Urwerk - The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN New York Saturday, December 10, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Urwerk
    Year: Circa 2015
    Reference No: UR-105 TA
    Case No: #25/100
    Model Name: “All Black”
    Material: Black PVD-coated titanium
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. UR 5.02, 52 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Kevlar, leather
    Clasp/Buckle: PVD-coated Titanium Urwerk pin buckle
    Dimensions: 53mm length x 39.5mm width
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and buckle signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by setting pin, fitted presentation box, and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    In 2015, an updated UR-105 was introduced by horological virtuosos Martin Frei and Felix Baumgardner, the creative visionaries behind Urwerk, as the UR-105 TA (TA for “Turbine Automatic) in four iterations inspired by the knights of the Middle Ages. The Turbine Automatic was a new concept based on the idea that winding rate is regulated by fluid dynamics. The movement has two miniature pneumatic turbines coupled with a winding rotor, and depending on the wearer’s level of activity, the movement will self-adjust. Spinning freely during normal activity, reduced spinning during more rigorous activity, and no spinning during extreme activity, the dynamic winding system exerts less wear on the movement and extends its life span. A lever permits the wearer to adjust the turbines to fit their own activity level.

    The current example is the “All Black” version, fully clad in black PVD-coated titanium armor with a black PVD-coated steel bezel. It was a limited edition of 100 pieces, of which the present lot is numbered 25. The watch appears quite device-like, similar to an actual piece of weaponry, but in fact it is exquisitely finished inside and out to the highest standards of the Swiss watch industry. Even the small turbines are bead-blasted, satin-finished, and then also coated in PVD.

  • 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-105 TA
An unusual and compelling limited edition PVD-coated titanium wristwatch with wandering hour display, numbered 25 of 100 pieces

Circa 2015
53mm length x 39.5mm width
Case, dial, movement, and buckle signed.

Estimate
$25,000 - 50,000 
CHF23,700-47,500
€24,200-48,400
HK$196,000-391,000
S$34,400-68,800

Sold for $40,320

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

Isabella Proia

Head of Sale, New York

+1 (212) 940 1285

iproia@phillips.com

 

The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN

New York Auction 10 - 11 December 2022