Blast from the past! This post is a “reprint” of an article Ian wrote that was first published on The PuristS in 2005 and it covers Felix Baumgartner, Urwerk, the Harry Winston Rare Timepieces Opus V, the Urwerk 103.03, plus an Urwerk 103.03 user review. Enjoy!
Whenever Łukasz Doskocz thinks about a watch made by an independent watchmaker, a certain recollection comes to mind – one that could explain his passion for timepieces created by masters combining diminutive production with gargantuan horological expertise. This particular story involves a watch brand, a trip to Switzerland, and what is normally a very casual thing: lunch.
The Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner/Urwerk for Harry Winston is one of the best of this series of exceptional timepieces. But, as this drawing by Urwerk designer Martin Frei from June of 2003 shows, one of the original ideas behind Urwerk’s Opus 5 was a digital display in a model christened with the working title “Time Bandit.” Check out this superb almost-was timepiece!
The GNS1.2 by Genus is an absolutely stunning mechanical creation from Sébastien Billières, a genius independent watchmaker behind a variety of great watches and already in the business for more than 20 years. Find out here how this timepiece’s captivating figure-eight serpentine works and why it is worth taking a close look at.
SIHH 2019 provided an instructive example to Tim Mosso of architecture’s low-key role in watch design relative to well-worn tropes. For him it was the third year in a row that parts of Geneva’s Palexpo felt like a Southern California cars-and-coffee event. But there are a few watch brands that do architecture well, and Tim takes a closer look at some of them here.
The UR-111C is only the second Urwerk timepiece to feature a linear time display. Joshua Munchow thinks it is all sorts of cool and explains why.
Blast from the past! This post is a “reprint” of an article Ian wrote that was first published on The PuristS in 2005 and it covers Felix Baumgartner, Urwerk, the Harry Winston Rare Timepieces Opus V, The Urwerk 103.03, plus an Urwerk 103.03 user review. Enjoy!
The lines between form, fun, and functionality have been blurry, especially in recent years. Which is why we see more and more mechanical objects with relationships to time but perhaps not directly related. Here Martin Green explores three such objects by Jaquet Droz, Urwerk, and MB&F.
Established brands with centuries of tradition tend to basically recreate the past in the, “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-or-change-it-(much)” approach to watchmaking. But in not feeling constrained by tradition, Urwerk is one of the young brands consistently presenting us with a steady supply of exciting new models like 2014’s UR-105M. Take a look at it here!
Here’s a prediction by Ian Skellern: the relatively nondescript AMC movement Urwerk presented at the 2018 SIHH will not only become one of the horological highlights of the year but will take its place among history’s most significant timepieces. Ever. That’s a bold statement, he knows. Especially when all we have at present from Urwerk is the slave watch movement. Here Ian explains why he thinks AMC is so significant.