Introducing The New URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket With A Matching Titanium Bracelet
Today marks the continuance of what is possibly one of my favorite watches from one of my favorite brands. The UR-100V welcomes a new addition to the fold in the form of the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket. The new model is a single-color version of the highly wearable UR-100V family, featuring several different shades of grey.
No, we’re not talking Christian Grey from 50 Shades Of Grey (although I’d let the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket handcuff me and leave me in a dark room). Instead, we see a celebration of the color grey, with hues transitioning from Payne’s grey to lead grey. And what’s the most striking feature of the new limited-edition UR-100V? It’s the fantastic, integrated titanium bracelet, which marks a first for the watches in this family.
Enter the Full Titanium Jacket
Metal bracelets are not common in the URWERK collection. There’s only been a couple of watches that received that honor as far as I can remember — the UR-210S Full Metal Jacket and the UR202S Hammerhead. That means that the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket joins a pretty exclusive club. Of the concept, Martin Frei, Chief Designer and co-founder of URWERK, said, “I have always envisioned and designed our creations on a metal bracelet. The latter is an extension of the watch around the wrist, and in my mind, it complements the design perfectly.” When we met with Martin at Geneva Watch Days back in September, he wore a UR210S Full Metal Jacket — an ode to this vision, perhaps?
…I have little doubt that this bracelet will be every bit as comfortable as it looks.
This beautiful titanium bracelet is composed of 32 separate sandblasted titanium links. This construction ensures the perfect aesthetic fit and integration with the case. It’s only over the last few months that I’ve come to enjoy titanium in watchmaking. I love the darkened finish it takes on when sandblasted. The URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is the perfect example of this. The lightweight nature of titanium also makes it an excellent option for a watch bracelet. I’ve not yet had the pleasure of experiencing this watch in hand, but I have little doubt that this bracelet will be every bit as comfortable as it looks. The links look incredibly ergonomic, and I imagine the sandblasted finish will sit very smoothly against the skin.
Improved legibility thanks to the URWERK Caliber 12.02
Aside from the makeover in shades of grey, on the inside, the UR-100V remains unchanged from recent releases. URWERK’s caliber 12.02 drives the carousel carrying the wandering hours on its three satellites. We first saw the caliber 12.02 on the UR-100V Iron in late 2020. A subtle upgrade from the original caliber 12.01, URWERK moved the digital hour display closer to the analog 60-minute scale for improved legibility. To know what I mean, you probably have to compare images of older and new models. The tweak is subtle but sensible and well-received by this writer.
Under the UR-100V’s towering domed sapphire crystal, the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket still offers the whimsical focus on our planet’s existence. When the minute indicator completes its journey across the 60-minute scale, it reappears on a 20-minute scale at 10 o’clock. This scale shows the distance you travel in 20 minutes as if you are standing on the equator. The opposite scale at 2 o’clock tracks your journey through space around the sun — 35,740km every 20 minutes, to be precise.
A broader appeal?
Where many of the brand’s other models in the UR-100V family have had a futuristic or sci-fi feeling to them, the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket feels distinctly more industrial. From images alone, it looks like a more traditional watch than its siblings, if I can even suggest that any URWERK creation “looks like a traditional watch”. It’s hard to articulate precisely what I mean. Still, I think the sandblasted finish and the all-out grey color scheme help scale back some of URWERK’s more “out-there” character, resulting in a watch that could well have some broader appeal.
…its stripped back and “simpler” visuals could help the “on-the-fencers” to jump off and into the luscious land that is the URWERK fanbase.
As a long-time fan of the brand, I struggle to think of a release I didn’t love. Still, one comment I’ve heard from friends and peers is that while they like the concept of URWERK’s satellite hours time display, the designs themselves have been a bit too bold for those with more traditional tastes in watch design. That’s a fair comment, and I understand where those people are coming from. That said, I feel that this watch is URWERK’s response to those comments. The UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket is quintessential URWERK. It’s still obviously a UR-100V, but its stripped back and “simpler” visuals could help the “on-the-fencers” to jump off and into the luscious land that is the URWERK fanbase.
Where does the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket leave you?
I was one of those “on-the-fencers” once upon a time, and it was the very first UR-100V that helped me make the leap into the URWERK fandom. It appears as though the Swiss masters of the avant-garde may have done it again with the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket. So, let me throw it over to you, the readers. Tell me what you think of this new watch. If you’re one of those people that has struggled to connect with the brand, how does the UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket make you feel? For those who are already on board, what do you think of the new bracelet? Let me know in the comments!
You can find out more about the URWERK UR-100V Full Titanium Jacket on URWERK’s website. If you want to add this watch to your collection, it’ll set you back a cool 55,000 CHF (excluding taxes). On a totally unrelated side note, if you know of any banks with large cash reserves and incredibly lax security measures, please send me a DM.
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