In late January, during a special introduction event in Geneva, Urwerk took their next step while proudly unveiling the UR-203. At first glance the UR-203 looks somewhat similar to its brother, the 202; sporting the same aggressively designed geometric case and similar rotating carousel with flipping display cubes. Upon closer inspection you see that Felix and Martin spent some time stripping down the design to its bare minimum. Skeletonizing the carousel and using an ARCAP P40 stable non-ferrous and non-magnetic alloy, not only giving the observer an inside look of how the display mechanism operates but also reducing the weight of the carriage by 65%; which now weighs a mere 3.57 grams.
Regarding the development of the UR-203 Felix Baumgartner explains “This UR-203 is a wild idea of Martin Frei“, he continues. “Martin imagined a stripped down model distilled to its pure essence. We had to start again at the beginning to develop this model, we sat down at the drawing board and completely reconsidered the satellite module. The horological challenge with this complication was to develop a complex mechanism with the minimum of components to ensure its reliability and longevity.”
Those familiar with the UR-202 will recognize the automatic movement that uses mini turbines to regulate its winding in the new 203, but it has been tweaked a bit hence what powers the UR-203 is a new Caliber, the UR 7.03. The UR-203 will have a very limited production run of only 20 pieces all in a black PE-CVD coated platinum case micro-sanded with a titanium back plate.
