URWERK – UR-100V Time and Culture II “Sumer”

URWERK: Time travel in Sumerian civilization with the UR-100V Time and Culture II

URWERK resumes its time leaps. Having left us in the heart of Native American civilization, we’re now plunged into the heart of Mesopotamian civilization. More precisely, in the city of Ur, where URWERK draws its inspiration.
In 3000 BC, the Sumerian inhabitants of Ur defined the very first unit of time, laying the foundations for the measurement of time as we know it today. The golden number was 60 – 60 seconds; 60 minutes.

Back to where it all began.

Here’s the second edition of the 100V line, Time and Culture: “Through my reading and travels, I’ve been lucky enough to discover the richness and diversity of Sumerian civilization. Their mythology is dense and fertile, their construction immemorial. This astonishingly little-known civilization is fascinating. For this new creation, I was delighted to stage some of its strong points: mythology, astronomy, astrology and the measurement of time,” explains Martin Frei, co-founder and artistic director of URWERK.

Thus, under the sapphire dome of the UR-100V Time and Culture II, known as the “Sumer”, stands a veritable Pantheon in honor of these distant and ancient divinities. For a collection – the 100V – in which one of the indications refers to the Sun, Utu’s central presence is easily explained. The Sun God is represented here in his original form, over 2,000 years old, yet with a strikingly contemporary aesthetic. A four-pointed sun recalling the four cardinal points.

Between the UR-100V’s horns, just in the shadows, as if sailing in orbit, stands the Moon God Nanna, principal deity of the city of UR.

The blue color of the UR-100V “Sumer” is a reference to Lapis Lazuli.

A stone whose use was linked to the Goddess Innana, Goddess of Love, War and Fertility. All that remains of the mineral is its immaterial dimension, its infinite blue color.
On the periphery, forming the backdrop to this UR-100V “Sumer”, spatial forms stand out. The astronomical knowledge of the Sumerian civilization is transcribed and highlighted here. Genuine sky maps. Planispheres testifying to their love of the night and its lights. It is even said that the first foundations of “our” astrology were laid at this time…
As with the first Time and Culture, the motifs here have been meticulously reproduced. The lines are fine, subtle and laser-engraved. The work must be admired with a magnifying glass to fully appreciate its precision. The ridged lines of the motif are satin-finished, while the hollows are micro-sanded for a velvety finish, to highlight the volumes and honor this priceless heirloom. The very basis of the URWERK name.

On this UR-100V from the Time and Culture line, the display of hours and minutes is complemented by data on the earth’s rotation. Once the 60th minute has been reached, the minute hand disappears and reappears as a kilometer counter. It illustrates the 477.29 kilometers covered every 20 minutes by every inhabitant of Ur. This is the silent journey made by the Earth’s rotation. At the exact opposite end of the scale is the Earth’s revolution around the sun, i.e. 35,742 kilometers per 20 minutes. On the face of the UR-100V, hours and kilometers share the same status, the same scale of value.