Stare for too long at an Urwerk watch and they take on an other-worldly quality. Imagine the beings of some advanced civilisation on the other side of the milky way and you wouldn't be too surprised to see one of these on their wrists.
Since third-generation watchmaker Felix Baumgartner (not the same guy who did the base jump from space) and visual artist Martin Frei pooled their talents to form the Swiss watch brand back in 1995, Urwerk has been honing their audacious and futuristic style, on one hand pushing the limit with cutting-edge technology, on the other staying true to the detail and intricacy of traditional Swiss watch-making. And developing an almost fundamentalist ideal of what a watch can become in the process. The downside is you'd need a 6 figure sum before you're even in the market.
In their own words, this is 'haute horology' and despite the rather earnest-sounding philosophy it's pretty hard to dispute the results.
Their latest model, the limited-edition UR-110PTH, finished in titanium with a blackened platinum bezel, is a case in point.
"Our timepieces are definitely contemporary – even futuristic – designs created using the very latest technology," says Baumgartner, "but they are decorated in the most traditional of manners by human hand. I like that contrast.”
So do we. Open the gallery for some of our favourites.
