The Complex Urwerk EMC Gets A Stealthy SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ Makeover

Flying higher, longer and faster than any aircraft that came before it, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is a legendary marvel of engineering. So much so, that it still inspires people to this day. People like Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner, the gifted duo behind the hyper-technical independent watchmaker Urwerk. Their latest is the EMC SR-71, which is not only styled after the iconic SR-71 but also uses the same special alloy for its signature hand crank. Astonishingly, its creation was sparked by experienced watch collector Jason Sarkoyan and Dr Roman Sperl, the latter being an aeronautical engineer and specialist on the SR-71 Blackbird!

The Urwerk EMC is a mechanical-electronic hybrid watch and one of the most complex pieces coming out of the Geneva-based atelier. It was first introduced in 2014 to much fanfare and is now celebrating its tenth anniversary in this very fitting and technical manner. EMC is short for Electro-Mechanical Control, which immediately hints at what’s inside. Its unique features include a system to provide information to its owner that would normally make sense to a watchmaker. The crank on the side powers a Maxon generator, which in turn provides the energy for the micro-circuit in the movement. The processor serves as a reference oscillator and can compare the amplitude and rate deviation of the balance. This is shown on the dial of the watch, alongside the hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve. For a more detailed explanation, you can check out our previous in-depth coverage here!

The EMC SR-71 comes in a titanium and stainless steel ‘fuselage’ of 47.55mm in width, 49.57mm in length and 17.58mm in height (so yeah, it’s pretty big!). The crank is crafted from the same alloy used for the SR-71 spy plane, which is a mix of titanium, aluminium, vanadium, molybdenum and other elements. The indications on the dial side of the watch are spread out between the hours and minutes in the bottom-right corner, with the seconds right above that. In the top-left corner, the deviation of the movement is shown. The last indication is for the power reserve indication, underneath an arched sapphire crystal and with a simple red-to-white scale. All indications and hands are finished with luminescent material.

Around the back, a uniquely shaped crystal reveals the EMC’s unique movement. Between the top lugs, you can find the screw to fine-adjust the balance wheel if needed after determining its chronometric precision at the push of the button in the caseband. Yellow details over the balance wheel and other elements complete the aircraft-inspired theme. For the rest, you can see the double-stacked barrels and other components, finished with Côtes de Genève, sailing, micro bead-blasting, and chamfering.

Urwerk limits the EMC SR-71 to just ten pieces, in reference to its 10th anniversary this year. It’s worn on a green textile and leather hybrid NATO-inspired strap with a velcro fastening system. The price is set at CHF 150,000 excluding VAT.

For more information, please visit Urwerk.com.