Limited to 25 pieces, this special edition of the UR-100 makes use of a rarely seen metal, and in creating this piece, Urwerk was inspired by the naturally occurring metal alloy, Electrum, which was once used to create coins in Ancient Egypt. The metal is distinguished by its pale golden glow, a mixture of silver and gold, with small amounts of other metals. The natural texture of Electrum is, with this example, emphasised by the concentric ridges of the case, creating a mesmerising pattern reminiscent of carved stone.
The UR-100 offers a contemporary take on the wandering hours complication, with a skeletonised view of the mechanics and a futuristic design inspired by space exploration. It displays time thanks to three satellite discs, which rotate on a centre wheel, where the hour and minute hands are usually attached. The hours on the disks point to the minutes on a 120-degree sector, gliding over them over the course of an hour. The rotating ring turns 360 degrees, one full turn, in 3 hours.
It is believed that the wandering hours complication was first used on a night clock designed for Pope Alexander XII in 1656 by the Campani brothers, a well-known family of clockmakers in Rome. The insomniac pope requested the ability to read time in the dark, so an oil lamp was placed inside the clock case, illuminating the dial and allowing him to read the time through the open-worked numerals. The concept was briefly translated to pocket watches but was supplanted by the two-hand method of displaying time. It is either an improbable coincidence or an early source of inspiration that Baumgartner’s father was once involved in its restoration, at a time when his son would have been around the workshop.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this Urwerk UR-100 Electrum will be subject to 20% VAT.