Urwerk
Urwerk is an independent Swiss haute horlogerie brand founded in 1997 by watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and designer Martin Frei. Based in Geneva, it is known for avant-garde watches built around satellite and wandering hour displays.
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Felix Baumgartner, Martin Frei |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Signature | Satellite hour display |
| Website | urwerk.com |
What is Urwerk?
Urwerk is an independent luxury watchmaker from Switzerland, founded in 1997 by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei. The founders first showed their work at the AHCI stand at Baselworld, and in 1998 opened their first atelier on rue de Cornavin in Geneva.
Products and positioning
The brand describes its watches as art that tells time, with a strong science-fiction influence and modern materials. Its signature is the satellite hour display: early models UR-101 and UR-102 used wandering hours, and the UR-103 of 2003 introduced the satellite configuration that many later models adopted. Milestones include:
- The Opus V created with Harry Winston (2005)
- The UR-202 Hammerhead with revolving satellites and telescopic minute hands (2008)
- The CC1 King Cobra with jumping hours and retrograde minutes (2009)
- The UR-1001 Zeit Device, its first pocket watch (2011)
- The EMC TimeHunter, which lets the wearer monitor and adjust the movement's rate (2013)
- The UR-105 CT Streamliner and UR-T8 Transformer (2017)
Why it matters
Urwerk helped define the modern independent watchmaking scene, showing that small makers could challenge traditional high watchmaking with new display concepts and an industrial design language.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Urwerk?
Urwerk was founded in 1997 by watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and designer Martin Frei.
What is Urwerk known for?
Urwerk is known for avant-garde watches with satellite and wandering hour displays, such as the UR-202 Hammerhead.