In the sphere of independent watchmaking, certain names evoke an immediate expectation of the unconventional, a departure from the round cases and three-handed displays that have defined horology for centuries. URWERK is chief among them, a brand built on the foundation of satellite hours and science-fiction-inspired forms. The announcement of a new timepiece from the minds of Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei is typically a signal to prepare for a new way of reading time. The UR-10 SpaceMeter, however, presents a fascinating paradox. At a quick glance, it possesses features that seem almost antithetical to the established URWERK design language: a round dial, a central pair of hands, and concentric counters. It is an initial presentation that could cause a follower of the brand to do a double-take, questioning if this is truly from the same workshop that brought the world its signature wandering hour complications.
Upon closer examination, this initial sense of cognitive dissonance fades, replaced by the realization that the UR-10 is not a retreat from the brand’s core identity but a profound exploration of it from a new vector. This is unequivocally a product of URWERK’s “Special Projects” family, a collection reserved for the most experimental and boundary-pushing concepts. It reinvents the brand's approach to displaying information without sacrificing the intellectual and mechanical audacity that defines it. The UR-10 proves that URWERK’s spirit is not tied solely to a specific type of display, but rather to a philosophy of questioning what a watch can and should measure. It is a piece that feels both like a departure and a homecoming, a coalescence of history, future, and the vastness of the cosmos itself.
Courtesy of URWERK
The story behind the UR-10’s genesis is not one of a sudden creative impulse but of a deep, personal connection that bridges generations of watchmaking. The journey began with Felix Baumgartner's father, Gérard, a distinguished restorer of antique clocks. In 1996, Gérard discovered a unique pendulum clock bearing the signature of Gustave Sandoz, a master chronometer-maker from the 19th century who served as the Horologist-Mechanic to the King and Navy of France. The clock was an enigma. It featured three subdials that bore no resemblance to a conventional time display and a pendulum that beat with an unusually rapid cadence. It was a puzzle that intrigued Gérard, a man deeply versed in the traditions of his craft.
Patiently disassembling and studying the mechanism, Gérard Baumgartner unraveled its secret. He was not looking at a timekeeper in the traditional sense, but a mechanical marvel designed as a planetary trajectory tracker. It was a regulator clock conceived to measure the distance the Earth travels during its daily rotation. The three subdials tracked this astronomical journey across different scales. This discovery of a 19th-century instrument that measured space instead of time was a revelation. It was a piece of forgotten horological science, a testament to an era when clockmakers were also astronomers and physicists, charting the heavens with gears and springs.
Once the restoration was complete, Gérard gifted this extraordinary clock to his son, Felix. The gesture was layered with meaning. "My father, a custodian of horological tradition, gave me a classic clock, with regular hands… that do not tell time. To me, a watchmaker creating atypical, handless watches alongside Martin Frei,” Felix recalls. This clock became a tangible link between two worlds: the father's dedication to classical horology and the son's relentless pursuit of its futuristic disruption. It was more than a gift; it was the spark, the foundational concept that would directly ignite the creation of the UR-10, the first-ever chronometer to express the Earth’s celestial movements in kilometers.
Courtesy of URWERK
The UR-10 is aptly named the SpaceMeter, as its primary function is not to track the passing of hours and minutes in isolation, but to quantify our planet’s journey through the cosmos. While it features a conventional analog display for local time with central hour and minute hands, its true purpose is revealed in the three subdials that dominate the dial. These are not chronograph counters or calendar indicators; they are astronomic instruments for the wrist. Each one provides a distinct measurement of our terrestrial voyage, transforming an abstract concept into a tangible, mechanical reality that unfolds with each passing second.
The subdial positioned at 2 o’clock is marked “EARTH” and is dedicated to measuring the distance our planet travels during its daily rotation on its axis. As the Earth spins, a point on the equator moves at a tremendous speed. This counter tracks that journey in increments of 500 meters, with the hand advancing to mark every ten kilometers traveled. It is a constant, subtle reminder of the dynamic state of our world, a motion we are part of but can never directly perceive. It grounds the wearer in the immediate physical reality of our planet's movement.
