URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba

With the UR-101 Green Mamba, URWERK revisits one of the seminal watches in its history. First unveiled in 1997, the UR-101 already foreshadowed the principles that would make the independent Swiss watchmaker a benchmark in avant-garde watchmaking: an unconventional design, a unique time display, and a resolutely sculptural approach to mechanics.

Nearly thirty years later, Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei breathe new life into this iconic creation with a particularly radical interpretation, pairing a deep black case with an intense emerald green display.

The UR-101 Green Mamba plays on a striking contrast. Its asymmetrical case, crafted from black PVD-coated steel, seems to absorb light, while the hour display emerges through an arched aperture in a luminous green that evokes both the navigation instruments of a spaceship and the gaze of a mamba lurking in the darkness.

The Wandering Hour, URWERK’s Historic Signature

At the heart of this automatic mechanical watch, the UR-1.01V caliber powers a wandering hour system based on two satellites. The hours move successively along a graduated arc, allowing for the simultaneous reading of hours and minutes.

This mechanism, which has become one of URWERK’s most recognizable signatures, transforms the reading of time into a kinetic experience. The hour markers and minute indices are treated with Super-LumiNova, enhancing their legibility in the dark.

The apparent simplicity of the UR-101 Green Mamba thus conceals true mechanical sophistication. Nothing is superfluous: the display alone constitutes the watch’s aesthetic and functional expression.

A Compact and Unique Design

With a diameter of 41 mm and a thickness of just 10.3 mm, the UR-101 Green Mamba features relatively modest proportions for a URWERK creation.

Its black PVD-coated steel case and caseback emphasize the asymmetrical lines of the original model. The metallized, anti-reflective sapphire crystal preserves the visual purity of the design, while the black rubber strap lined with calfskin ensures aesthetic continuity with the case.

The automatic movement offers a 48-hour power reserve and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Its components—made of copper, brass, and ARCAP P40—feature various finishes, including circular graining, sandblasting, satin finishing, and beveled screw heads.

A limited edition of 50 pieces

Produced in a limited run of just 50 pieces, the URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba establishes a dialogue between the manufacture’s early creations and its contemporary horological language.

More than just an aesthetic reinterpretation, it serves as a reminder that URWERK’s identity has, from the very beginning, been rooted in a simple idea: to challenge the traditional way of representing time.

The Green Mamba offers a particularly minimalist demonstration of this, where the black background almost makes the watch disappear, leaving the stage entirely to the movement of time.