Hands-OnThe Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 250th Anniversary Tourbillon

These people eagerly awaited news, speculating what parts of the "iconic" 1980s to 2000s era of Urban Jürgensen would carry on. For others, the relaunch is and will always be like the previous era: a bit esoteric and increasingly out of reach. No matter your side, it's hard to deny how fascinatingly the brand was revived (both horologically and as a holistic brand strategy). Bold is the perfect word.

The Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 Flying Tourbillon with Remontoir d'Égalité "Anniversary Watch" might be the single most impressive flagship watch to (re)launch a brand since A. Lange & Söhne's Tourbillon Pour le Merite in 1994. The technical expertise shown here is similarly difficult to grasp. In the coming years, you'll see more of the UJ-2 time-only watches, as shown below, and the curious UJ-3 perpetual calendar. In a way, they're the "Lange 1s" of this launch and will have their time in the spotlight. However, as our own Ben Clymer has bemoaned, kids these days don't appreciate the Lange Tourbillon PLM. It feels important to examine the UJ-1 more closely, as it may be the last chance for a while.

The Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 is inspired by the famous oval pocket watch designed by Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen, and equally amazingly executed. When Voutilainen took delivery of the Oval as Pratt's health declined, it still needed a lot of work. That has given Voutilainen plenty of experience with the conceptual aspects of the movement. And despite initial impressions, and while there have been several changes to the brand, the core DNA remains. Literally every single decision in design and watchmaking seems to be a thoughtful refinement of the brand's established 250-plus-year history. 

I was surprised when I first saw the new Urban Jürgensen watches in March. After spending time with the watches and studying Jürgensen's history, I believe Voutilainen has done a fantastic job of selecting parts of the brand's past that wouldn't seem repetitive. That itself was a challenge, he told me in an interview we recently published, as he drew on his favorite parts of the neo-vintage UJ era for his eponymous brand and had to venture beyond the corner he had painted himself into.

Certain parts of the Urban Jürgensen design language felt like a given. The guilloché, a hallmark of the most recent eras of Urban Jürgensen and Voutilainen's work, remains a distinctive feature. The horizontal grain d'orge on the center dial contrasts well with the polished and brushed outer and seconds tracks. The subsidiary seconds feature a finer Clous de Paris. The rose gold version feels the most traditional of all three, while the white-dialed platinum lacks some contrast, and the grey dial feels the most modern.

The Pratt era of Urban Jürgensen featured more traditional Swiss finishing, a legacy of the time when the Jürgensen dynasty integrated itself into the Swiss watchmaking industry. The watches were far more likely to feature Côtes de Genève and traditional Swiss finishing than the more Parisian-inspired frosted finish found on original UJ pieces, which were themselves more likely inspired by his contemporary mentor and his father's friend, Abraham-Louis Breguet.

The new collection is a more faithful interpretation of Urban (and Jules) Jürgensen's personal finishing, while incorporating more modern technical watchmaking techniques. The UJ-1's finishing is obviously exceptional. High-end finishing is a given and a reflection of the growing collector demand that has elevated expectations for finishing to nearly the same level as customers' expectations for technical watchmaking (for better or worse). In short, many buyers now care more that the movement is beautiful than it is novel. This is both.

The brand finished everything by hand from the ground up—the chamfers, black polish, and frosting, which cover most of the visible movement. The frosting on the Caliber UJ-1 was used on the mainspring barrel cover and smaller bridges of "The Oval." Here, the frosted finish was used throughout the movement, including a plate that covers the rest of the going train. In contrast, the original had a beautiful burst of stripes originating from the center of the tourbillon.

Voutilainen emphasized the depth and dimensionality that were a small part of what made "The Oval" so special, which is an aesthetic feat in itself, given that the watch is now only 39.5mm in diameter and 12.2mm thick. He also kept the aesthetic as simple as possible by hiding almost all of the going train under the plates of the movement. I'll explore the intersection of technical and aesthetic aspects later on.

The movement of the UJ-2 and UJ-3, seen below, is traditionally inspired. The shape of the bridge structure and placement of the jewels will instantly remind some collectors of some Jules Jürgensen calibers (including the one that served as inspiration for Japanese-born and Swiss-based watchmaker Yosuke Sekiguchi's La Primevère). The movement, however, is entirely different and an aesthetic homage that improves on the Jürgensen in more ways than the inclusion of a free-sprung balance with a direct double-wheel natural escapement.

