URWERK Shoots Off The Spectrum With The UR-100V UltraViolet
In the world of watches, it takes a long time for change to happen. But, when it does, it flourishes. In my opinion, 2022 has been the year of color. We’ve seen a lot of brightly colored dials in watches, but one color has criminally been missing. Any guesses? OK, I’m sure the images have already given the game away, but would purple have been your answer? Well, it should have been. A surprisingly versatile hue, URWERK has decided to adopt it for its latest creation and addition to the UR-100V family. Meet the UR-100V UltraViolet!
At Fratello, we definitely fall into the purple-loving camp. Based on our recent purple-dialed Minase M-3 “Very Peri” project, you probably knew that already! Purple — or, in this case, violet — is a color that many watch brands have seemed to be afraid of adopting. The thing is, I don’t know why! URWERK, however, is not one to show fear in anything it does. That’s possibly one of the many reasons I fell in love with the brand and its creations.
The UR-100V is one of the best
The UR-100V collection is one I have written about a great many times. I’ve made no secret of my adoration for it. I’ve said that a UR-100V would be one of the very few watches, if not the only watch, that could make me into a one-watch guy. It’s URWERK’s interpretation of a traditional watch. I don’t mean that in the literal sense, as the brand’s signature satellite hours complication is not strictly “traditional” in the ordinary sense of the term (despite its historic origins!). It’s more that the watch is so well proportioned and sized and how effortlessly it sits on the wrist. The brand’s latest addition to the collection changes nothing about what makes the watch so great. Instead, it adds a new and fascinating personality to an already excellent watch.
Carrying on the “Miami Vice” vibes
Earlier this year, URWERK dropped the final member of its UR-220 collection in red gold with a white rubber strap. It was glorious, and some folks nicknamed it the “Miami Vice”. With its combination of a sporty white rubber strap and flashy case, it was truly the perfect nickname for such a creation. Following that release, I feel that the UR-100V UltraViolet also fits under the unofficial “Miami Vice” umbrella with its similar effortlessly cool vibe and colorful exterior.
Why UltraViolet for the UR-100V?
Ultraviolet light is part of the light spectrum. It has shorter wavelengths than visible light, which means it’s invisible to the human eye. Now, it’s impossible to use a color we cannot see for a watch, so URWERK chose violet, the stop before ultraviolet on the spectrum.
Martin Frei talks about the color that’s so special to him: “I like the fact that a color is much more than what we can perceive. The color spectrum visible to our eyes ranges from red to violet. Beyond that shade, the color turns into a waveform that our eyes can no longer detect, ultraviolet. I am fascinated by the idea of creating a watch that celebrates this boundary, this tipping point, this transition from perceptible to imperceptible. The UR-100V UltraViolet is about this exploration of the limits. Our UltraViolet conveys something mystical; it’s a hue that sits on the border of a dimension we call color.”
The UR-100V UltraViolet is a wonderful harmony of color
The UR-100V uses a titanium case which is sanded and shot-blasting before receiving that delicious violet DLC coating. Had you asked me what strap I’d pair with such a watch, I’m not sure what my answer would have been, but the white rubber renders that question moot — I cannot imagine anything else working quite so well. It allows the violet case to “shine” to its full potential without sharing the impact of color. URWERK has added a small splash of a third color to accent and complement: a vivid lime green adorns the three hour pointers on the central carousel.
Inside is the URWERK Calibre 12.02 with its three-satellite time display that I have come to know and love so well. The 12.02 is a subtle upgrade from the original 12.01 that debuted in the UR-100V collection. The redesign is reflected in the central carousel. The hour markers are placed closer to the minute scale for an even more intuitive and fluid reading of the time. This was the one minor gripe I had with the original UR-100V watches, and the brand resolved it last year.
URWERK UR-100V UltraViolet — Pricing and availability
The UR-100V UltraViolet highlights something I’ve long said about the UR-100V family. Despite the watch being a unique personality in its own right, URWERK has repeatedly shown the versatility of the silhouette with such different watches. Each new model has effortlessly slotted into the collection, and the UltraViolet does the same here. I think URWERK’s UR-100V UltraViolet is another big swing and a home run.
The URWERK UR-100V UltraViolet is limited to 25 pieces and is priced at CHF 55,000 excluding VAT. For availability, please get in touch with URWERK’s retailers, which you can find here. For more information on the UR-100V collection, please visit the URWERK official website.
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