Urwerk unveiled the UR-111C with a unique roller integrated into the top of the case which allows you to wind the watch by rolling your thumb or finger on the long fluted cylinder. Just 50 pieces will be available with only three actually available now—one for the U.S., one for Asia, and one for Europe. Bold and ultra-modern, the new creation gets rid of the signature wandering hours indication to restore another iconic display: linear retrograde minutes.
The $135,000 timepiece comes in a gunmetal, PVD-treated, sandblasted finish or in polished steel and has a unique new case construction, crown, and display of time. The watch case measures 46 mm x 42 mm x 15 mm, features jumping hours, retrograde linear minutes, digital minutes, and digital seconds.
Instead of pulling out a crown to set the time you swing out a lever from the side of the case and turn the roller in either direction. The hours and two versions of the minutes are displayed in cylindrical glass sapphire on the right-hand side of the watch (if you are wearing it on your left wrist). That way, when you are driving you never have to lift your hand off the wheel to read the time. The jumping digital hours and progressive minutes are displayed on rotating truncated cones left and right of the retrograde linear indication of the minutes. Digital seconds are displayed on the top of the case.
According to Urwerk, “The UR-111C’s digital seconds are mounted alternately on two tiny wheels: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 on one wheel, and 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 on the other. Each openwork seconds wheel weighs 0.018 grams (0.025g with numerals) miniature lacework in metal thanks to the LIGA process. The display appears unusually close to the wearer because the discs are placed underneath a so-called “image conduit”, positioned a tenth of a millimetre above the numerals. This circular window is made in precisely aligned optical fibres.
The UR-111C, which features 48 hours of power reserve, the movement beats at 4Hz is available now. Water-resistance is 30 meters, with just one timepiece currently available in the U.S.