Urwerk UR-102 « Gaïa »

It is an iconic model, jealously safeguarded until now at the heart of the watch Maison, since it marks the beginning of the URWERK adventure in the 1990s. The foundation stone. A watch of almost disconcerting simplicity, with a wandering hour as its only marker of time. The UR-102. This one-of-a-kind model in asphalt- coloured anodised aluminium with a platinum caseback has been newly enhanced with a midnight blue lacquer. It will be auctioned on 6 November 2021 on behalf of the "Only Watch" charity to fund research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This unique piece embodies the wild aspirations of a team composed young dreamers who had only just graduated – from the School of Arts for Martin Frei and from the Solothurn Watchmaking School for Felix Baumgartner and his brother. In 1997, they set out to conquer the world, armed with a brilliant idea and modest capital. Their first watch, the UR-102, was presented at the Baselworld watch fair on the booth of the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants). This model ran resolutely counter to existing and generated a certain amount of controversy at the time its launch. It is now the symbol of victorious pugnacity, of salutary stubbornness. What a destiny!