Swiss luxury watch brand Urban Jürgensen presents Reference 11C (P8 Chronometer), the world’s first wristwatch with a detent escapement.
The new Chronometer P8 “with detent escapement” – adapted to the mechanical wristwatch – achieves a 40% better timing performance than the average COSC certified chronometer.
This new invention is the result of many years’ development work and a constant research and commitment. The long-held wish for a true UJS movement, with strong emphasis on precision, reliability and long intervals between servicing, has been addressed since 2003. In the 19th century, Urban Jürgensen & Sønner was the official chronometer maker to the Danish Royal Household and to the Admiralty.
The quality of the marine chronometers from the house of Jürgensen is still legendary among the collectors. In the past 25 years, in addition to individual, often complicated unique watches, the brand Urban Jürgensen & Sønner created wristwatches in small series from 50 up to a maximum of 300 examples. These watches were mainly based on ébauche movements from Frédéric Piguet, Le Brassus.
In order to close the loop from the past to modern times in an elegant and meaningful manner, development of a new movement and the chronometer escapement, suitable for use in a wristwatch, was undertaken. A particular problem was to ensure the necessary shockproof characteristics of the escapement. Having achieved this, the invention has been patented on a world-wide basis by Urban Jürgensen.
The Urban Jürgensen Reference P8 Chronometer is available in platinum, pink gold and yellow gold versions. It also follows the typical company tradition of a hand engine-turned silver dial, displaying hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve. The seconds are displayed on a small dial at “6”.
The fine engine-turned silver dials are produced in Urban Jürgensen & Sønner’s workshops. Each dial may require up to 700 operations. The typical two-piece cases are lathed and of highest standard, the middle part with double rounded profile and soldered drop-shaped lugs. The movements used to be the high quality F. Piguet calibres, upgraded by Urban Jürgensen.
Today, the firm is introducing its own calibre, a twin barrel movement with a patented 88 hours power-reserve indicator, either with a lever escapement or with the world’s first international patented detent escapement for wristwatches.
The caliber with detent escapement have undergone a thorough testing phase at the laboratories of Chronofiable SA and the C.O.S.C. who demonstrated results higher 40% than establishes brands. Its variable design principle allows various functions and complications (basic plate prepared for 36 references).
It also offers highest quality of industrial and horological finishing, and longer delays for after sales service (5 to 7 years).
In 2011, Urban Jürgensen & Sønner presented the prototype of the breakthrough UJS-P8 movement, the world’s first wristwatch movement utilizing a chronometer detent escapement, thus connecting the marine chronometers and clocks made by the firm in the 18th and 19th centuries directly to the world of watchmaking in the 21st.
The extreme precision and accuracy of the detent escapement, which lies at the heart of defining a true chronometer, ranks far above the tourbillon in accuracy and horological importance.
Technical details
Model: Urban Jürgensen Reference 11C (P8 Chronometer)
Case
Material: Platinum
Round case with soldered tear drop lugs
3 parts with screwed sapphire back
Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 12 mm
Dial
Silver, handmade engine turned dial
Small seconds at “6”
Power reserve indication (88h) at “12”
Hand-made stainless steel hands
Movement
Highly finished Geneva decoration
25 jewels
Regulated in five positions, heat/cold/ isochronism
Diameter: 32 mm
Height: 5.25 mm
Two barrels “in series”
Eighty-eight hours power reserve
21600 vph (3 Hz)
Large free sprung balance, diameter 12 mm, 24g/cm²
Patented differential mechanism for power reserve indication
Patented Pivoted detent escapement with safety system
Stop second (hack feature)
Optimized teeth shape to reduce friction
Strap
Leather strap with pin buckle
