Urwerk
Urwerk UR-220 38 mm Green Sapphire
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-220
Urwerk UR-220 38 mm Green Sapphire
Reference 28365OR.77
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Urwerk
- Collection
- UR-220
- Model
- Urwerk UR-220 38 mm Green Sapphire
- Reference number
- 28365OR.77
- Year / era
- 1997 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Green sunburst
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Green sunburst
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 21A — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1997 – 2008
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
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 UR-220 38 mm Green Sapphire sits within Urwerk's UR-220 line, introduced in 1997. It carries the house codes established since 1997 — sapphire crystal case case, green sunburst dial and micro-rotor automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- 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.