Dating back 1997-2023, the entire URWERK fake collection explained
Discover one of the most fascinating and inventive independent watchmakers of the past 25 years.
Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, the visionary founders of Urwerk, deserve great praise for their outstanding contribution to the world of horology. Their talent, innovation and artistic vision propelled Urwerk to the forefront of avant-garde independent watchmaking. Baumgartner’s technical expertise and relentless quest to push boundaries resulted in groundbreaking timepieces that challenged conventional norms. His mastery of complex mechanisms and inventive designs elevated Urwerk to new heights, captivating watch enthusiasts and collectors the world over. Frei’s artistic sensitivity and creative genius played a key role in shaping Urwerk’s visual identity. His ability to fuse art and timepieces resulted in technically superior and visually stunning timepieces. His unique approach to design redefined timepieces, transcending conventional concepts and paving the way for the expression of the art of watchmaking. Baumgartner and Frei revolutionized the watchmaking industry with their daring approach to watchmaking. Their collaboration creates extraordinary timepieces that fuse mechanical precision, artistic aesthetics and futuristic concepts. The contributions of Baumgartner and Frei enriched the world of watchmaking and left an indelible mark on the industry. Their visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence continue to inspire and shape the future of the replica best watches industry.
And it all “started with a party with my cousin, the artist Christoph Draeger, who was throwing parties in Lucerne and Zurich with his artist friends. We were there with my brother (Thomas Baumgartner) These parties, at which we met Martin Frei” – Baumgartner recalls Urwerk’s early days.
Felix Baumgartner was born into a family of watchmakers, so it is no surprise that he followed tradition – he became a student and then graduated from the watchmaking school in Solothurn in 1995. His grandfather worked as a watchmaker at IWC, and his father, Geri Baumgartner, owned a workshop specializing in antique timepieces. In his father’s workshop he saw the night clock of the brothers Campanus (or Campani), with the wandering hours on it, which his father had made for the Pope in 1652 – the clock that inspired Urwerk’s first creations.
After graduating, Baumgartner worked with renowned independent watchmaker Svend Andersen in his Geneva-based studio, where Felix restored complex timepieces but was also able to work on his satellite displays, which It later made Urwerk stand out and became the iconic feature of Urwerk replica Watches swiss .
Martin Frei’s parents had careers far removed from watchmaking, but it seems plausible that he would eventually become a co-founder of Urwerk with Felix Baumgartner. His father was an engineer and his mother was an art scholar. Family must have influenced Martin to express his creativity, but it also taught him to appreciate science and technology—all useful. Studying graphic design at the Zurich Academy of Visual Arts reinforced his love for art, and he later earned a BA from the Lucerne Academy of Art and Design. Martin’s interests were boundless, and he was particularly interested in all things man-made in the universe, such as artificial satellites. It was satellites, not stars, that brought Baumgartner and Frey together.
Martin Frei was introduced by Christoph Draeger to Thomas Baumgartner, already an accomplished watchmaker, with whom Martin shared an apartment, before meeting Felix Baumgartner at an artists’ party. In addition, Draeger and Frei founded United Swiss Artists (USA), a collective of artists “always committed to creating conceptual art with humor and irony.” At one point, Thomas invited his brother Felix to a party and met visual artist Martin. “We started talking about watches, time, and watchmaking today… It was interesting for us to find meaning, and we are still searching for answers today”, quotes Felix Baumgartner in a 2016 interview with Monochrome.
History claims that the Baumgartner brothers explained to Frei their idea of making a satellite system watch, inspired by the Campanus brothers’ clock, which rotated the hours and also indicated the minutes. After some time, Martin Frey came back with the drawings. That was in 1995, two years before the Baumgartner brothers and Frei got into watchmaking (though Thomas left a few years later). In April 1997, at the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) stand at Baselworld (AHCI co-founder Svend Andersen helped Urwerk gain membership), the company presented its first watches, the UR-101 and UR-102, which were a reference to the Campanus A modern interpretation of a 17th-century time display with case designs inspired by the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo’s spaceship and the Soviet Sputnik.
To fully appreciate the shockwaves that the UR-101 and UR-102 brought to the rather conservative world of watches, remember that 1997 was before items like the Goldpfeil 7 Masters or the Harry Winston Opus collection and brought new independent watchmakers Came their attention and recognition. deserved. Of course, those who visited the AHCI space at Baselworld in 1997 encouraged Baumgartner and Frei, and even bought some timepieces. Despite this, Urwerk struggled as a commercial enterprise and remained on the verge of dissolution for the next few years until the release of the most enduring series, the UR-103, in 2003.