The sort of wabi-sabi layout of the UJ-3 perpetual calendar, placement of the seconds subdial at 5 o'clock on the UJ-2 (similar to Voutilainen's 20th anniversary tourbillon), center post above the midline of the watch (weighting the outer track toward the top of the dial), is another homage to the past. This is a "form follows function" approach that Jürgensen himself took with his watches. Urban and Jules Jürgensen would place their subsidiary seconds at 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock, or wherever it naturally fell based on the gear train. In comparison, the UJ-1 remains most traditional in terms of established watchmaking design.

If the dial design was recognizable, the case shape and choice of lugs are probably the biggest point of confusion or contention among collectors. As mentioned before, if you read our earlier interview with Voutilainen, he's well aware that he has somewhat (unintentionally) limited UJ's options by creating watches under the Voutilainen name that draw on elements like the beloved Baumberger/Pratt era UJ teardrop lugs. It's worth reading his full thoughts, but essentially, Voutilainen saw this as an opportunity for a complete reset to a case design inspired by UJ's early marine chronometers. 

The teardrop lugs are there—sort of—with the profile of the lug taking a teardrop shape rotated 90º. These lugs remind me of those on the lower half of Hermes' Arceau case: short and a little stubby. The benefit is that they keep the slightly thicker case sitting lower on the wrist and fitting different wrist sizes due to the short lug-to-lug measurement. Add to that the engine–turned case back, and the case is incredibly refined, if lacking a bit of the quirkiness that made the previous era so charming.

I received several texts and Instagram messages about two quirks on the dials. The first was about the use of the numeral "0" in the place of "XII" on the dial. This was part of a larger brand redesign that included custom-made fonts. But Romans did not have a symbol to represent zero or "nulla." Instead, pocket watch collectors and French scholars might recognize that the concept is derived from watches made after the French Revolution for the ill-advised and short-lived French Republican calendar, also known as "decimal time." A decimal time pocket watch by Jules Jürgensen (shown below) served as inspiration, and I must admit, I love the quirk.

On the other hand, the inclusion of "Copenhagen" on the dial feels a bit forced. Aside from a brief buyout from Danish investors before the brand's acquisition by the Rosenfield-led group, the brand has not had any serious ties to or production in Copenhagen for nearly 100 years, if memory serves. The new watches are made in the brand's Biel, Switzerland workshop, and while there's no law stating that watches have to be labeled Swiss, 'Copenhagen' on the dial feels a bit odd, if not misleading. The hands also feel a bit dainty on the bolder dials, such as the UJ-1 with grey finishing, and could have benefited from a heavier Breguet-style handset as found on some of the Pratt pocket watches.

One of the only knocks I could make on the watch is that—lugs aside—it may nearly be too perfect. For a watch like this, I want to feel a sense of artisanal imperfection that conveys beauty, rather than one that is created by a company that continuously refines its design. I look back to photographer Roland Barthes, who looked for the "punctum," the thing that wounds you, amidst the "studium" of technical perfection. Roger Smith is a perfect example—his watches have the hand of the artist in them, a touch more than you see here.

Even if you disagree with some of the choices, it's impossible to say that Urban Jürgensen didn't consider nearly every tiny detail. It's probably the most aesthetically perfect Urban Jürgensen that has ever been made, or at least since Urban or Jules were alive to make watches themselves. That better be the case when you're making a limited run of 75 watches (across three materials) and asking just over $460,000 for each. The question is whether that aesthetic will resonate with the crowd that has grown fond of the more curious and less refined design of watches like the UJ ref. 2.

All of the technical and design work comes together in a nice and complete package. The UJ-1 is far from a daily wear watch, with a decent amount of heft on the wrist, but the shorter lugs allow it to be worn on smaller wrists than mine (like that of Stephen Pulvirent, in the images below). Voutilainen told me he made an effort to reduce the thickness more than he would have for a watch from his workshop, and at 39.5mm by 12.2mm, it is very comfortable.

The movement aesthetic is wonderful, but the miniaturization of "The Oval" is magnitudes more impressive. Yes, Voutilainen removed the moonphase by necessity and the thermometer by practicality—a mechanical thermometer on a wristwatch will nearly always read the wearer's body temperature uselessly—but he also took an incredibly complex pocket watch that measured 76mm by 62mm and reduced it by a factor of 2.5.

