- This month, URWERK is releasing two new editions of its UR-110 Torpedo, the timepiece that won the 2011 Grand Prix de Genève prize for Best Design Watch.
- The UR-110 TTH features a super strong case hull composed of Tantalum, while the UR-110 ST bears a distinctively grooved AlTiN bezel.
In the UR-110 TTH and the UR-110 ST, the time is always shown on the right side of the watch. Three hour satellites follow a vertically arced line, graded from 0 to 60 minutes, in a downward motion. Planetary gearing keeps the satellites and their arrow-shaped torpedoes in parallel formation as they take turns to indicate the time as they pass the 60-minute track.
URWERK UR 110 TTH
The UR-110 TTH
More robust than its stablemates, the UR-110 TTH is an imposing timepiece that commands respect from the very first glance. Why? Well, just as a vessel derives its strength from an unbreakable hull, the UR-110 derives its strength from its bezel crafted in tantalum, a particularly hard and dense metal, well known for resistance to corrosion and for its bio-inertness. Indeed, the TTH stands for Tantalum Hull. Naturally, the sapphire crystal of the UR-110 TTH has also been upgraded.
The armoured bezel of the UR-110 TTH boasts a thickness of 4.10mm (as opposed to 2.40mm on other UR-110 models). This huge piece, attached to the titanium case by six screws, gives it a battle-hardened character reinforced by the bluish-gray tint of the natural tantalum. Another feature with quasi-military overtones is the registration number etched on the sapphire crystal of the UR-110 TTH at 8 o’clock.
Tantalum is a rare metal of which the name comes from Tantalus, a Greek mythological figure synonymous with temptation, explains URWERK cofounder and chief watchmaker Felix Baumgartner. We therefore naturally succumbed to its charms! Its colour is such that we decided to use it in its natural state while satin-finishing and sand-blasting helped to enhance the natural beauty of this intriguing material.
URWERK UR 110 ST
The UR-110 ST
The UR-110 ST sees URWERK continuing to embrace three-dimensionality in horological architecture. It is a model that well and truly appeals to the tactile senses, for it can even reveal itself when your eyes are closed. Run the tips of your fingers over its dial, and you will feel the perfect smoothness of the sapphire crystal soon replaced by grooves in the AlTiN bezel. Such a sensorial experience is just what URWERK co-founder and artist-designer Martin Frei wanted to create for the UR-110 ST’s owner.
A watch worn on a daily basis should be a source of pleasure – the primal pleasure of possession, naturally, but also the pleasure of the experience of it on the wrist, he says. There is a quote I like from French poet and diplomat Paul Claudel: ‘Sculpture is the need to touch.’ I very much hope the UR-110 ST creates this need. [URWERK]
URWERK UR 110 ST
URWERK UR 110 ST
URWERK UR 110 TTH
URWERK UR 110 TTH
