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lot 07

Urban Jürgensen

Blue

This watch was featured at the "Contemporary Independents" auction

Starting bid CHF 30 000
Hammer price CHF 45 000
Total bids 16
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Specification

CasePlatinum case 950/1000 with teardrop lugs & sapphire caseback
StrapDark blue Alligator strap with a original platinum folding clasp
DialBlue engined turned dial, with Breguet numerals, small seconds at 6 o'clock
MovementHand-wound movement, with blued screws, two mainsping barrels, balance bridge, limited edition number 09/30
Cal.UJ P4
Ref.1140L PT
Movement No.09/30
D=40 mm
Year2017

Condition report

Case:Very good, small signs of wear
Strap:Good, signs of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:All functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 320°
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx +5 sec/day
Box:Yes

Details 

A fine, very rare and impressive mechanical platinum limited-edition Urban Jürgensen wristwatch. Limited edition launched in 2017. Platinum 950 case, diameter 40mm, 10.5mm thick, sapphire caseback. Solid-silver blue guilloche dial, white gold hands and applied so-called Breguet-style Arabic numerals. Manual-winding Jürgensen P4 caliber, double-barrel, power reserve up to 72 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand. Dark blue leather strap with Urban Jürgensen platinum 950 double folding clasp. Limited edition of 30 pieces. 

Lot essay 

The modern Urban Jürgensen collection is positioned as a watch for collectors. Since the 1970s, the brand has been owned and led by passionate watch lovers and professionals. Therefore, although the brand has not achieved wide popularity, it is highly rated among connoisseurs who are able to appreciate the work and skill invested in the creation of each timepiece of the brand. 

The present limited edition was launched in 2017 as a continuation of the classic Reference 1140 watch line, produced since 2015 in strictly limited numbers. Although this reference is equipped with the simplest movement in terms of functions – with manual winding and a small seconds hand – it is a luxury collector’s watch of the highest level of execution, one of the best in the industry. 

The watch case is produced manually according to traditional technology, with the case ring and Jürgensen’s trademark teardrop-shaped lugs made separately to be soldered later. Connoisseurs note the impeccable craftsmanship of this operation, where the soldering line is almost impossible to detect during visual inspection. All parts of the case are carefully polished. Special attention should be paid to the concave profile of the bezel, which is rare in modern classic watches. 

The combination of the extraordinary artisanal workmanship, traditional design and haute horlogerie execution and finishing of the movement, undoubtedly adds to the appeal of this lot.

The solid-silver dial is also an outstanding display of traditional craftsmanship. Its decoration uses three techniques, a barleycorn guilloché motif for the centre, a vieux panier (basket weave) guilloché motif for the small seconds sub-dial, and fine circular brushing for the chapter ring. All decorations are made by hand on a rose machine. The applied white gold Arabic Breguet-style indexes are also handcrafted, with fine ‘bombé’ (domed) shaped detailing and a carefully polished surface. Equally difficult to make are the solid white gold ‘observatoire’ Urban Jürgensen hands, which are mirror polished. The notable ‘eye’ of the hour hand is a solid gold insert, concentrically diamond polished and friction-fitted into the hand – techniques similar to those used by the renowned Kari Voutilainen. 

The movement inside is a P4 caliber manufactured by Chronode (complications atelier of Jean-François Mojon), exclusively for Urban Jürgensen. It’s a manual-winding movement, featuring a traditional design with a large balance and a fine finish, which also shows a lot of manual work and high class. Radial Côtes de Genève, coming from the balance, are complemented by such a rare and expensive feature as the sharp inner corners of the bridges’ polished chamfers; this is the sort of high-end finishing detail that even the best brands have often phased out of their standard movements due to the difficulty and costs of their execution. 

In 2021 Kari Voutilainen, the independent Swiss watchmaker of Finnish origin, together with a group of investors, acquired the Urban Jürgensen company and was appointed as its CEO. The style and the evident craftsmanship displayed, along with the huge amount of manual work invested in the production of their watches, are common to both brands. This is especially true concerning the present Reference 1140, which could very well have been made in the workshop of Kari Voutilainen (though of course, this is not the case).

Reasons to bid 

The Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140 PT L Blue Limited Edition would appear to be an extremely attractive purchase for the collector looking to obtain a highly valuable, sophisticated and rare limited-edition mechanical watch from a watch brand that specializes in haute horlogerie collectible watches. Urban Jürgensen watches are strongly perceived as a coveted collectible, artifacts of the best of modern independent watchmaking. The combination of the extraordinary artisanal workmanship, traditional design and haute horlogerie execution and finishing of the movement, undoubtedly adds to the appeal of this lot.