Directly opposite, at the 4 o’clock position, a second counter marked “SUN” quantifies a much grander journey. This subdial registers the distance the Earth travels in its massive orbit around the Sun. This celestial circuit is a journey of nearly a billion kilometers completed each year. The hand on this counter advances in 20-kilometer steps, with numerals marking every 1,000 kilometers completed. This indication provides a sense of scale, contrasting the daily spin with the far longer and more significant annual revolution that governs our seasons and our very existence.
The third and most complex indicator is located at 9 o’clock, labeled “ORBIT.” This counter ingeniously combines both trajectories into a single, synchronized display. It features two scales, inscribing every 1,000 kilometers of the Earth's rotation and every 64,000 kilometers of its solar orbit. This dual display acts as a synthesis of the other two, providing a comprehensive, multi-layered view of our movement through space. It is the mechanical heart of the SpaceMeter concept, a clever piece of engineering that showcases URWERK’s ability to translate complex data into an intuitive visual format.
Courtesy of URWERK
The watch’s case is a masterclass in complex simplicity. Hewn from titanium for the upper case and steel for the caseback, it presents a sleek, almost severe octagonal profile with a sandblasted finish that absorbs light and emphasizes its geometric form. This is one of the thinnest cases ever produced by URWERK, measuring just 7.13 mm in height, a remarkable achievement given the complexity of the mechanism within. The construction is highly specific, eschewing a traditional middle case or caseband. Instead, the upper and lower sections are fitted directly into one another and secured by a longitudinal screw from the side, a technique Martin Frei notes is reminiscent of constructions used by the legendary Gérald Genta. This method creates a clean, symmetrical, and incredibly solid structure.
Visually, the dial is presented in two versions: a stark, industrial gray PVD and a deep black PVD. Both versions feature intricate finishing that creates depth and texture. The main dial surface is adorned with a fine circular graining, while the subdials at 2 and 4 o’clock have a thin sandblasted texture for contrast. The combined orbit counter at 9 o’clock repeats the circular graining, tying the design together. The hands themselves are thoughtfully designed for legibility and purpose. The primary time-telling hands are a modern syringe shape, filled with SuperLumiNova for low-light visibility. In contrast, the hands for the distance indicators are a more classical Breguet shape, a subtle nod to the 19th-century Sandoz clock that inspired the entire project.
Flipping the watch over reveals a caseback that is just as engaging as the front. A peripheral hand traces the hours on a 24-hour scale, mirroring a full rotation of the Earth. Engraved indications for “Rotation” and “Revolution” are present, with the former read clockwise and the latter read anti-clockwise. This opposition is a poetic reflection of the Earth’s own anti-clockwise revolution. At the center, through a sapphire crystal window, is a mesmerizing mechanical spectacle: the patented Dual-Flow Turbine. This component, composed of two stacked and counter-rotating propellers, is not just for show. It is a critical part of the self-winding system, designed to create air friction that slows the rotor when it spins in the non-winding direction, thus protecting the entire mechanism from excessive stress.
At the heart of the UR-10 is the Caliber UR-10.01, a self-winding movement that represents a collaboration of expertise. The base caliber was developed in partnership with the esteemed Vaucher Manufacture, ensuring a robust and reliable foundation that could meet the demanding technical constraints of the project. Built upon this base is the complication module, conceived, developed, and assembled entirely in-house by URWERK’s watchmakers. This module posed significant challenges, particularly in the fields of weight and energy management, areas where URWERK has consistently focused its research and development efforts.
