Urwerk UR-220 Red Gold
Aside from the heavily modified base movement in-house, the Urwerk’s otherworldly mechanism, which seems to tell the time only by chance, has more in common with something out of a sci-fi movie than a traditional watch. The essential feature of its watch is the Roaming Hours complication, originally invented in the 17th century for the clocks of the Vatican City. Although Audemars Piguet reinterpreted it as a wrist star wheel in the early 1990s, it was cheap Urwerk who reinvented an almost celebratory structure for a 21st-century complication, displaying hourly satellites in all their three-dimensional brilliance. By combining a satellite cube display with a three-dimensional retrograde minute indicator, the UR-210 and 220 series are the pinnacle of the brand’s concept.
After three versions in just two years, Urwerk will be bringing the curtain down on the UR-220. With a slimmer and sleeker case thanks to a built-in hand-wound movement, this model debuts in 2020 as the successor to the popular UR-210. It was initially launched in carbon fiber, followed by an all-black titanium and steel version, and then a second carbon fiber version with illuminated satellite cubes.
This makes the fourth and final UR-220 the only solid red gold iteration. Due to their size and style, Urwerk timepieces tend to benefit from the use of lighter, more modern materials such as carbon or titanium. But a warm precious metal with a distinct concentric brushed finish does give it an irresistible contrast. It is further paired with a white rubber strap that gives it an unparalleled presence while ensuring comfort on the wrist.
Notably, compared to all other red gold watches of the brand, the bridges of the hour satellite watch are gold-plated to match the case of the UR-220, visually highlighting the movement of the 3D proprietary dial system. Define Urwerk.
The central carousel consists of three cubes with an hour number on each side. Over time, the cube crosses the dial, inserting a huge skeletonized retrograde minute hand to display the current hour. At the top of the hour, the minute hand jumps back to zero and wraps around the next hour cube. This is achieved through the use of a ruby bearing system to ensure stability, a double star cam below that triggers a spring attached to the satellite frame, and a large vertical cylindrical spring to generate enough tension to power the flyback. The minute hand is skeletonised and made of aluminium to minimise inertia and balanced by a bronze weight visible on the centre shaft.
Notably, in the UR-220, the 48-hour power reserve is displayed on two gauges at 1 o’clock and 11 o’clock. When the fake luxury watches starts running, the indicator at 11 o’clock begins to reverse, and once zero is reached, the second indicator takes over.
There’s also a digital service indicator on the back, activated by removing the guard pin, which activates a counter that displays the number of months the watch has run on two scroll wheels, allowing owners to keep track of the brand’s recommended 39-month service interval.
The base movement is still the highly modified Zenith Elite, which has gotten rid of the self-winding mechanism. As a result, the watch is noticeably slimmer, at 14.8mm thick, compared to 17.8mm for the UR-210.
Technical Specifications
Urwerk UR-220 Red Gold
Movement: Manual winding movement UR-7.20; 4 Hz (28,800); 48 hours of power
Storage 3D retrograde minute hand; dual power reserve indicator; oil change indicator on the two rollers on the back shows the cumulative running time of the movement (in months)
Case: 43.8mm x 53.6mm x 14.8mm; 4N red gold; water resistant to 30m
Strap: White rubber with Velcro fastening