Urwerk
Urwerk UR-105 42 mm Ice Grade
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-105
Urwerk UR-105 42 mm Ice Grade
Reference 44631OR.14
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Urwerk
- Collection
- UR-105
- Model
- Urwerk UR-105 42 mm Ice Grade
- Reference number
- 44631OR.14
- Year / era
- 1997 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- Satellite-hour automatic
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 500 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 63C — Satellite-hour automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1997 – 2004
- Limited-edition quantity
- 500 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Urwerk UR-105 42 mm Ice Grade sits within Urwerk's UR-105 line, introduced in 1997. It carries the house codes established since 1997 — grade 5 titanium case, ice blue dial and satellite-hour automatic — 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.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.