Making timepieces for superheroes wasn't on the mind of the Baumgartner brothers and Martin Frei when they founded Urwerk in 1997 and disrupted the watch industry.
Their futuristic creations, however, are fitting for none other than tech wizard Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, whose gadgets in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) include Urwerk's UR-110RG and UR-105 CT Iron.
The rose gold UR-110 is a superhero by itself as the model was one of the highlights of the Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN in 2018. It helped raise funds for Manusodany, a non-profit organisation that supports and implements development projects for disadvantaged people in Haiti.
Likewise, the UR-105 CT Iron and the UR-111C Black Cobra that Robert Downey Jr wore to the premiere of the Avengers: Endgame were auctioned for charity.
This year, the one-off UR-110 Bakelite and UR-102 Gaïa have also been created for a good cause.
Urwerk's master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and chief designer Martin Frei. (Photos: Ralf Baumgarten)
Launched in 2011, the avant-garde UR-110 earned Urwerk the best design prize in the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve.
Last month, the Swiss brand celebrated the watch's 10th anniversary by auctioning the final UR-110 Bakelite to raise funds for the Swiss Red Cross.
The time is displayed via a satellite complication with rotating hour/minute modules mounted on planetary gears. The control board features a day/night indicator, oil change alert for service intervals, and small seconds.
The one-of-a-kind UR-110 Bakelite is housed in a titanium case with a bezel made of a revolutionary material developed in the 1900s.
"Bakelite was one of the first high-tech materials ever developed. Its properties were and remain multiple and revolutionary. Insulating and heat resistant, it was present in everyday objects at the time, from eyeglass frames to radios," explained Felix Baumgartner, who was born into a Swiss watchmaking family.
The native of Schaffhausen learned the secrets of complications, such as tourbillons, minute repeaters and perpetual calendars, at his father's bench and further studied at a prestigious watchmaking school in Solothurn.
Urwerk's chief designer Martin Frei and master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner.
With a background in arts and graphic design, Martin Frei joined him and his brother Thomas in establishing Urwerk, which means original accomplishment, in paving a new path in haute horlogerie.
"Bringing out yet another version of an existing mechanical complication was not our aim. Above all, we want to explore beyond the traditional horizons of watchmaking," said Baumgartner. "Our watches are unique because each has been conceived as an original work. This is what makes them valuable and rare."
Ur also refers to an ancient city of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia, where the Sumerians first developed the measurement of time based on shadows cast by monuments.
Urwerk's founders were inspired by the Campanus brothers' 17th century night clock in devising the wandering hour. One of their debut models, the UR-102 was presented at Baselworld 1997 at the booth of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants. The unconventional watch with a wandering hour as its only marker of time generated a certain amount of controversy.
UR-110 Bakelite exemplifies Urwerk's radical satellite complication and control board.
This year, the iconic UR-102 has been reworked with a mesmerising midnight-blue lacquer. The founders still work together as a great team, with the original design by Martin Frei; mechanism development and assembly by Felix Baumgartner; and case design and hand machining by Thomas Baumgartner.
Producing just 150 watches a year, the independent brand deems itself a craftsman's studio where traditional expertise coexists with avant-garde styling.
A bold mix of common and noble material, the case middle and lugs of the UR-102 Gaïa are made from anodised aluminium while the caseback in platinum features an interpretation of the Prix Gaïa -- awarded to those who have dedicated their career to the measurement of time.
"We recently had the immense honour of receiving the Gaïa Prize for Entrepreneurship from our peers. This award recognises a journey from oblivion to the limelight, along with tenacity, conviction and pugnacity that have repeatedly been put to the test," said Baumgartner. "We have chosen to name this model Gaïa. It reflects this fierce determination that blazes new trails. We dedicate this symbol of hope to all those who struggle to make things happen."
The unique-piece UR-102 Gaïa will be auctioned tomorrow on behalf of the Only Watch charity to raise funds for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Prix Gaïa awarded to those who have dedicated their career to the measurement of time.