Furthermore, we invite you to travel through time and admire the evolution of Urwerk. In quickly describing the UR range we have focused on what makes them different and special, unfortunately had to leave out a lot of information as each of Urwerk’s creations deserves a book, hope you keep searching to find out more. perfect replica watches
UR-101 and UR-102: Advance
The first UR-101 had an asymmetrical 38mm gold case with lugs hidden beneath the case and two traditional lugs at the bottom; the UR-102 had a round 38mm stainless steel case with a top And the bottom has four lugs.
Both the UR-101 and UR-102 models feature a very atypical time display, inspired by the Campanus brothers’ papal night clock, with a silent escapement connected to the pendulum rather than a lip escapement (because it ticks too much Noisy, disturbing the insomniac Pope’s rest), it impressed Felix when it was fixed in Geri Baumgartner’s studio. Expect this old display to be mentioned as an inspiring feature. Still, the escapement solution and the candles in the clock that illuminate the display are just as important, as they embody Campanus’ determination to explore new approaches – as does Urwerk.
The first UR-101 and 102 had a unique roam time display. The roaming hour movement (self-winding, 44-hour power reserve, 28,800vph frequency) relies on a carrousel driving the hour module, with a disc pointing to the minutes on a semi-circular track. The hours are indicated by a small hole in a disc that rotates through a 120° arc to indicate quarter and half hours. This simple display was intuitive, yet still unique then and today.
Other iterations were released a few years later, such as the platinum UR-101 or the UR-102 “Night Watch” with luminous numerals. For 2022, the updated UR-102 Reloaded is available as a box set, including titanium and black versions, and a one-of-a-kind Cooper Jacoby x UR-102 Reloaded piece.
UR-103: Satellite and Control Board
The UR-103 series is an integral part of the history of horology. In 2003, after six years of research, Urwerk launched the platinum UR-103.01—the 103 series would become the company’s signature model for nearly a decade. Urwerk’s innovative approach to representing time and watch design is outstanding. Measuring 50mm by 36mm by 13.5mm, the futuristic alien case has nearly flat edges from its wide lugs at the top to its curved bevel at the bottom, and it has a rocket-engine-like Oversized crown, on top. The display runs along the bottom edge and is designed for easy reading while driving, and the travel time is somewhat similar to the UR-101, with hands on each satellite indicating the minutes along a 90° orbit.
In contrast to the original Urwerk movement, the UR-103 is a hand-wound movement running at 21,600vph. It uses four satellites as hour indicators, attached to an ultra-light titanium cross. On the first satellite are the numbers 1, 5 and 9; on the second 2, 6 and 10; on the third 3, 7 and 11; on the fourth 4, 8 and 12. However, earlier models had the “dial” hidden from view; with the introduction of the UR-103.3, the time disc could be viewed more through a U-shaped window, and later the case had a large window through which the entire Maltese cross arrangement.
Almost as exciting and revolutionary is the bottom cover, which Urwerk calls a control panel with a set of interactive functions. It includes overlapping 15-minute and seconds sub-dials synchronized with the main dial, a retrograde power reserve indicator, and external fine-adjustment screws for adjusting the movement.
As you can imagine, the UR-103 has been produced in various styles and iterations over the years. In 2004, Urwerk introduced the UR-103 Junkers, designed with the Junkers plane and thought, with proper engraving by Jean-Vincent Huguenin, and a slightly larger aperture for the time display. The UR-103.3 Targa (2005) had a window large enough to see all four hours of disc; most UR-103 models since then feature the Targa aperture. The 2006 UR-103 Blackbird had a platinum case with a black plasma enhanced CVD coating, and a limited edition platinum UR-103.05 and a diamond-encrusted limited edition UR-103.06 were launched the same year.
UR-103.08 TiAlN with TiAlN-coated stainless steel case marked 2007, 2008 UR-103.09 white or red gold UR-103 Hexagon black platinum limited edition of 10 pieces. 2009 Urwerk introduces the UR-103 Art Deco Special Edition featuring an Art Deco design and the UR-103T Tarantula in a full open AlTiN coated stainless steel case with ARCAP cross. In the last year, 2010, the UR-103 appeared in UR-103T Mexican Fireleg AlTiN steel or gold case and movement with orange markings, and UR-103T Shining T, in AlTiN gold case and movement With ARCAP and titanium movement components. Made for Only Online fake Watch in 2011, the white gold case UR-103 Phoenix, hand-carved by Jean-Vincent Huguenin, became the last of the collection.