URWERK 201 bears an original nickname – Hammerhead. Its name as well as the shape of its sapphire crystal has been inspired by the silhouette of the shark. The case with its knife-edged lines reminds a WallyPower super yacht.
However, URWERK 201 has been created not only to impress by its rugged good look. It is astounding due to its technical prowess.
URWERK 201 displays the time with help of retractable minute hands that are housed by three revolving hour satellites. These hands are able to precisely adjust their length to follow three vectors with the minutes marking: 0 -14, 15 – 44, 45 – 60. The extended telescopic minute hands provide a wide, easy-to-read dial. When the hour hands get retracted, their reduced length offers a shorter and more comfortable case.
Every of the three satellites has four hours: 1/4/7/10, 2/5/8/11 and 3/6/9/12. When the new hour gets to the start of the minute chapter, the hand lengthens for indicating the minutes. When the hour passes, the two other hour satellites, with retracted minute hands, start rotating getting ready to take the center stage.The hour satellites that are shaped as angular truncated pyramids provide clear and instinctive time-reading from the side as well as from above. The length of the 201 together with the lugs is 43.5 mm – meaning the timepiece is really comfortable for wearing. If the hands did not retract, the watch would measure 50mm.
The micro-engineering feat described above has been achieved with help of special ‘transporters’. One end of the transporters follows a cam that plots the path of the minute indication, while the other end controls the precise length of the minute hand. The transporters are placed under the wings between the satellites. They were subjected to a special MOVIC surface lubrication treatment, having eliminated the need for lubricating oils. URWERK has undertaken a deep research into lubrication and metal treatment. As a result, the whole orbital complication requires no oil at all.
The 50-hour power reserve indicator is featured in the left part of the dial, while the day/night indicator is found on the right, thus creating a perfect balance.
The back of URWERK 201 displays the Control Board inspired by a sports car gauges. There is the ‘Oil Change’ indicator to remind the watch’s owner that it needs a service one in three years of being in use.The linear 100 Year Plus indicator is responsible for the same functions as a car’s odometer. It is the first ever horological odometer. It features an absolutely new and original indication. The 100 Year Plus indicator accounts the total time of the movement’s functioning for over a whole century.
It is noteworthy that the ‘Oil Change’ and ‘100 year plus’ indicators do not use the mainspring energy as they are operated from the crown winding. This way the watch’s creators protected the watch from power reserve reduction and the movement from any negative effect on accurate timekeeping.
URWERK’s signature Fine Tuning screw is applied for comfortable adjustment that gives the wearer a chance to tune precisely the watch timing to correspond to his own lifestyle.