Comments:
"A double star mechanism turns and releases the retrograde minute hand back to zero. We first designed this system for the Opus 5 and then evolved it further."
The UR-210 provides “dialogue” with the owner by showing the wearers personal activity. Urwerk have built on this theme with the new EMC.
The watch is 43.8mm long and 17.8mm thick but made in light titanium and steel and with the wide strap wears comfortably.
"Antireflective coating on the inside of the sapphire only so the outside cannot be scratched."
39h power reserve indicator
Patented winding efficiency indicator (EFF.) demonstrating your personal activity over the previous two hours
Rear automatic winding efficiency adjustment
The Efficiency display is a 'snapshot' of your activity, averaged over the previous two hour period. Unless you are being very active, or waving your arms around, the power reserve is not going to move very much in that 2 hour period. You are of course correct that a larger PR indicator may provide similar information, but few watches have such a 'grand' Reserve de Marche.
I assume the 'short' PR or the watch relates to the energy required to move such a large and heavy hand and hour display. But on an automatic watch, provided the winding is efficient - and of course it is adjustable on the UR-210 - this doesn't worry me too much.
Very good thoughts, Akitaishi. Pleased you liked the post.
Regards,
Andrew
Thanks for your thoughts and reactions to the Urwerk watches. Alternative ways of time telling, not using traditional two hands, go back hundreds of years and while many companies, like AP, have dabbled I think it is true to say that Urwerk have made an art form out of it! Or certainly a consistent design theme across their watches.
And you are right that it takes one idea to resonate across the horological community and you see other watchmakers and companies building on designs or finding inspiration.
In addition to the complimentary Power and Efficiency displays, remember that the Efficiency display works in conjunction with the variable automatic winding. Yo can calibrate the winding to match your level of activity. Another benefit of this is that you are not allowing the automatic rotor to spin unnecessarily and thus reducing wear on this mechanism.
The Efficiency display also provides the same psychological impetus that a pedometer does - it encourages you to move away from your desk or out of the armchair to increase your measured activity.
Regarding the "Full", "Reduced" and "Stop" positions for the air turbine rotor damping system, I believe it is just the three positions rather than being continuously variable, but I am happy to be corrected. "Stop" will stop the automatic winding completely and turn the UR-210 into a manual wind watch. "Reduced" will decrease the winding efficiency by 20% and "Full" will allow the rotor to spin unhindered.
Regards
Andrew
... useful on any automatic watch. The state of wind is so dependent on your degree of activity and winding efficiency of the movement that you otherwise never know the state of wind of the mainspring. [Completely unlike a manual wind watch that you can just wind to full whenever you wish - although the UR-210 gives you the option of manual winding as well.]
And although it may not apply to the Urwerk, there are many watches that have better isochronism and performance when they are more than half wound, at least in my experience. So it is helpful to see that there is a reasonable amount of power reserve on the mainspring.
Andrew
Felix Baumgartner demonstrates his personal UR-210
Late last year I met with Felix who was wearing the prototype UR-210 . The watch had been on his wrist for 11 months and he had just delivered the first eight pieces to customers. Join Felix in this video as he shows the features and functioning of the UR-210.
Felix conveyed a recent story that demonstrated how robust the design was: “In Hong Kong someone dropped it from a height of one meter. My heart stopped for a moment but the watch survived. It was a good test.”
"A double star mechanism turns and releases the retrograde minute hand back to zero. We first designed this system for the Opus 5 and then evolved it further."
“Our traditional side means that our watches are wearable and you can read the time comfortably. Unlike some modern watches, ours are not ‘art pieces’.”
The UR-210 provides “dialogue” with the owner by showing the wearers personal activity. Urwerk have built on this theme with the new EMC.
The watch is 43.8mm long and 17.8mm thick but made in light titanium and steel and with the wide strap wears comfortably.
"Antireflective coating on the inside of the sapphire only so the outside cannot be scratched."
39h power reserve indicator
Patented winding efficiency indicator (EFF.) demonstrating your personal activity over the previous two hours
Rear automatic winding efficiency adjustment
“When you are wearing the watch or if it is beside your bed at night you can feel or hear the hour passing.”
My thanks again to Felix Baumgartner who was very generous with his time and shared his passion and enthusiasm.
Andrew
Wonderful Post, Fantastic Watch.
These watches are masterpieces. That they are so original, yet legible and wearable, is truly an accomplishment. I worry that, if I were to wear one, I would stare at it all day and never get any work done. Also, there would be little risk of me doing any activity that was so energetic that I would need to turn down the efficiency of the winding system. 
Regards
Jon
Good complication but superfluous maybe ?
It's interesting to read about this new complication and I agree that it is useful.
Just wondering if this complication is superfluous , especially when the PR indicator is there.
To me, while the PR indicator indicates the amount of power reserve and the efficiency indicator indicates an average rate of power added onto the watch via charging over a period of last 2 hours.
If having this complication entails dedicating a portion of the PR dedicated to run it, then it could be superfluous.
I noted the 39 hr PR which is lower than the norm.
