Introducing the URWERK UR100V Time and Culture II "Sumer"
In 2019, we celebrated Urwerk’s launch of the UR-100— the brand’s smallest and slimmest watch to date. The model by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei was an instant home run, and so are all the other iterations of the watch from the Blue Planet to the “C3PO” to the UR-100V Ultraviolet to the Time and Culture I. This is one of the most dynamic, exceptional canvas for the mastermind duo’s most creative ideas. Now, Felix and Martin have returned with another edition – the Time and Culture II.
Leaving Amerindian civilizations in the UR-100V Time and Culture I, Urwerk plunges into another world – the ancient Mesopotamian civilization and the metropolis of Ur. Sumerians inhabiting Ur were the first to define units of time. Their sexagesimal system (counting to 60) for mathematics and astronomy is the foundation on which 60 second and 60 minute standards exist today. This is a timepiece that pays homage to where it all began.
Rife with the symbols of ancient Sumerian, this UR-100V showcases the sun, front and center, as a nod to Utu, the principal god of sun in Sumerian culture. Between the lugs of the UR-100V, only just in the shadows and as if floating in orbit, sits the moon god Nanna, the chief divinity of the city of Ur. The blue color of the UR-100V 'Sumer' refers to lapis lazuli, a stone whose use was linked to Inanna, goddess of Love, War and Fertility. All that remains here of this material is its immaterial dimension, the infinite blue color.
Just as with the first Time and Culture, the motifs here have been reproduced with the utmost meticulous care. The lines are fine, subtle and laser-engraved. The accuracy of the work can only be appreciated through a magnifying glass. The ridges of the motif are satin-brushed, while the hollows are micro-sandblasted to create a velvety finish designed to highlight the volumes and do justice to this priceless heritage – the very foundations of the URWERK name.
Striking in its appearance and limited to 30 timepieces, UR-100V Time and Culture II is sure to be a hit amongst indie collectors.
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UR-100V Time and Culture II
Price - $82,000 USD
Calibre - Selfwinding UR 12.02 movement governed by a Windfänger airscrew.
Jewels - 40
Frequency - 28 800 v/h – 4 Hz
Power reserve - 48 hours
Materials - Aluminium satellite hours on beryllium-bronze Geneva crosses; aluminium carousel; ARCAP dome
Finishing - Circular graining, sanding, shot-blasting, circular satin finishing; Chamfered screw heads; Hours and minutes painted in Super-LumiNova®
Indications - Satellite hours; minutes; rotational distance at the city of Ur in 20 minutes; orbital distance in 20 minutes.
Materials - Case middle in steel; case-back in titanium .
Dimensions - Width: 41.0 mm, length: 49.7 mm, thickness: 14.0 mm
Glass - Sapphire crystal
Water resistance - Pressure-tested at 3ATM (30m)
Strap - Baltimore; pin buckle