Courtesy of URWERK
To power the multiple, constantly moving indicators of the SpaceMeter without compromising the 43-hour power reserve or the movement's accuracy, extreme measures had to be taken to reduce friction and inertia. The solution was found in the use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques. The gear train employs skeletonized wheels made using the LIGA process, a technology that allows for the creation of components with extreme precision and minimal mass. Some of these wheels weigh as little as 0.009 grams, a mass comparable to that of a single human eyelash. This obsessive focus on lightness ensures that the movement operates with maximum efficiency, preserving the energy from the double barrel to accurately express two different cosmic rhythms within a single mechanism.
The integrated bracelet is a seamless extension of the case's design philosophy. Crafted from sandblasted titanium, its single-link construction feels both architectural and ergonomic, conforming to the wrist while maintaining the watch's robust, technical aesthetic. It fastens with a titanium deployant clasp, ensuring security and a clean, uninterrupted look. The finishing of the bracelet perfectly matches that of the case, creating a unified object that feels as though it were machined from a single block of metal. Every angle and facet of the bracelet has been considered to complement the lines of the octagonal case, resulting in a cohesive and visually powerful design.
The UR-10 is more than a technical achievement; it is a piece of mechanical philosophy. Martin Frei describes it as a reflection on our place in the universe, a sentiment that runs through all of URWERK’s work. The watch forces a shift in perspective. While we are bound by the human construct of time, measured in hours and minutes, we are also passengers on a planet undertaking an immense journey. The UR-10 makes that journey visible, connecting the wearer to the fundamental cosmic mechanics that govern our existence. It is a reminder that every passing moment is also a passage through millions of kilometers of space.
This timepiece serves as an invitation to reconsider what truly defines URWERK. The brand's identity rests on three conceptual pillars, all of which are perfectly embodied by the UR-10. The first is the element of human connection, seen in the legacy passed from Gérard to Felix Baumgartner, and in the unbreakable creative bond between the two founders. The second is a commitment to a perpetually evolving design language, where forms are constantly in flux, moving from reinterpretation to radical leaps. The third is the symbiotic relationship between this design and a relentless drive for horological invention, pushing the limits of materials, mechanics, and displays.
Courtesy of URWERK
The URWERK UR-10 SpaceMeter is a watch that challenges expectations, even those of the brand's most ardent followers. It demonstrates that the soul of URWERK is not confined to satellite discs but resides in a deeper desire to explore the relationship between mechanics, space, and time. By looking to a 19th-century masterpiece for inspiration, Baumgartner and Frei have created one of their most forward-thinking and conceptually rich timepieces to date, a bridge between horological eras and a mechanical ode to our planet’s silent, ceaseless journey through the void.
The UR-10 SpaceMeter is offered as a limited edition. The sandblasted titanium version with the gray dial is limited to 25 pieces, and a black version is also available in a limited run of 25 pieces. Reflecting the immense research, development, and craftsmanship involved in its creation, the watch is priced at CHF 70,000.00.
Case: Sandblasted titanium uppercase and sandblasted steel caseback. Width: 45.40 mm; length: 44mm; thickness: 7.13 mm. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Water resistance of 3 ATM / 30 m.
Movement: Caliber UR-10.01 self-winding movement with double barrel. 43-hour power reserve, 4 Hz (28,800 a./h) frequency, 44 rubies. Patented Dual Flow Turbines with two counter-rotating propellers for the rotor.
Dial: Black or gray PVD with circular graining and sandblasted finishes. Central hours and minutes with syringe-shaped hands (SuperLumiNova). Three subdials with Breguet-shaped hands indicate Earth's rotation distance, Earth's solar orbit distance, and a combined orbit counter.
Strap: Sandblasted titanium single-link bracelet with a titanium deployant clasp.
Price: CHF 70,000.00
Reference Number: UR-10
Notes: Limited edition of 25 pieces in the titanium version and 25 pieces in a black version. The watch is a "SpaceMeter" that measures the distance the Earth travels during its daily rotation and its orbit around the sun. The caseback features a 24-hour display indicating Rotation and Revolution.