Urwerk - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII Geneva Friday, November 3, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Urwerk
    Year: Circa 1998
    Reference No: UR-102
    Case No: 50
    Model Name: UR-102
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Urwerk pin buckle
    Dimensions: 38mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Urwerk travel case, maintenance booklet confirming servicing of the watch in August 2023 and Certificate of Authenticity confirming the production of the watch circa 1998.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Urwerk's UR-102 has now achieved cult like status with collectors, so much so as in Dec 2022 a unique version sold at Phillips New York for above $400,000. In Spring of 2023 the brand announced two limited editions nicknamed UR-102 Re-Loaded that sold out at lightening speed confirming the desirability of the model.

    The UR-102, launched in 1997 at the Basel watch fair, is as close as one can get to calling a piece made from Urwerk “vintage”. It was, along with the UR-101 the founding pieces for Urwerk, underlining Urwerk’s ambition to bring a completely fresh and out of the box approach to watches and watchmaking and to make derivative artwork that also tell time.

    The brand’s signature wandering hour time display is already present but in a rather minimalistic fashion. One might rightly consider the case design, with its round bombé shape and 8 lugs, as having a somewhat sci-fi vibe, this comes from the fact that the case was inspired by the Soviet satellite Sputnik.

    Both incredibly rare and historically relevant, the present UR-102 offers the collector of modern icons the possibility to own one of the earliest watches created by one of the leaders of Creative Independent Horology, a genre that would boost Urwerk to watchmaking heights a few years later.

  • Artist Biography

    Urwerk

    Swiss • 1997

    The Swiss firm's name "Urwerk" is a play on the German word meaning clockwork. "Ur" is an ancient Sumerian city in which the populace used sundials for timekeeping, while "werk" is German for creation. The company started by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei is known for their innovative avant-garde designs inspired by space travel. With their own take on time indication, like many of their contemporaries, their futuristic timepieces are rooted in high-end traditional watchmaking. Their signature floating method of time indication using rotating satellites traces back to a watch made in 1656. Producing only 150 watches per year, they have impressed connoisseurs with their innovativeness and cutting-edge technical prowess.

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Ref. UR-102
An unusual and cutting edge historically important stainless steel wristwatch with wandering hours display

Circa 1998
38mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
CHF20,000 - 40,000 
€20,800-41,500
$22,000-44,000

Sold for CHF63,500

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

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The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII

Geneva Auction 3 - 4 November 2023