Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140L and Reference 1140C
Continuing the extraordinary history and high level of watchmaking, Urban Jürgensen unveils the new Reference 1140L and Reference 1140C models.
Reference 1140L comes in Red, Yellow or White Gold with classically executed hand guilloche silver dials and solid Gold index batons. The Platinum version of Reference 1140L comes with Urban Jürgensen Arabic numerals. These four 1140L models house the new in-house mechanical Urban Jürgensen P4 Lever Escapement movement.
Last but not least and inspired by 2014 GPHG first prize Winner Men’s Category Ref 11C Central Second gentleman’s wristwatch, the 2015 Collection also includes Reference 1140C in Red Gold, with the manual-winding in-house P8 movement in a new design with the world patented Urban Jürgensen Detent Escapement.
The new 40mm classical case design used in these references, has a round form, teardrop shaped lugs and stepped bezel combined with exquisitely finished dials and hands.
The diamond-finished hands requires several hours of handwork to finish them to perfection. After careful bluing, the hands are polished to a perfect gloss. For watches in Gold cases the hands are made of Gold and Steel.
Urban Jürgensen are considered masters of the art in using hand finished guilloche dials. In the new collection it can be appreciated in the great attention to detail in the dial layout and pattern selections of Grains d’orges and Guilloché Damier. Each dial requires up to 700 operations and takes 2 full days of hand work to complete on a guilloche lathe.
After engine-turning, the dial is repeatedly brought to red heat and treated with acid to produce the unique warm color by developing a fine layer of pure silver on the surface.
Urban Jürgensen Detent Escapement Movement
In 2011 Urban Jürgensen presented the prototype of the ground breaking UJS-P8 movement, the world’s first wristwatch movement utilizing a chronometer 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 century.
The extreme precision of the detent escapement, which lies at the heart of defining a true chronometer, ranks far above the tourbillion in terms of accuracy and horological historic importance. Nonetheless, despite centuries of attempts – until 2011 it was considered an impossibility to successfully implement it in a modern wristwatch.
In the 18th and 19th centuries it was used exclusively in ship’s chronometers, built to withstand the motion of the open sea, always with the dial facing upwards in a gimbal mounting and set within a closed box. In today’s world, the day-to-day hazards of life on a wrist are extreme compared to the marine environment and therefore, the original escapement concept had to be altered.
Additionally, this step required smaller dimensions in order to make the detent escapement practical and accurate for modern times. After several years of research and heavy investments in classic watch making R&D, Urban Jürgensen was not only successful in creating a revolutionary Pivoted Detent Escapement for its new caliber, it was also constructed to be so robust that it passed the Chronofiable® test – one of the toughest standards in the Swiss Horological Industry.
In 2015, Urban Jürgensen took a step further in the development of its Detent Escapement and its caliber. Completely in line with the company’s high standards of manufacturing and traditions, the new design of the bridges and the intricate new finish of the movement found in this collection elegantly and mechanically close the circle between Urban Jürgensen past and present.
Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140 Case
The 40mm diameter case is available in Platinum, Rose, Yellow or White Gold. The case consists of 3 pieces with convex middle-case and individually soldered teardrop lugs. The concave bezel houses a domed sapphire crystal. The screw back is equipped with flat sapphire crystal.
Urban Jürgensen Ref 1140 Teardrop Lugs
The teardrop lugs on Urban Jürgensen’s Ref 1140 time pieces have been individually forged, heat treated, hand polished and individually soldered on to the watch case in a way which makes the soldering line invisible for the naked eye.
The forging process requires between 5 and 8 cycles where little by little the final form of a paired tear drop set is forged into shape under the pressure of 50 tons.
To prevent the lugs becoming brittle, it is necessary after each forging cycle to release the tension in the metal through a slow heat treatment at around 800 degrees with a cool off period. The heat levels needed to solder the lugs to the case is close to the melting point of the used metal, and as such it is an extremely delicate process only mastered by experienced craftsmen. The entire process takes several days, and is rarely used nowadays due to the high costs of handcrafting.
Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140 Platinum Dial
This Urban Jürgensen dial combines meticulous traditional handcraft work with advanced techniques of high-grade modern dial making. Created in one piece solid silver, the Reference 1140 PT L dial is 32.50mm in diameter and 0.50mm thick.
The small seconds’ zone is hand-guilloched with décor “panier” and with a mirror pearled circular zone for the 5 second indicators, after this process, it is calque traced for the remaining individual indicators. The logo cartouche is traced separately. The opaline coloured center circumference results from a fine “sablage” treatment.
The circular hour sector zone and the logo cartouche are realized by a technique called “brossage”. The outer minute track is pearled by use of a diamond tool. Afterwards a protective fine brilliant silver coating is dispersed over the entire dial.
The White Gold Urban Jürgensen Arabic numeral appliques require two separate cutting processes, and are carefully hand-polished cabochons and manually placed, they adopt an elegant cursive typography, typical of the 1930s.
Urban Jürgensen Guilloche Dial
The fine guilloche one piece solid silver dials produced by Urban Jürgensen require up to 700 operations and take 2 full days of hand work to complete which are carried out on special machines, some of which are over a century old.
The specifics of Urban Jürgensen hand-guilloche dial surface shimmering effects result from a selection of highly complex patterns. The art of the craft lies in selection and scaling of the chosen patterns, ensuring the right balance between grain size, type and complexity.
Urban Jürgensen Hands
Urban Jürgensen hands are handmade. The arms of the hands are cut from selected steel and hand finished to perfect shape and fit. Gold hands are made from solid gold. After careful polishing with increasingly fine grain diamond paper, and mirror polishing by use of shape fitted secret types of dried wood, the arms are thermally blued to arrive at the specified Urban Jürgensen blue colour.
