URWERK UR-100V TIME AND CULTURE II talks about the brand’s Mesopotamian inspirations
The new Urwerk watch pays homage to the Sumerians of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Ur
Urwerk may have been in the watchmaking industry for just over 25 years, but its name was inspired by the Mesopotamian city of Ur in 3800 BC. The inhabitants of Ur, known as the Sumerians, were the first to define a unit of time - 60 representing seconds and minutes. In addition, "Ur" in German means "beginning" or "origin", while "werk" means creation, work and innovation.
Now, inspired by all of these aspects, Urwerk launches the UR-100V Time and Culture II, which features intricate details of the horological history associated with the city of Ur. This is the second version in the series, following last year’s UR-100V Time and Culture I, a watch inspired by 15th-century Mesoamerica and featuring the “sun stone.”
Measuring 41mm wide and 49.7mm long, the new steel-titanium model draws many design cues from the Mesopotamian era - the blue refers to lapis lazuli, a stone associated with Innana, the goddess of love, war and fertility, Inscribed between the lugs is Nanna, the main god of the city of Ur, the moon god. Beneath the sapphire crystal are several round particles and a sandblasted design inspired by the Mesopotamian era and its gods, including the sun god Utu, this time with a four-corner design representing the four cardinal points. (The sun is particularly relevant to the UR-100 series because the watch to its right shows the Earth's orbit around the sun, which is 35,742 kilometers every 20 minutes.
Additionally, there are Super-LumiNova® painted aluminum satellite hours crafted on a beryllium bronze Geneva cross, with a minute track at the base displaying a reading from 0 to 60 minutes, once 60 minutes is reached the minute hand disappears and reappears as a kilometer counter. Inscribed on the left side are 477.29 kilometers, which is the distance traveled by every resident of Ur. The self-winding UR 12.02 movement mounted on the titanium caseback is controlled by a Windfänger air screw, beats at 4 Hz and has a 48-hour power reserve. Paired with a pin-buckle Baltimore strap, this watch is completed.
Jacobs & Co. Astronomy
In 2016, Jacob & Co. launched the Astronomia, a revolutionary timepiece with unheard-of complications and proportions. The house of fine watchmaking and fine jewelry housed a vertically rotating movement in a 47mm gold case with a sapphire baseband and a satellite frame with four arms.
One is a biaxial tourbillon, another is a rotating dial fitted with a differential to keep it upright, one has 288 facets of Jacob's-cut diamonds representing the moon, and the fourth is a magnesium globe.
All four arms rotate on their own axes and a central axis as they orbit within the case in 20 minutes. Incidentally, this creates a third axis of rotation for the tourbillon cage.
With no crown, no central hands, the Astronomia has nothing in common with any other timepiece on earth. From the moment it took off from the Jacob & Co. launch pad, it set new standards in terms of high complications and showmanship.
Subsequent iterations and changes have sped up to 10 minutes per rotation, then 5 minutes, and a series of changes in complications, design and size.
Playful watches that appear like roulette wheels are nothing brand-new.
Recent might include the Jacob & Co Astronomia Casino Roulette Skeletal frame (worn on the wrist involving Canadian rapper Drake throughout 2020).
If that is a little rich for your body, there's a Toff London Roulette Wheel watch.
You lose the three-axis tourbillon, gold skeleton dial, magnesium globe and 288 issues with diamonds that spin over a wheel, but that debatably makes playing casino game titles a little easier.
The new Astronomia Casino carries a time-only central dial between the spinning wheel and its particular jump ball.
It still has the tourbillon, but this time on the underside on the 44mm polished rose gold wristwatch.
The tire is set to turn by a significant pusher on the left side of the case, nevertheless setting the time and gathering the new manual JCAM51 activity (with a 72-hour electrical power reserve) is done from the back side of the watch.
New Sapphire and Ruby Editions of the Patek Philippe 5271P Iconic movement, now inlaid with a large number of colored stones.
If there is one watch that perfectly defines Patek Philippe, it must be the perpetual calendar chronograph – the brand originally launched the combination of the reference 1518 and is now represented by the 5270. The watch debuted in a fairly unisex, slightly conservative version, but has recently been updated with bolder styles, such as a green-lacquered version for 2022. In addition, Patek Philippe also launched a platinum gem-set version, called 5271P. Previously available with diamonds and black dials, the ultra-luxury reference returns this year in two new colored versions, the new Patek Philippe Chronograph Perpetual Calendar 5271P set with rubies or blue sapphires, and a matching lacquered dial.
There isn't much word on about proportions and movement. The 5271P is nothing more than a stone-packed version of the already desirable high-end 5270. However, there are a few things to say about these new versions of the 5271P, as they follow the evolution of the green 5270P introduced earlier this year and represent the model's fourth generation - previous versions are covered in this guide In-depth article.
Bell & Ross is back with another black ceramic square meter, but this time it's a departure from the traditional emphasis on serious, military style. Immediately different from typical B&R products, the BR 03-94 multimeter prioritizes color and shape, sacrificing legibility in favor of style — which isn't actually a bad thing.
initial thought
The BR 03-94 Multimeter is ostensibly an instrument. The multi-scale dial measures heart rate, respiration or travel speed in three forms of exercise.
But that's how it works in theory. Filled with a plethora of colors, letters and numbers, it offers the wearer five different scales to match the chronograph, including three types of tachymeter scales, one for running, cycling and driving.
Granted, all of this is for aesthetic effect rather than practical use. The dial isn't the easiest to read, especially when driving or biking, but it sure looks cool. It's a far cry from B&R's usual military-inspired look, which can be drab.
Multiscale
The various scales on the dial are highlighted in different colours – orange, dark green, white, pale green and forest green. And each scale is attached with its own base and unit indicator, so the wearer can use the watch as a measuring device when the scale is read in sync with the running chronograph seconds hand.
While looking very different from the BR 03's fighter-instrument origins, the watch remains true to its roots with its signature four screws securing the round bezel to the square case. The table is modeled after the cockpit dashboard of a fighter jet.
The square case is made of virtually scratch-resistant matte black ceramic, with the addition of rectangular chronograph pushers and a knurled crown. It has a width of 42mm and a height of 12.80mm. The watch comes with a perforated black rubber strap and is water-resistant to 100 m.
Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Multimeter
refer to. BR0394-SW-CE/SRB
Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 12.8 mm
Material: black ceramic
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m
Movement: BR-CAL.301
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph
Frequency: 28,800 windings/hour (4 Hz)
: Automatic winding:
Power reserve: 42 hours
Strap: Rubber and additional fabric strap with Velcro closure
HYT H2 Aviator, a futuristic hydromechanical pilot watch
HYT, known for its smooth complication of displaying minutes, has released a newly designed H2 Aviator watch. The design was inspired by the pilot's watch and clock, which resulted in the futuristic hydromechanical pilot watch.
Designed with legibility in mind, the quarter-hour markers are now highlighted in red, and the hour markers are made of gray Super-LumiNova anthracite. Following the same theme, the central hour hand is now enlarged and tilted in red. The new Kevlar strap with contrasting red stitching looks great in the rest of the design update.
When will TAG Heuer 02 be launched? The thing is, TAG Heuer first announced its intention to reorganize the CH80 in 2014, but focused on the Heuer 01 based on the 1887 movement for a long time before revisiting Heuer02. They first introduced some tourbillon models using 02T. As a marketing strategy, it attracted the attention of the entire watch enthusiast. Soon after that, it was a wise tactical move, and they announced the more mainstream TAG Heuer 02 GMT Twin Time watch.