Eccentricity in the world of horology is also becoming a commodity, but, thankfully, some watchmakers are still pioneers when it comes to design. Urwerk is a brand that’s cut from a different cloth, with watches that would make a bank manager wince.
And the label has released another curious gem: the Urwerk UR-210 Altin (below) – whose sister timepiece, the UR-202, will make its film debut in the sequel to the frankly awful Jackie Chan movie Chinese Zodiac. But don’t let that put you off as the UR-210 has Urwerk’s patented revolving satellite complication, with a “wandering hour and three-dimensional retrograde minute hand”, which sounds incredibly complicated but looks spectacular.
Also on board is the funky power-reserve indicator and an all new winding efficiency indicator, the superfluous addition of which is a mark of true eccentricity. The large watch is sized at 43.8mm in length and 53.6mm in width, with the case made of black titanium and Altin – a coating made of aluminium, titanium and nitride. Power reserve on this hungry beast is an unsurprising 39 hours and water resistance maxes out at 30 metres. Prices for the Urwerk UR-210 Altin are available upon request.
Next up is the decidedly filmic Rebellion T-1000 Gotham (top), which, given its name, wouldn’t look out of place worn by Bruce Wayne or wrapped around the giant wrist of Arnie in the Terminator film franchise. This is a monster of a watch in size, design and technical specifications.
The case measures a huge 52.2mm by 47.9mm and is made of super-strong titanium. The design could be called “future chic”, with its emphasis on a blocky engine feel and jumping hours likely to appeal to petrolheads. With regards to specifications, well, the T-1000 alludes to the frankly ludicrous 1,000 hours of power reserve. Yes, 1,000 hours, or 40 days, if you will. That makes the T-1000 Gotham the mechanical watch with the largest power reserve in the world and it carries this off with a patented system of six mainspring barrels.