The rate of PR charging can actually be noted by the rate at which the PR indicator moves. It's true that u need a well calibrated PR indicator to be able to do this. A simple +/- PR indicator may not be sensitive enough for wearer to read PR charging efficiency and this complication will be relevant.
Good comments
The Efficiency display is a 'snapshot' of your activity, averaged over the previous two hour period. Unless you are being very active, or waving your arms around, the power reserve is not going to move very much in that 2 hour period. You are of course correct that a larger PR indicator may provide similar information, but few watches have such a 'grand' Reserve de Marche.
I assume the 'short' PR or the watch relates to the energy required to move such a large and heavy hand and hour display. But on an automatic watch, provided the winding is efficient - and of course it is adjustable on the UR-210 - this doesn't worry me too much.
Very good thoughts, Akitaishi. Pleased you liked the post.
Regards,
Andrew
yes , I like the review..
and the pictures that you provided. Urwerks has always been very innovative in their design of watches.
The rotary arms that shows the hours and minutes are so "Urwerk" by now, that it has become the brand characteristic. Most people who notice the watch could identify with the movement as an Urwerk by just looking at the watch face. Many of it's watches spot this design and one can only fathom how much energy it takes to turn the watch arms. You are right, that could explain the short power reserve.
The "Urwerk" movement seems to be a evolved derivative of the Audemars Piguet Star wheel which AP made to commemorate their 125th anniversary. That is a classic.
If I may, I would like to make this remark.
AP's Millenary Starwheel to Urwerk is like what Philippe Duffour's Duality is to MB&F's LM 2. An inspiration and a more tamed rendition..
It is also noteworthy to note that calibrated PR indicators do exist. The Urwerk UR-210 has "layered out" the PR complication. The PR itself is binary while the PR efficiency indicator complements the PR complication. As such, the PR efficiency complication makes sense. I suppose the mechanism needed for the URwerk hands would leave little room to implement a calibrated PR indicator.
I have a question regarding the back of the UR-210. There is an adjustment knob there which says "reduced, full , stop". Is this knob analogue or 3 clicks ? Which setting is good for which scenario ? Care to explain ? Could you adjust the knob to an "in between setting" ?
Cheers.
The rotary arms that shows the hours and minutes are so "Urwerk" by now, that it has become the brand characteristic. Most people who notice the watch could identify with the movement as an Urwerk by just looking at the watch face. Many of it's watches spot this design and one can only fathom how much energy it takes to turn the watch arms. You are right, that could explain the short power reserve.
The "Urwerk" movement seems to be a evolved derivative of the Audemars Piguet Star wheel which AP made to commemorate their 125th anniversary. That is a classic.
If I may, I would like to make this remark.
AP's Millenary Starwheel to Urwerk is like what Philippe Duffour's Duality is to MB&F's LM 2. An inspiration and a more tamed rendition..
It is also noteworthy to note that calibrated PR indicators do exist. The Urwerk UR-210 has "layered out" the PR complication. The PR itself is binary while the PR efficiency indicator complements the PR complication. As such, the PR efficiency complication makes sense. I suppose the mechanism needed for the URwerk hands would leave little room to implement a calibrated PR indicator.
I have a question regarding the back of the UR-210. There is an adjustment knob there which says "reduced, full , stop". Is this knob analogue or 3 clicks ? Which setting is good for which scenario ? Care to explain ? Could you adjust the knob to an "in between setting" ?
Cheers.
Further comments
Thanks for your thoughts and reactions to the Urwerk watches. Alternative ways of time telling, not using traditional two hands, go back hundreds of years and while many companies, like AP, have dabbled I think it is true to say that Urwerk have made an art form out of it! Or certainly a consistent design theme across their watches.
And you are right that it takes one idea to resonate across the horological community and you see other watchmakers and companies building on designs or finding inspiration.
In addition to the complimentary Power and Efficiency displays, remember that the Efficiency display works in conjunction with the variable automatic winding. Yo can calibrate the winding to match your level of activity. Another benefit of this is that you are not allowing the automatic rotor to spin unnecessarily and thus reducing wear on this mechanism.
The Efficiency display also provides the same psychological impetus that a pedometer does - it encourages you to move away from your desk or out of the armchair to increase your measured activity.
Regarding the "Full", "Reduced" and "Stop" positions for the air turbine rotor damping system, I believe it is just the three positions rather than being continuously variable, but I am happy to be corrected. "Stop" will stop the automatic winding completely and turn the UR-210 into a manual wind watch. "Reduced" will decrease the winding efficiency by 20% and "Full" will allow the rotor to spin unhindered.
Regards
Andrew
I thought that it was a good review. I wonder of what use..
Is a power reserve if it is under two days? That is not just for an Urwerk.
I think an RdM indicator is ...
... useful on any automatic watch. The state of wind is so dependent on your degree of activity and winding efficiency of the movement that you otherwise never know the state of wind of the mainspring. [Completely unlike a manual wind watch that you can just wind to full whenever you wish - although the UR-210 gives you the option of manual winding as well.]
And although it may not apply to the Urwerk, there are many watches that have better isochronism and performance when they are more than half wound, at least in my experience. So it is helpful to see that there is a reasonable amount of power reserve on the mainspring.
Andrew