Urwerk UR-230 Eagle

Whenever Urwerk adds a new timepiece to the collection, it’s always extremely exciting. With this year’s edition of Dubai Watch Week, the duo of Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei are elevating the UR-200 family to another level with the arrival of the UR-230 “Eagle”. This “Eagle” adds something new to the collection with its exterior, design and mechanics. With signature satellite display, wandering hours and retrograde minutes hand, there’s been an engine upgrade and a high-tech makeover.

The brand’s signature turbines have been improved upon through innovative shock absorbers designed to protect the all-new, in-house UR-7.30 caliber. A first set of turbines is dedicated to attenuating the impact of any external shock, thereby guaranteeing the robustness and durability of the watch. A second set controls the flow of air that feeds the winding system. The strength of this “air brake,” designed to modulate the winding power according to the wearer’s level of activity, is set by a rotating knob on the back of the watch. From a technical standpoint, this is a huge step forward in the complexity and robustness of Urwerk’s signature turbine rotors.

Another Urwerk signature element, the UR-230 “Eagle” features a cover that provides protection for the large sapphire crystal covering the wandering-hour mechanism. It may seem like a simple addition on the surface, but it was no small engineering feat considering the cover’s braking system that denies the possibility of slamming into the sapphire crystal. Crafted entirely out of CTP Carbon, the material offers a great combination of light weight, durable stiffness, and matte aesthetic effect.

Black, light and rigid, this carbon is machined in superimposed layers, pressure-bonded at high temperatures. The resulting block is then worked into the mass, following a pattern that reveals the layers in a regular, controlled geometric pattern. The back is made of grooved and perfectly dermo-compatible black DLC titanium.

Within the UR-200 family, the UR-230 “Eagle” is an evolutionary step that broadens the scope of the brand’s design and technical feats. Sure to be a hit amongst collectors, the UR-230 is limited to 35 pieces.