechanical timepiece. Lastly, the top right shows the seconds, which are shown in 5-minute increments. 

Movement:

The movement used to power this mechanical beast is the brand’s UR-13.01. The movement operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28, 800 VpH) and gives out a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. Although quite complex, URWERK breaks the movement down by stating that “the primary source of all this power is rooted in the basic movement opposite this Dantesque construction. A long, thin rod connects the body and head of the UR-112. This is the Cardan shaft, a central part of vital importance to this mechanism. A complex set of cogs, a succession of gears, allows this axis to transmit all the energy required. And this despite a 90° turnaround. This transmission shaft with double gearing – one at each end – is perpendicular to the horizontal time indication.”

The movement is enclosed in what the brand calls a “hunter” case that features a hinged titanium protective cover. The pushers on either side of the case can be pushed to unlock the cover and will spring up, which reveals an intricate display of digital seconds. 

URWERK says that the first edition of the UR-112 Aggregat is limited to a production of 25 units. Turning up the notch on pure mechanical watchmaking, the UR-112 Aggregat is made for lovers of technical timepieces. 

Artist and Chief Designer, Martin Frei summed up the design of this piece by stating “The sources of inspiration for this UR-112 are many and diffuse. The grille of the Bugatti Atlantique is the most obvious. An exceptional automobile whose contrasting spine emphasizes absolute symmetry. Some Middle Eastern influences are also vivid in my mind. The memories, the smells, the experiences during my travels nourish my imagination and are found in all my creations. Found by subtle touch.”