Urwerk
Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Blue 18k
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 · UR-100
Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Blue 18k
Reference 70229OR.84
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Urwerk
- Collection
- UR-100
- Model
- Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Blue 18k
- Reference number
- 70229OR.84
- Year / era
- 1997 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 40B — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1997 – 2009
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Urwerk UR-100 42 mm Blue 18k sits within Urwerk's UR-100 line, introduced in 1997. It carries the house codes established since 1997 — 18k rose gold case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and micro-rotor automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
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.