Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Superb Elegance of the Urban Jürgensen 1140L Platinum
Understated... but simply beautiful!
At first glance, the Urban Jürgensen 1140L Platinum is a “simple” three-hander. Do not be fooled by seemingly understated aesthetics, however. Designing a beautiful dress watch is not an easy task. The devil is in the details… and in the case of this UJ 1140, details are everywhere.
The Urban Jürgensen 1140L Platinum was presented in 2015. Just a few months after the acquisition of the brand by a group of Danish investors, the brand presented five new variations of the reference 1140: a rose gold with silver dial, a yellow gold with black dial, a white gold with blue dial, a 40mm version of the GPHG 2014 best men’s watch winner with detent escapement and this (superb) platinum version.
Superb two-tone dial
The first thing to catch my attention when going hands-on with this elegant three-hander was the splendour of its dial. Made of one solid silver plate, it is magnificent, designed and crafted to perfection. The outer part is circular brushed (brossage for those eager to build their French watchmaking vocabulary) to obtain a satin-like finish. The centre is sanded (sablage) resulting in a matte surface, contrasting with the rest of the dial. The minute and small seconds chapter rings are pearled using a diamond tool. The small seconds sub-dial is hand-guilloché with a basket-weave (panier) pattern.
While the dial is silver-coloured and encased in white metal, it is never plain or boring. On the contrary, it is full of details and plays a lot with contrast and depth. And the execution is simply impressive.
The arched cartouche is also circular brushed. The hand-applied white gold Arabic numerals stand out with their elegant cursive typography. The numerals are curved and hand-polished, which creates a subtle play of light.
The dial is paired with superbly crafted blued-steel hands. The white gold “eye” on the hour hand is diamond-polished and click-mounted. For more details about how Urban Jurgensen manufactures its hands, you can read our dedicated article here.
The signature Teardrop Lugs
At 40mm in diameter, the case will fit most wrists perfectly. It is crafted in the noblest of all metals, platinum. Once again, it is the result of an elaborate manufacturing process. It is a three-piece construction with a slightly domed sapphire crystal and a sapphire caseback. The beautiful teardrop lugs are individually forged and soldered to the middle part, in a way which makes the soldering line invisible.
Proprietary high-end movement
Turning the watch over, the exhibition caseback offers a superb view of the proprietary Calibre P4 (manufactured together with Chronode, exclusively for UJ). This hand-wound movement measures 32mm x 5.20mm. Beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, the large balance is held in place under an openwork transversal bridge. The stop seconds mechanism allows for precise time setting. The two barrels can store up to 72 hours of power reserve. The decoration includes fine anglage including sharp angles, perlage, blued screws and Geneva stripes radiating from the oscillator. The watch’s individual number is inscribed on a small plate riveted to the movement.
The Urban Jürgensen 1140L Platinum comes on an alligator strap. It is secured to the wrist by a platinum pin buckle. A folding clasp is available on demand.
Pricing
The Urban Jürgensen 1140L Platinum is a timeless, quintessential dress watch, yet with a twist. It is understated and highly refined at the same time. What makes it stand out is how it couples an elegant, balanced design with a meticulous hand finish. The watch retails for EUR 39,500.
For more information, visit www.urbanjurgensen.com.
5 responses
No doubt this is an ultimate three-hand watch(I even use mine as a daily watch). But for the similar price, I would choose the rose gold 1140C instead.
Although this UJ 1140L dial design looks very similar to one of the most beautiful pieces in Patek’s current catalog 5196P, the proper size of the P4 movement fitted in this UJ 1140L and the open caseback that lets you admire the beauty of the P4 movement are the definite pluses over Patek.
It looks like a Breguet timepiece. Elegant but a homage to the great master.
To me it looks French, with a touch of America. Very nice. I am sure photos don’t do it justice. But one aspect of this watch seemed sub-standard, in those pictures at least. The crown. Is it Pt950? It seemed…dull compared to the austere perfection of the rest of the piece.
@Franc UJ has a history no less than Breguet. It also no need to be a homage to Breguet, because I think all their details and executions are better than Breguet.