Introducing: The Urwerk EMC SR-71 — A 10th-Anniversary Edition Of The Innovative EMC
Let me take you back to 2014. This is the year that “Gangnam Style” reaches two billion views on YouTube and Luis Suarez bites an opponent at the World Cup. Did I refresh your memory? You would be forgiven if the 2014 GPHG award winners occupied a less prominent place in your mind. Let me refresh your memory there too: the Urwerk EMC (Electronic Mechanical Control) was the big star of the show. It won two awards — one for innovation and another for mechanical exception. Today, for the 10th anniversary of that milestone, Urwerk introduces a new version. This is the EMC SR-71.
The EMC SR-71 is a collaboration with Dreamland Aerospace. This lifestyle brand by Jason Saroyan and Dr. Roman Sperl aims to bridge the gap between space exploration, aerospace, and the luxury industry. The dynamic duo behind it approached Urwerk with some bits of an SR-71 Blackbird fuselage. Let’s see what the mad geniuses at Urwerk did with those bits…
The Urwerk EMC
But before we get into that, let’s do a quick refresher course on the Urwerk EMC. The core concept behind the original EMC was to provide greater engagement between the watch and its owner. This would be achieved by allowing the wearer to see how environmental factors affect a mechanical watch’s timekeeping. After all, a watch performs differently when sitting on your bedside table compared to on your wrist while scaling a mountain at sub-zero temperatures. Urwerk made this visible through a dial displaying “delta,” the current deviation of the watch’s accuracy in seconds per day.
But that’s not all. Seeing the delta is only half the fun. Urwerk also set out to enable the owner of the EMC to correct the delta without a watchmaker’s intervention.
The escapement and optical sensors under their yellow housing
So, how did Urwerk achieve this? The starting point is a fully in-house mechanical caliber. In-house designed, in-house developed, and in-house produced, that is. Next, quartz circuitry oscillating at 16,000,000 Hz serves as a reference time. Optical sensors monitor the balance wheel, and a module calculates the difference between the two systems. A separate dial displays the result in seconds of deviation per day. Lastly, a screw on the back of the watch allows the owner to make adjustments. This effectively shortens or lengthens the balance spring. The entire electronic circuitry takes its power from a hand crank mounted on the case flank.
The new Urwerk EMC SR-71
In summary, the EMC can show its wearer how accurately it is running at any given moment. If this turns out to be consistently slow or fast, the wearer can adjust it him/herself. Pretty neat, right? Now, this was all 10 years ago, so how does today’s release compare?
This anniversary edition is limited to only 10 pieces. Technically, it is very similar to the original EMC. This one, however, has an SR-71 Blackbird theme. The SR-71 is an iconic airplane from the Cold War era and is famously capable of flying more than three times the speed of sound (Mach 3). Its fuselage consisted of a mysterious titanium alloy of secret composition. Dreamland owns pieces of SR-71 fuselage and provided some to Urwerk. The brand then melted these pieces down and fashioned 10 cranks out of the mysterious alloy. These cranks power the electronic circuitry in the EMC SR-71.
The new version also pays homage to the Blackbird in looks. It has a black-coated case, like the spy plane, and the nylon strap takes inspiration from aeronautical safety straps.
Urwerk EMC SR-71 specs
The stainless steel and titanium case of the Urwerk EMC SR-71 measures 47.6mm across by 49.6mm long. The thickness is just under 18mm. That sounds positively gargantuan, but you cannot compare the dimensions of something as radical as this to those of traditional watch designs. The shot-blasted case houses four dials and a sapphire window in the case back.
Inside, we find caliber UR-EMC. This is a hand-wound movement with stacked barrels, resulting in 80 hours of autonomy. The balance ticks at a 4Hz (28,800vph) frequency, with two optical sensors flanking it, monitoring its performance. Although it looks thoroughly modern, the caliber features several manual decoration techniques typical of Haute Horlogerie.
A push-button on the underside pops out the crown to set the time. The time is displayed on two dials, one for the running seconds and one for the hours and minutes. The SR-71 titanium crank powers the circuit via a Maxon generator, enabling the display of the delta via the push of a second button. Lastly, the power reserve of the mechanical movement is displayed in the bottom-left dial.
Initial impressions
The original EMC was a true tour de force by Urwerk. The watch was thoroughly original in its concept, design, and execution. It showed that master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and artist/designer Martin Frei are an absolute dream team capable of pushing the boundaries of modern watchmaking. In fact, they prove there even is such a thing as modern watchmaking.
This latest version is a worthy successor to the original. I am usually not a big fan of putting bits of unrelated significant things in watches. It is a surefire path to a cheesy and contrived watch. Nine times out of 10, the result is gimmicky and more marketing fad than relevant watch. However, that leaves one out of 10 times when it actually works. I think this is the case here.
The crank made of SR-71 Blackbird titanium
If you had to think of a watch to go with the SR-71 Blackbird, a blacked-out Urwerk seems right on the money, especially one with a cockpit-style arrangement of dials. The connection is there, at least aesthetically. Next, Urwerk refrained from going over the top with it. So many other brands would have gone mad with Blackbird-shaped hands and “Warning” signs printed on the strap. Who would have thought that Urwerk would excel at keeping it modest? The watch is all the better for it!
Pricing and availability
The new Urwerk EMC SR-71 is priced at CHF 150,000 before tax. Only 10 pieces will be produced, so if you want one, I suggest you fly into Urwerk’s mailbox at Mach 3.
What do you think of the new Urwerk EMC SR-71? Let us know in the comments section below!
