New movement from URWERK

Posted by IanS 
avatar New movement from URWERK
January 16, 2009 05:33AM
A few months ago I posted a report on my visit to URWERK's new atelier in Genvea

In that report there were a few interesting photos including . . .


Check out that black mechanism on the right.



Here is Felix Baumgartner showing something new he was working on to his master watch/clockmaker father.





Well I can finally reveal that URWERK have been developing an all new movement- their most ambitious project to date.

The movement will not be shown in detail until Monday and it will not be an offical presentation as a finished watch will not be ready for a few months.

But to keep you going until Monday, i can now show the following images without the blurring.





Any thoughts?

Ian Skellern -Revolution Online moderator

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avatar Re: New movement from URWERK
January 16, 2009 06:15AM
hehe, they kind of look like electric razors. by its size and shape though it looks like it is either the case something right beneath.
avatar No case
January 16, 2009 07:12AM
What you see is the movement, there is no case or anything else.

Ian Skellern -Revolution Online moderator

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Well, there's a circular well in front and I see what looks like the red plastic tip of a temporary crown perhaps, in between the thumb and forefinger. The interesting bit seems to be what looks like a series of geared rollers behind the well (which I assume is for the satellites.) I notice that it seems to terminate nearest the well for the time satellites in 3 distinct projections, and the position near the satellite well makes me hypothesize that this must be the display end of some new complication. 3 projections -day, date, month or some such; perhaps this is a novel calendar display?

What would be really cool is if this were the world's first roller driven perpetual calendar display. But I'd take a straight date too. Or I could be dead wrong. Or knowing Ian, and Urwerk, this could be a colossal red herring to hid the REAL secret project, like those fake prototype cars auto companies like to dress up and drive around test tracks when they know that photographers are lurking in the bushes smiling smiley .

Jack
avatar No tricks Jack: this is a real working prototype and . . .
January 16, 2009 10:40AM
there are no satellites!

Ian Skellern -Revolution Online moderator

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Well that changes things, if that well isn't for satellites. . .
January 16, 2009 10:46AM
. . . then we must begin afresh, my dear Watson winking smiley .

Ah. . . is this the entire movement complete, except for case and dial (assuming there is a conventional dial)?

And no satellites! Well, I'll really have to think about this one. . . 'tis a puzzlement!

JF
avatar This is the whole movement, but
January 16, 2009 11:26AM
you will probably not be surprised to learn that there is no conventional dial.

The type of indication has never been done before in a production wristwatch . . . though there was that one prototype 50 years ago. confused smiley

Ian Skellern -Revolution Online moderator

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avatar Re: New movement from URWERK
January 16, 2009 11:29AM
i knew that black chunk was something.... :-D looks interesting for sure!
Re: New movement from URWERK
January 16, 2009 01:17PM
It almost looks like this could go back to their original design of the OPUS 5, similar to a slot machine using the mechanism for the minute repeater! That would be wild! Ian, why don't you tell them all I want is a 103 with just satelites and nothing else so that I can maybe afford one tongue sticking out smiley !? No complications like the control board mean cheaper, right? smiling bouncing smiley
avatar Re: No case
January 16, 2009 09:22PM
it looks though like the case fits directly over this piece. I guess what is throwing me off is the irregular shape and exposure of the movement and watch itself. it kind of looks like it has barrel reserves for a longer wind because if the 103t is going to be more enclosed, there is no reason for any other type of complication, unless there will be some sort of 'digital' display for day/ date. if that is every necessary on an urwerk.
Well, I am totally stumped. . .
January 18, 2009 05:51AM
. . . if the well in the front isn't for the time satellites then what the heck is it? And what's that bronze colored bit sticking up out of it? And what's the deal with that roller arrangement behind it?

?????

smiling smiley

Look forward to finding out more but I have for now exhausted my capacity for speculation. And as Sherlock Holmes once said, to hypothesize in the absence of data is a shocking habit, injurious to the logical faculties winking smiley .

Jack
avatar Re: Well, I am totally stumped. . .
January 18, 2009 12:25PM
its a razor for shaving, that cuts you real big for each hour and 2 little cuts for each 10 minutes and a single little cut for each minute after that... kind of like a minute repeater but they call it a minute razor..


the trip they took was actually to throw us off as i heard they visited "Gillette" earlier in the week.
avatar auto movmnt
January 18, 2009 05:23PM
it looks like the circular well is for an automatic rotor with a possible linear display. the well would be in the back of the watch and the razor like part would be the front. it could be very much like the original urwerks? maybe.
avatar Re: New movement from URWERK
January 19, 2009 01:15AM
small window display again!!! love it!
Re: New movement from URWERK
January 23, 2009 12:18AM
Maybe it has a minute repeater-like trigger which you have to use, and the right time appears like on a slot machine? Wasn't this project called 'bandit'??