Urban Jürgensen — A Luxury Brand Revival Done Right

The watch market may be experiencing a relatively sluggish period, but that hasn’t stopped the revival and relaunch of several high-end brands. While the overall market may be quiet, the upper end is still going strong. Amidst this, Urban Jürgensen, the famed brand from Copenhagen, is now entering its third era.

Daniel Roth and Universal Genève are two brands that have recently returned from the ashes with upscale offerings and a focus on movements and finishing. Well, this is what we assume from the upcoming Universal mainline launches, anyway. With Daniel Roth, the watches have been received with near-unanimous praise. Now, Urban Jürgensen, with Kari Voutilainen as the CO-CEO, certainly seeks this level of reception with its first three releases. Let’s take a brief look at each.

The Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 flying tourbillon

The first release, known as the UJ-1, is available in three versions. A platinum version with a gray dial, a platinum reference with a silver dial, and a rose gold model with a silver dial. Each is limited to 25 pieces and takes inspiration from the brand’s Derek Pratt-designed Oval pocket created during the 1980s. While the layout and shape are simpler, the hands and arc-shaped power reserve display are reminiscent of the iconic piece. The watches have a diameter of 39.5mm and a thickness of 12.2mm. The case design is common to all the new models and includes short, slightly angled lugs. Interestingly, all of the new Urban Jürgensen watches have a depth rating of 30 meters.

Regarding the dials, each has hand-guilloché finishing in a Grain d’orge pattern in the main section. A Clous de Paris pattern is found on the sub-seconds dial. Applied silver or gold details are found throughout the dial on the satin-polished subdial and chapter ring.

An impressive in-house movement

The new UJ-1 movement is visible via a guilloché-engraved case back and bears a strong resemblance to the original movement in the Oval. It has a flying tourbillon movement with a remontoir d’égalité constant force mechanism. Again, this is similar to the original and includes dead-beat seconds. The caliber is manual winding, has a power reserve of 47 hours, and a frequency of 18,000vph. Naturally, Urban Jürgensen has gone to great lengths to decorate and finish the movement. 5N gold plating, perlage, and grenage are just some of the techniques found on this beauty. Of note is the polished central bridge spanning the width of the movement. All of this comes at a price, though. Each piece, regardless of the case material, is available for CHF 368,000.

The UJ-2, with a double-wheel natural escapement

The Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, with its relatively similar design, is undoubtedly related to the UJ-1. In these references, however, the running seconds subdial is off-center. These 39mm by 10.9mm pieces represent the brand’s first new serial production model and are available in four case and dial color combinations.

Platinum or rose gold models are on offer with either blue or silver dials. Each uses similar guilloché techniques below the domed sapphire crystal.

Once again, the UJ-2 movement is 5N gold-coated and uses a litany of hand-finishing processes, but it trades the tourbillon for a manual winding movement with a direct double wheel natural escapement. First conceptualized by Abraham Louis Breguet, the escapement has increased efficiency and better power transfer. However, it’s known to be extremely difficult to produce, and each example requires roughly 565 hours of production time. Urban Jürgensen makes a strong point when stating that this style of movement is used in its “base” model. Performance-wise, expect 52 hours of power reserve from a decidedly traditional movement that runs at 18,000vph. The price is set at CHF 105,000 regardless of the case material.

The Urban Jürgensen UJ-3 moonphase

The final new Urban Jürgensen release is the UJ-3, which features a perpetual calendar, moonphase complication, and jump mechanism at midnight. The 39mm by 13.9mm watches are available in platinum or rose gold with a black dial. Like the UJ-2, this is not a limited edition per se, but it will be an exclusive model.

Like the previous models, hand-made Grain d’orge guilloché is found on the main dial, and 45° Clous de Paris is used on the calendar subdial. On this model, a third handmade pattern, Sauté-piqué, is used for the minute track. All applied details are made from 5N gold or silver, and the hands are flame-treated.

The UJ-3 caliber

The UJ-3 caliber, developed by Andreas Strehler and Kari Voutilainen, is also visible via the sapphire display back. It is 5N coated and completely hand-decorated using grenage, perlage, and domed chamfering. Note that the leap year indicator is on the reverse side of the movement. Impressively, the fully integrated perpetual calendar function is accurate to within one day over the next 14,000 years! It will, however, need to be wound every 52 hours. Either case material is available for CHF 168,000.

Final thoughts

The new trio of Urban Jürgensen watches is impressive. Each contains classic styling with an air of modernity, especially as it relates to the clean case design. The movements are incredibly impressive, which isn’t surprising considering Voutilainen’s participation. Furthermore, the dials are gorgeous with the combination of guilloché patterns and satin-finished details. It’s a great and heady start. We’ll be keen to see how the brand continues.