The UJ-1 also employs a Swiss lever escapement, rather than the detent escapement used in Pratt's Oval, and has modified several other components of the movement, including the shape of the tourbillon cage. However, Voutilainen's ability to give the watch remarkable depth despite its 39.5mm diameter is notable. The mainspring barrel sits high above the rest of the movement plate, with only the more visually important and compelling parts in main view. It's an effect that's hard to see in photos—the depth comes through more in three dimensions and in a smaller format than a large computer screen. For more illustrations of the Reuleaux triangle, you can turn to illustrations in "Derek Pratt: Watchmaker" published by the British Horological Institute, or a more in-depth look by A Collected Man.

The flying tourbillon and remontoir are impressive executions of Pratt's ideas. The remarkable achievement of Pratt's escapement used within the Oval—maybe the most representative part of the Pratt remontoir system—was not just the placement of it at the position of the escape pinion that would normally drive the tourbillon around the fourth gear. The addition of what is known as the Reuleaux triangle acts as a kind of cam system, wherein a rounded triangle of constant diameter remains in continuous contact with the tines of the fork, allowing it to rotate and shift the pallets of the remontoir. Pratt continued to use this escapement and further develop it, eventually turning to a Reuleaux-shaped ruby with lower friction and wear. However, the UJ-1 retains the original design found in Pratt's Oval with a steel Reuleaux triangle (as seen in photos published by Phillips). 

Another callback to UJ heritage is the use of a differential screw or cone and feeler mechanism, visible on the movement side, to show the power reserve centered at the top of the dial side. This is an anachronistic carry-over frequently found on marine chronometers (of which Urban Jürgensen made 45 during his lifetime), but not one completely without its contemporaries.

A feeler tipped with a ruby roller end measures the upward and downward movement of the cone (which is tied to a screw) as the power rises and falls. Watches such as the George Daniels Anniversary, the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2T, and most recently the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 all utilize a variation of this mechanism. It's not surprising, especially because Daniels and Ferdinand Berthoud both drew inspiration from those same marine chronometers.

Voutilainen told me that another challenge for miniaturizing the movement was the fact that the original movement of the Oval was key-wound and key-set, which meant he needed to design a keyless works that would fit in the movement. The movement lacks a stop-seconds function but the keyless works fit visually within the overall movement design and aesthetic—a successful design modification.

One criticism that I heard from a few collectors and was thoughtfully mentioned by SJX, the shape of the tourbillon cage has been altered to be better balanced against the weight of the remontoir but loses some of the beauty in the symmetry of the original movement. It's something I honestly didn't notice but once you see it, it kind of sticks with you. From what I can tell from photos provided by the brand, they've done away with the wolf's teeth gearing found on the original.

A recent comment on our introduction of the new Breguet anniversary flying tourbillon (with mystery mechanism) implied the release was boring for lacking any attempt at micro-mechanical innovation or technique. I actually found that watch incredibly attractive and exciting. You could make some of the same claims for the UJ-1 but miss the forest and the trees. Sure, the watch is a modification of theoretical groundwork that Derek Pratt laid in the 1980s, but to miniaturize it, refine it, and make it this beautiful, then do it 75 times is a feat worth shedding a bit of cynicism to enjoy.

At a significant price, in this case CHF 368,000 or around $460,00, there are a lot of ways you can spend your money. You could buy a Patek Philippe ref. 5004G or both a Patek ref. 5270P and a 5720J, and still have money left over. Two of Breguet's new flying tourbillons would still come up short. While there's nothing quite like the Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 on the market, it's worth examining the closest competition. 

Keep in mind, just like the UJ-1, all the watches listed below are either severely limited in production, availability, or require significant effort to establish relationships with the brand, but that's par for the course at this level. I'll also skip the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2T, which was released two years ago, or the Derek Pratt Remontoir d'Egalité by Luca Soprana, both of which have already been mentioned above.

The obvious comparison is Grand Seiko's groundbreaking Kodo, most recently released last year in the form of the "Daybreak" ref. SLGT005. The caliber 9ST1A movement was remarkable as the first-ever serially produced watch to place a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism on the same axis, winning the Chronometry Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2022. 

