Carved in Titanium, the Fully-Engraved Urwerk UR-1001 Amadeus

There’s nothing conventional at Urwerk, and hardly any watch feels classic. Even the watch with the most traditional display of the time, the UR-10 SpaceMeter, remains some sort of a horological UFO for the wrist. And when you move from the wrist to the pocket, the brand becomes even more expressive, as exemplified by the extraordinary UR-1001, a pocket watch like nothing else on the market. First released in 2011, this flagship model mixes the charm of a retro-shaped object with the futuristic style of the brand and an array of complications. Now, it becomes even bolder with a unique piece, part of Urwerk’s Special Projects collection, with a hand-engraved titanium hull by Florian Güllert.

What is the UR-1001…? Another UFO, for sure, as you’d expect from Urwerk. An Uber watch, also known as the Zeit Device, the 1001 is an extraordinary and complex timepiece that showcases Urwerk’s exceptional engineering prowess and innovative design approach, which combines a sense of industrial aesthetics with futuristic elements. With its 106mm x 62mm x 23mm dimensions and originally an AlTiN-treated steel case with titanium elements, it was a heavy pocket watch weighing over 400 grams, and it came with handmade, heat-blackened steel links featuring a bespoke Urwerk clasp.

Indications… Many. The hours were shown via the revolving satellite hour complication and retrograde minutes via the retrograde minute hand fixed to a sprung ring around the circumference of the satellite complication. This ring was pushed along a guide rail by the hour satellite, with star cams to release the minute hand when it reached the 60-minute mark, jumping back to zero to meet the next satellite hour. Months and dates were indicated by a familiar-looking satellite complication, an in-house developed revolving satellite calendar, with the month automatically adjusting the last date on the calendar complication according to whether it has 30 or 31 days, by an intervening finger of the Maltese cross.

The three Maltese crosses were mounted on the date wheel with 93 teeth, each corresponding to a satellite of four months at the opposite end of the date wheel. Below the calendar satellites, there was a running seconds three-handed indication on a 120° dial, displaying 3 x 20 seconds. Also, dial-side, the UR-1001 featured day/night and power reserve indicator sub-dials. The back side (once the cover was opened) revealed a 5-year oil change alert, a running-time indicator for 100 years and an additional linear running-time indicator for 1,000 years. An aperture allowed some view of the UR-10.01 movement.

This year, partnering with talented engraver Florian Güllert, Urwerk presents the unique (very likely commissioned) Urwerk UR-1001 Amadeus, a hand-engraved version housed in a titanium case. And this is no small feat, as “Titanium is particularly demanding, and it was a matter of preparing the raw material for hand-finishing. The project took nearly three months or around 500 hours of work, including the design phase, yet the most demanding part was undoubtedly engraving the caseback of the UR-1001,” explains Güllert. The backgrounds are textured, dotted, satin-brushed or matt, depending on the desired light effects. Every edge is honed with a file, every detail rebalanced until any boundary between the case and its decoration disappears.

A unique piece, the price of the Urwerk UR-1001 Amadeus is not disclosed by the brand. For more details, please visit urwerk.com.