What is most fascinating is not so much the complexity of the mechanism as the spectacular transformation that takes place in a fraction of a second, every hour. It is a true mechanical choreography, as ingenious as it is mesmerizing. The version in natural titanium, free of any embellishments, allows this extraordinary architecture to take center stage. A creation that demonstrates once again that URWERK does not seek to make watches that are simply different, but to invent a new way of reading time.
A New Dimension of Time
A New Dimension of Time
With the UR-300 Time Quantum, URWERK turns away from celestial trajectories to explore the infinitely small. Inspired by quantum physics and particle interactions, this creation introduces a completely new mechanical architecture, in which the time display is entirely transformed with every hour change.
Since its founding, URWERK has cultivated a radically different approach to watchmaking. With the UR-300, Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei once again push the boundaries of the wandering hour display, the historic signature of this independent Swiss watchmaker.
A Mechanically Evolving Architecture
At the heart of the UR-300 Time Quantum, two time modules arranged perpendicularly form a T-shaped architecture. Each houses two three-sided prisms, enabling the assembly to display all twelve hours.
The prism at the base of the T indicates the current hour and moves along a 108-degree arc, graduated from 0 to 60 minutes.
At the sixtieth minute, a spectacular transformation takes place. The entire mechanism instantly advances 72 degrees, the two axes of the T swap positions, and the four prisms pivot simultaneously to reveal the next hour.
Unlike the retrograde displays traditionally used by URWERK, this new mechanism operates on a prograde principle: the display continues to advance forward without ever moving backward.
This mechanical metamorphosis takes place in a fraction of a second. It is no longer simply a hand that jumps, but an entire architecture that deconstructs and reconstructs itself.
Mastering Energy to Power the Movement
Behind this choreography lies a true micromechanical challenge. The UR-30.01V automatic caliber must precisely store and then release the energy required to move multiple components simultaneously, while managing the constraints of inertia and friction.
To achieve this balance, URWERK has developed a modular complication combining planetary gears, a cam, a rake, a spring, and Maltese cross indexing.
The movement also features the patented Dual Flow Turbines system, designed to regulate automatic winding. Powered by a dual barrel, it offers a 44-hour power reserve.
The assembly reveals a design in which every mechanical element contributes to a perfectly synchronized transformation.
Natural Titanium: The Essence of Mechanics
This edition stands out for its case crafted from natural Grade 5 titanium, whose technical aesthetic particularly highlights the watch’s volumes and three-dimensional construction.
Measuring 45.2 × 58.8 mm and 18.25 mm thick, the UR-300 asserts an architectural presence characteristic of URWERK creations.
The anti-reflective sapphire crystals allow the wearer to observe the interactions between the various time modules, while three hands share the seconds display across a 120-degree sector.
Offered in a limited edition of just 25 pieces in natural titanium, the URWERK UR-300 Time Quantum opens a new chapter in the history of wandering hours.
A watch that no longer merely indicates the passage of time: it gives it form, movement, and a physical dimension.
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- Brand: URWERK
- Model: UR-300 Time Quantum
- Version: Natural Titanium
- Collection: UR-300
- Type: Self-winding mechanical watch
- Limited Edition: 25 pieces in natural titanium
- Main Complication: Wandering hours with prograding modules and instantaneous display reconfiguration
- Production: 25 pieces in natural Grade 5 titanium
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- Material: Natural Grade 5 titanium
- Dimensions: 45.2 × 58.8 mm
- Thickness: 18.25 mm
- Crystals: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: Tested to 3 ATM (30 meters)
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- Architecture: Dual time modules arranged in a T-shape
- Hour display: Four three-sided prisms distributed across two modules
- Minute display: Prograde indication over a 108° arc, graduated from 0 to 60 minutes
- Time change: Instantaneous reconfiguration of the time display
- Module rotation: Advances 72° with each time change
- Seconds: Three hands, each displaying 20 seconds over a 120° arc
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- Wandering hours with three-dimensional display
- Forward-running minutes driven by planetary gears
- Instantaneous time change via rotation and permutation of the modules
- Synchronized rotation of the four hour prisms
- Seconds display across three successive 20-second sectors
- Integrated shock-resistant safety mechanism
NATO Strap
Movement
- Caliber: UR-30.01V
- Type: Self-winding mechanical movement
- Winding: Unidirectional rotor
- Winding mechanism: Dual Flow Turbines, a patented URWERK system
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
- Power reserve: 44 hours
- Barrels: Dual barrel
- Number of jewels: 40
- Escapement: Swiss anchor escapement
- Balance wheel: Monometallic
- Hairspring: Flat
Time-keeping mechanism
- Complication: Planetary reconfiguration module, patent pending
- Transmission: Planetary gears
- Control: Cam, rack, and spring
- Indexing: Maltese cross
- Operation: Instantaneous prograde jump at the 60th minute
- Safety: Shock-absorption device integrated into the mechanism
Movement materials
- Time modules: Copper-beryllium, brass, and anodized aluminum
- Mainplate: ARCAP AP1D and titanium
- Specific components: Nickel produced using the LIGA process
Finishes
- Pearl finishing
- Satin finishing
- Côtes de Genève
- Angled and polished screw heads
