Urwerk
Urwerk EMC 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Urwerk · EMC
Urwerk EMC 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
Reference 21723OR.67
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Urwerk
- Collection
- EMC
- Model
- Urwerk EMC 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
- Reference number
- 21723OR.67
- Year / era
- 1997 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- Manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 500 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 80C — Manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1997 – 2010
- Limited-edition quantity
- 500 pieces
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Urwerk EMC 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic sits within Urwerk's EMC line, introduced in 1997. It carries the house codes established since 1997 — ceramic case, skeletonised dial and manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Urwerk
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1997
- Founder
- Felix Baumgartner & Martin Frei
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Swiss & Independent
- Major collections
- UR-100, UR-105, UR-210, UR-220, EMC
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic · Micro-rotor automatic · Satellite-hour automatic · Manual-winding, hand-finished
- Notable watches
- Urwerk UR-100 37 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k (1997) · Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Silvered 18k (1997) · Urwerk UR-100 43 mm Black Grade (2004) · Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Blue 18k (1997)
Brand history
Urwerk has spent more than 29 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's UR-100, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Felix Baumgartner & Martin Frei established Urwerk in 1997, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Urwerk calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1997
Felix Baumgartner & Martin Frei founds Urwerk in Switzerland.
2024
Urwerk continues to produce UR-100, UR-105, UR-210 and other icons in limited numbers.