The eye of the hour hand is a concentrically diamond polished solid gold insert, held in place by the sheer accuracy of the fit. The arms are carefully riveted to the diamond polished solid gold centre canons.
Technical details
Model: Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140L PT, Platinum
Case
950 platinum
40 mm round case, made in 3 pieces with concave middle case and individually soldered teardrop lugs, convex bezel
Domed sapphire crystal
Open back with flat sapphire crystal
Water resistant 3 ATM
Urban Jürgensen logo on the crown
Dial
Massive silver dial
Circular brushed on hour area
Opal shade in center area
Urban Jürgensen domed platinum Arabic numerals
Hands: Blued stainless steel with white gold center and white gold inlay for the hour hand; Hand finished by Urban Jürgensen
Bracelet
Alligator leather strap
Hand stitch tone on tone.
Length 115/75, Width 20/16(other sizes available on request)
Semi-matt black or semi-matt brown (other options available on request)
Buckle: Platinum buckle or folding buckle with Urban Jürgensen logo stamped
Model: Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140L RG, Red Gold
Case
750 red gold 5N
40 mm round case, made in 3 pieces with concave middle case and individually soldered teardrop lugs, convex bezel
Domed sapphire crystal
Open back with flat sapphire crystal
Water resistant 3 ATM
Urban Jürgensen logo on the crown
Dial
Hand guilloché dial on massive silver plate
Chiseled red gold 5N index batons
Hands: Blued stainless steel with red gold 5N centerand red gold 5N inlay for the hour hand; Hand finished by Urban Jürgensen
Bracelet
Alligator leather strap
Hand stitch tone on tone.
Length 115/75, Width 20/16(other sizes available on request)
Semi-matt black or semi-matt brown (other options available on request)
Buckle: Red Gold buckle or folding buckle with Urban Jürgensen logo stamped
Model: Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140L WG, White Gold
Case
White Gold
40 mm round case, made in 3 pieces with concave middle case and individually soldered teardrop lugs, convex bezel
Domed sapphire crystal
Open back with flat sapphire crystal
Water resistant 3 ATM
Urban Jürgensen logo on the crown
Dial
Hand guilloche blue dial on massive silver plate
Chiseled white gold index batons
Hands: White Gold hands; Hand finished by Urban Jürgensen
Bracelet
Alligator leather strap
Hand stitch tone on tone.
Length 115/75, Width 20/16(other sizes available on request)
Semi-matt black or semi-matt brown (other options available on request)
Buckle: White Gold buckle or folding buckle with Urban Jürgensen logo stamped
Model: Urban Jürgensen 1140L YG, Yellow Gold
Case
Yellow Gold 3N
40 mm round case, made in 3 pieces with concave middle case and individually soldered teardrop lugs, convex bezel
Domed sapphire crystal
Open back with flat sapphire crystal
Water resistant 3 ATM
Urban Jürgensen logo on the crown
Dial
Hand guilloche black dial on massive silver plate
Chiseled yellow gold 3N index batons
Hands: Yellow Gold 3N hands; Hand finished by Urban Jürgensen
Bracelet
Alligator leather strap
Hand stitch tone on tone.
Length 115/75, Width 20/16(other sizes available on request)
Semi-matt black or semi-matt brown (other options available on request
Buckle: White Gold buckle or folding buckle with; Urban Jürgensen logo stamped
Model: Urban Jürgensen Reference 1140C RG, Red Gold
Case
750 red gold 5N
40 mm round case, made in 3 pieces with concave middle case and individually soldered teardrop lugs, convex bezel
Domed sapphire crystal
Open back with flat sapphire crystal
Water resistant 3 ATM
Urban Jürgensen logo on the crown
Dial
Hand guilloché dial on massive silver plate “Grains d’Orges”
Black printed roman numerals
Hands: Blued stainless steel with red gold 5N center and red gold 5N inlay for the hour hand; Hand finished by Urban Jürgensen
Bracelet
Alligator leather strap
Hand stitch tone on tone.
Length 115/75, Width 20/16 (other sizes available on request)
Semi-matt black or semi-matt brown (other options available on request)
Buckle: Red gold 5N buckle or folding buckle stamped Urban Jürgensen logo
Movements
Reference 1140L
Mechanical Urban Jürgensen P4 movement
Manual winding
Hour, minute and small second
High quality finishing
Two barrels
Autonomy 72 hours
Frequency 21’600 V/h (3 Hz)
Swiss lever escapement
Balance with regulation “moment of inertia”, diameter 12 mm
Balance stop
Twenty-three (23) jewels
Diameter 32.00 mm
Thickness 5.20 mm
Reference 1140C
Mechanical Urban Jürgensen P8 movement
Manual-winding
Hour, minute, center second and power reserve indication
Regulate in 5 positions, temperature and isochronisms
High quality finishing
Two barrels
Autonomy 60 hours
Frequency 21’600 V/h (3 Hz)
Urban Jürgensen pivoted detent escapement
Balance with regulation “moment of inertia”, diameter 12 mm
Balance stop in combination with second wheel stop
Twenty-eight (28) jewels
Diameter 32.00 mm
Thickness 5.20 mm
Retail prices
- REF 1140L PT (Platinum): CHF 42,000
- REF 1140L WG (White Gold): CHF 27,900
- REF 1140L YG (Yellow Gold): CHF 27,900
- REF 1140L RG (Red Gold): CHF 27,900
- REF 1140C RG (Red Gold): CHF 49,000
