Key Highlights
- 25-piece limited edition reviving a founding URWERK archetype from 1997
- 214 D-E-F VVS+ responsibly sourced diamonds totalling 1.63 carats set into a 41mm steel case
- Satellite wandering-hours display on two satellites, read across a 180-degree arc
- Calibre UR-1.01V self-winding movement, 28,800 vph, 48-hour power reserve
- Priced at CHF 85,000 excluding tax
An Idea Preserved, Then Released
Certain objects are never meant for public consumption. URWERK has long kept within its workshop a body of one-of-a-kind pieces that exist for no reason other than their own coherence — not rejects, not prototypes, but finished arguments held back from trend cycles and media noise. Among them is a singular early creation that moved time along a 180-degree arc beneath a diamond-studded vault, years before such thinking entered the mainstream of avant-garde horology. The UR-101 Diamond Sky is that idea made available at last, issued in a strict edition of 25.
Felix Baumgartner, co-founder and master watchmaker, positions it precisely: “The UR-101 is our starting point. It contains everything that has become emblematic of URWERK: the satellite display, time’s motion expressed as a path, along with the desire to offer a dial representing a break with traditional norms.” The Diamond Sky edition, he adds, does not revisit the past — it extends an intuition that was always present. The steel case creates a striking contrast with the diamonds, joining technical rigour to aesthetic clarity.
Case as Cosmic Chart
The 41mm steel case has been mechanically engraved with a geometric network that evokes an abstract constellation. At every intersection of that engraving sits a diamond — not placed decoratively, but integrated as a fixed reference point within a universe that is always in motion. The 214 stones are graded D-E-F VVS+ and are responsibly sourced, totalling 1.63 carats. Their hexagonal arrangement is the work of co-founder and artistic director Martin Frei, whose brief was structural first, beautiful second.
“The diamonds are points of light, guiding us as the stars do,” says Frei, citing the German poet Christian Morgenstern. “Their hexagonal arrangement follows a clear principle: in space, stars bear witness to the laws of nature; on our dial, they create balance, connecting top and bottom.” The result is a surface that fragments, reflects, and scatters light with every wrist movement, while the mechanics beneath remain legible and relentless. Nothing occupies the case by accident.
The Wandering Hours Mechanism
The satellite display is URWERK’s most distinctive contribution to independent watchmakers. Two satellites carry hour numerals that travel across a 180-degree arc from left to right — sunrise to sunset — passing over a fixed minute scale. The crown is positioned at 12 o’clock, the lugs are angular, and legibility is unconditional. Hours and minutes markers are painted with Super-LumiNova® for constant readability.
Driving the display is the Calibre UR-1.01V, a self-winding movement with 28 jewels, running at 28,800 vph and offering a 48-hour power reserve. It is built from copper, brass, and ARCAP P40, with finishing that spans snailing, sandblasting, satin-brushing, and chamfered screw heads. The sapphire crystal is glareproofed and metallised. Water resistance is pressure-tested to 30m. The strap is textured white rubber with a black calfskin lining, closed by a steel pin buckle. Full technical information is available on the official URWERK website.
Why It Matters
At CHF 85,000 across only 25 pieces, the UR-101 Diamond Sky addresses a collector who treats a watch as an argument rather than an accessory. For the GCC market, where the appetite for pieces that sit at the intersection of mechanical invention and haute joaillerie continues to grow, this edition from one of Geneva’s most rigorous independent ateliers arrives at exactly the right moment. It is not a compromise between watchmaking and jewellery — it is evidence that the two disciplines need no hierarchy between them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the URWERK UR-101 Diamond Sky different from other luxury watches?
The UR-101 Diamond Sky features URWERK’s signature satellite wandering-hours display, which moves time across a 180-degree arc from left to right. The 41mm steel case is mechanically engraved with a geometric constellation pattern and set with 214 D-E-F VVS+ diamonds totalling 1.63 carats arranged in a hexagonal structure that integrates diamonds as fixed reference points rather than decorative elements.
How many URWERK UR-101 Diamond Sky watches are being made?
The UR-101 Diamond Sky is issued as a strict limited edition of exactly 25 pieces, priced at CHF 85,000 excluding tax. According to co-founder Felix Baumgartner, this edition revives a founding URWERK archetype from 1997 that was previously kept within the workshop as a finished concept.
What movement powers the UR-101 Diamond Sky and how long does it run?
The Calibre UR-1.01V self-winding movement powers the watch, operating at 28,800 vph with 28 jewels and offering a 48-hour power reserve. The movement is constructed from copper, brass, and ARCAP P40 with detailed finishing including snailing, sandblasting, satin-brushing, and chamfered screw heads.
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