At CHF 382,000 upon release and limited to 20 pieces in two versions, it's both more expensive and more limited than the UJ-1. It also features a design that's far more futuristic than any other Grand Seiko, let alone the UJ, and doesn't fulfill the same purpose as a dress watch. It's also completely sold out; however, it's the only competitor in the integrated constant-force tourbillon game.

Another obvious choice is F.P.Journe. To keep things fair, I'm sticking with the current production Tourbillon Souverain ref. TV, which is slightly divisive among Journe collectors as being too large and thick for some. But the brand's history with the complication is unimpeachable. In 1999, Journe was the first to release a tourbillon wristwatch with remontoir, and the rest is history. At 42mm by 13.6mm thick, the watch is larger than the UJ-1 in all dimensions, but adds the unusual vertical tourbillon design. They're slightly more affordable, priced at $294,200 in platinum and $290,600 in rose gold. A more reasonably sized and traditionally designed 38mm version of the Tourbillon Souverain in platinum, from 2007, sold at Phillips New York earlier this year for $228,600.

Here's where things get interesting: Kari Voutilainen faces off against himself in this head-to-head. One of my favorite watches of 2024, Voutilainen released this piece to commemorate the creation of his first tourbillon pocket watch in 1994, the one that caught Peter Baumberger's attention and secured him as an early supporter. The 20th Anniversary release draws inspiration from the architecture of the original pocketwatch, featuring more traditional straight lugs and a coin-edge bezel, in a 40mm by 13mm case. However, the movement side is a bit crowded than the updated UJ-1. It's still beautiful, but different in a way that emphasizes the artisanal craft over aesthetic perfection. Prices are CHF 275,000 for rose gold and CHF 278,000 for white gold or platinum.

Leaning further into the artisanal craft is the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 (and now the Hand Made 2). I included both because each watch is made in only two to three examples per year, and each features a unique aspect of watchmaking similar to the UJ-1. As the name suggests, these two Greubel Forsey pieces are entirely hand-made (save for the sapphire glass and rubies). In that way, Greubel Forsey is in a class of its own. On the other hand, the Hand Made 1 features a tourbillon but does not have the remontoir like their Différentiel d'Égalité. The Handmade 2 skips the tourbillon and instead has the first conical sapphire cone and feeler power reserve, similar to the design of the power reserve in the UJ-1. The finishing on both is incredible, but so are the price tags: about $900,000 for the Hand Made 1 and $775,000 for the Hand Made 2.

Last but not least is a dark-horse release that came out earlier this year. We haven't gone in-depth or even had a Hands-On with the watch, but the watchmaking on the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon 11 (limited to 11 pieces) is nice. It lacks a little bit of je ne sais quoi—maybe identity—of the other pieces on the list, but from a technical standpoint, any watch that combines a constant force mechanism and tourbillon is quite a strong release. We briefly mentioned the watch earlier this year when Ed Sheeran surprised us by wearing one in TIME Magazine. John Arnold was a contemporary of Abraham-Louis Breguet and conceived of the tourbillon, which was eventually developed and patented by Breguet. It's also the most "affordable" pick on the list at $147,100.

We've already surpassed the length of multiple standard Hands-Ons, so I'll try to be brief. The UJ-1 is the perfect representation of the unexpected nature of Urban Jürgensen's relaunch. The massive launch party, the branding package with photography by a world-famous photographer featuring world-famous artists, photos of watches laying on a plate with herring—it's clear that the investors have taken the idea of building a commercial brand seriously and aren't planning to manage the company as an artisanal independent but quickly pushing toward something like F.P.Journe's 1,000 mechanical watches per year. 

According to our interview, Voutilainen appears to hold more conservative opinions about the rate of growth possible, but if they can maintain the quality—which they've said is of top importance—I see no problem with the brand's ambitious approach. The only longer-term concern is one that a brand like F.P.Journe, Voutilainen, or MB&F will eventually have to consider: what might a brand look like when its eponymous creator or horological creative is no longer involved?

However, it's clear that not only was every part of the brand launch considered, but nearly every part of each of the watches released was equally scrutinized. The fact of the matter is that there's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most impressive wristwatches to stake a brand relaunch in many years, and with the UJ-2 and UJ-3, it forms a solid backbone for growth for the foreseeable future.

For more information the Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 250th Anniversary Tourbillon, visit the brand's website.