Credits: Article and images by Joshua Munchow @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/01/20/urwerk-ur-112-aggregat-mechanical-compilation-to-the-extreme-plus-video-reprise/
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Architecture and new components and mechanisms
The construction of this type of mechanism required some new forms of components that Urwerk has never used before, the prisms on a planetary gear system being a big one.
But getting the power from the main part of the movement all the way to the front, where the cantilevered hour and minute displays are located, required a very long driveshaft. This shaft is hidden in the ridge of the case but translates the horizontal rotation of the movement into perpendicular rotation aligned with the case. It then translates that motion around another 90-degree turn to drive the hour and minute displays that are perpendicular to the movement aligned with the crown.
The drive shaft features two bevel gears on each end, and because it changes rotation direction twice the system had to be designed with extra power to overcome the torque loss. While that is sadly hidden, what it drives is not hidden thanks to two large sapphire cylinders completely surrounding the indications.
These crystals are protected with extensions to the titanium case, but they fully encase the cantilevered mechanisms to provide an incredible view into the movement.
That assembly method has never been seen before on an Urwerk and only has a few corollaries in the entire industry. It also allows the front of the Aggregat to feel much more like a spaceship (or submarine or Art Deco tank), which, at this point, is exactly the goal that Urwerk is clearly going for with the aesthetic direction.
One main repurposed architectural feature is the hunter style-cover, and I love how such a classic and historical idea can feel right at home on such a futuristic piece.
There is nothing about it that feels out of place, and it makes total sense for the aesthetic direction and for expanding the tactile experience of the watch. The name that Urwerk chose for the UR-112 Aggregat is clearly the perfect choice: “a whole formed by combining several (typically disparate) elements” applies in every way to this piece.
No one could say it doesn’t fit perfectly within the Urwerk stable of watches, and yet you cannot say it has a clear predecessor. It is truly a combination, an aggregate of what has come before with a handful of new ideas thrown in.
This is why when I first saw the movement during Geneva Watch Days 2021 I was so incredibly excited and why waiting for it to be released and see its final form felt like it took forever.
The wait was clearly worth it as there is only one thing I would change about this watch: its price. Unsurprisingly, it is well outside of my budget at CHF 250,000, not to mention it is limited to 25 pieces, so the chance to even see one is rare.
I’ll still count it as a win and long for it until the end of my days, or until Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei decide I should work for them and I can scrabble one together from spare parts!
Until then I’ll just focus on breaking this one down for you!
- Wowza Factor * 9.95 Urwerk is always on the top of my list, and this is high on my list of Urwerk. Just wow!
- Late Night Lust Appeal * 99.5» 975.762m/s2 Two cantilevered planetary gear systems with jump hours and hidden indications? Yes, please!
- M.G.R. * 71 It is stuff like this that got me into watches way back in the beginning, and this is nearly perfect in the ability to geek out about it. Simply amazing movement!
- Added-Functionitis * Mild A power reserve, the quintessential added function for manually wound watches, yet it still only requires children’s strength Gotta-HAVE-That cream!
- Ouch Outline * 13 Stepping on Legos in the middle of the night! Heck, let’s be real: I would run on a treadmill of Legos barefoot if it meant getting this watch on my wrist!!
- Mermaid Moment * What a display! I can’t help but be head over heels for a display and mechanism like that; Urwerk gets me every time!
- Awesome Total * 754.58 Start with the width in millimeters (42) and add the thickness in millimeters (16), then multiply by the caliber number (13.01) and the result is a drool inducing awesome total!
For more information, please visit www.urwerk.com/collections/ur-special-projects/ur-112.
Quick Facts Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat
Case: 42 x 51 x 16 mm, titanium
Movement: automatic winding Caliber UR-13.01, 48-hour power reserve, 28,800 vph/4 Hz frequency
Functions: digital jumping hours, digital minutes, digital seconds; power reserve
Limitation: 25 pieces
Price: CHF 250,000
* This article was first published 16 January 2022 at Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat: Mechanical Compilation To The Extreme (Plus Video)
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Credits: Article and images by Joshua Munchow @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/01/20/urwerk-ur-112-aggregat-mechanical-compilation-to-the-extreme-plus-video-reprise/