Geneva, 4 February 2026. URWERK’s UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic does not simply tell the hour. It translates it. Time becomes distance, measured not in minutes but in the travel of light itself. The result is calm, exacting, and quietly provocative on the wrist.
The familiar URWERK wandering hour satellite still sweeps a minutes track, then sheds its earthly duty to mark a photon leaving the Sun and crossing the solar system. A three-dimensional planetary display anchors the reading. Each position is a fixed datum: the time sunlight takes to reach each planet.
The sequence is factual and oddly poetic. Mercury in 3.2 minutes. Venus in 6. Earth in 8.3. Mars in 12.6. Jupiter in 43.2. Saturn in 79.3. Uranus in 159.6. Neptune in 4.1 hours. What appears immediate is, in truth, delayed. Every ray is a memory.
Materially, URWERK moves beyond conventional ceramics with a proprietary composite that integrates finely woven ceramic fibres, glass fibre layers, and carbon within a polymer matrix. The aim is simple to state and hard to achieve: the visual precision of ceramic with markedly higher resistance to shock. A specially developed white resin reveals stratified layers when machined, creating a natural depth that shifts from matte to soft glow depending on light and angle.
The case measures 43 mm wide, 51.73 mm long, and 14.55 mm thick. A DLC-treated Grade 5 titanium caseback, micro-blasted, frames the rotor that evokes the Sun. Sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, and a 5 ATM rating keep practicality in the conversation. The strap is textured rubber with a folding clasp. Limited edition.
Inside beats the automatic UR 12.02 calibre regulated by the Windfänger turbine, which tempers winding efficiency. Frequency is 28,800 vph with a 48-hour reserve from twin barrels. Forty jewels support a kinematic architecture on triple ARCAP baseplates. Aluminium hour satellites ride beryllium bronze Maltese crosses around an aluminium carousel, while a black PVD aluminium rotor does the quiet work.
Finishing is purposeful: circular graining, sandblasting, shot-blasting, and circular satin across the visible surfaces, with chamfered screw heads as a nod to tradition. Hours and minutes receive Super-LumiNova for legibility without disturbing the geometry.
The UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic does not attempt to explain the universe. It does something more useful on a Tuesday morning: it scales cosmology to the wrist and lets you feel distance as time passes. Price: CHF 67,000 before tax.
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