Martin Frei built the UR-120 Space Black around one idea: black changes how the eye reads an object's size.
URWERK introduces the UR-120 Space Black, an all-black version of its satellite-hour watch, in sandblasted titanium with a black DLC and silicon coating.
To tell the hour, a satellite carried on a three-arm carousel splits open into a V, like a Vulcan salute, then both studs spin on their own axis and close to show the new number. Minutes are read from a conventional track at the edge of the dial. The case is 44mm long and 47mm wide, 15.8mm thick, its upper surface smooth, with no visible screws.
Inside is the self-winding calibre UR-20.01, its finishing built from circular and straight graining, sandblasting and Côtes de Genève. “Black works its magic by subtly distorting our judgments of size, while intensifying the watch's contours,” says Martin Frei, co-founder and artistic director of URWERK.
Felix Baumgartner, URWERK's co-founder and master watchmaker, counts more than 175 components in the satellite-time mechanism alone, each machined to micron precision on the brand's own CNC tools.
The Basics
Brand: URWERK
Model: UR-120 Space Black
Dimensions: 47mm wide × 44mm long
Thickness: 15.8mm
Case material: Sandblasted titanium, sandblasted steel bezel; black DLC treatment and silicon coating; curved sapphire crystal, anti-reflective
Dial: No conventional dial; analog minutes; digital split-open hour satellites on triple planetary gears; hand-applied SuperLuminova on indexes
Water resistance: Pressure-tested to 3ATM / 30m / 100ft
Strap: Black calf leather with embossed Cordura pattern
The Movement
Calibre: UR-20.01, self-winding
Functions: Hours (split-open satellites on a three-arm carousel), analog minutes
Winding: Self-winding, Swiss lever escapement
Power reserve: 48 hours
Frequency: 4Hz (28,800 vph)
Images courtesy of URWERK.