Urwerk introduces the UR-120 "Spock"
Double diverging satellite cubes.
Urwerk invented the satellite cube hour indicator and is undoubtedly a leading practitioner of contemporary watchmaking. But the brand continues to tweak its unconventional time displays, including the most recent rotating prism hours in a glass cylinder.
Now, the brand has returned to its roots while innovating. UR-120 "Spock" is a new iconic roaming hour featuring the familiar three satellites on a carousel, but each satellite is actually a pair of cubes that split, rotate and converge in sequence to show the hour .
Credit to Urwerk for continuing to innovate with its avant-garde presentations. The latest invention retains the recognizable Urwerk look and feel, but creates a more dynamic visual display through splitting and connecting actions.
The two-part hour cube is smart, though not entirely new. It reminds me of the Harry Winston Opus Eleven, a more sophisticated interpretation of the concept that relies on four panels to display the hourly numbers - a watch so complicated that has never been on the market.
Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley
While the two-part cube display is new, the rest of the movement is similar to the UR-110, resulting in a similar overall aesthetic. Although unorthodox in style, the UR-120 has a clean style that makes it clear and easy to read, although it may take some getting used to when reading time.
One criticism of the dial design involves nickel alloy parts produced through LIGA lithography. They are gold-plated and have a rounded curved shape (since they are essentially springs), resulting in an organic feel that seems out of place on a sci-fi watch. That said, it's great to see Urwerk use modern manufacturing techniques to make more functional components.
While the two-part cube is certainly novel, the UR-120 may be too similar to Urwerk's current owner's past satellite cube-hour models. Meanwhile, while the UR-120 is more complicated than many of its predecessors, it doesn't have the same impact as earlier watches debuted in more boring times.
Because it puts the UR-120 above entry-level models with hovering hours, but below the flagship satellite cube hours with retrograde minutes.
double cube double hour
If the UR-120's design looks familiar, it's because the watch evolved from the UR-110 from a decade ago. It retains a similar case and dial, but with a more complicated hour display consisting of double cubes for each hour. Urwerk co-founder Felix Baumgartner is particularly proud of the new display, saying: "I was ecstatic when we realized we were going to have to turn on the satellite."
Each hour satellite consists of two cubes, each with four faces, each with four hour numbers, for a total of 12 hours on three satellites. The dual-cube display does have a practical benefit, as the hour numbers are now larger and clearer. According to Mr Baumgartner, these numbers are now 35% larger than the numbers in the UR-110.
Needless to say, a dual-cube display is more complex than its single-cube counterpart, because the dual-cube has to perform three actions: rotation and splitting or converging. But the complexity of the display goes beyond just splitting and combining cubes. The movement of the cube requires a lot of open space in three dimensions.
As the cubes split, they form a V-shaped angle that the brand describes as inspired by the Vulcan salute, a split-finger greeting popularized in Star Trek. The Vulcan Salute was invented by actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the sci-fi TV series, hence the name UR-120.
A key element of the new display is the gold-plated harp-shaped spring, which aids in the splitting and combining of each cube. Nickel alloy springs are fabricated in-house via the LIGA process and then coated with 24k gold PVD and are essential to the display mechanism.
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"At the exact moment of the salute, a harp-shaped spring opens and then closes the satellite," Mr. Baumgartner explained. "Managing the energy at that time was very complex and very delicate... We needed to manage the opening and the rotation of the stud."
Aside from the dual cube display, the rest of the UR-120 is what you'd expect in an Urwerk. This includes a carousel that wraps the satellites around the dial, allowing the current hour satellite to double as a minute hand.
In the tradition of Urwerk, the unique time display module is mounted on a reliable base movement, in this case the Zenith Elite self-winding movement. Also found in the UR-100V, the movement has been upgraded with a propeller-shaped gear on the rotor to reduce winding speed.
The frontal dimensions of the UR-120 are 44mm x 47mm and are similar in size to the UR-110. But the styling of the case has been refined and simplified. Among other things, the screws and notches on the front panel of the UR-110 have been eliminated, giving the UR-120 a sleek, streamlined appearance.
In an unusual move for Urwerk, the case contains actual lugs. This turned out to be a good design choice, as the lugs created a visual break between the various parts of the case, avoiding the UR-110's overly wide and long appearance.
Urwerk UR-120 aka Spock
Diameter: 44mm x 47mm
Height: 15.8 mm
Material: Steel and Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m
Movement: UR-20.01 function
: Hours and minutes Winding: Automatic Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz) Power reserve: 48 days
Strap: Embossed calfskin strap
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