URWERK EMC Pistol

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EMC watch, the award winning horology creation from URWERK, is one of the most innovative mechanical watches ever made in Switzerland. It was the first and only mechanical watch in which the accuracy of the beating movement can be checked electronically at any time simply by pressing a button. This spectacular micro mechanical marvel was co-developed by URWERK’s artistic director Martin Frei, and master-watchmaker, Felix Baumgartner.

Now the duo joins hands with Florian Güllert, the master engraver, and leather strap experts Joséphine and Sylviane to create URWERK EMC Pistol, a strict limited edition version of the EMC watch.

The EMC watch is first of all based on URWERK’s proprietary movement — a chronometer movement with an original balance wheel and twin barrels. It’s also a crazy idea: an electronic device that oversees the proper operation of the watch by monitoring the sprung balance at its heart. The result is a mechanical timepiece that can be adjusted by its owner to achieve the best possible timekeeping performance. The movement for this watch was conceived, developed, manufactured and decorated in URWERK’s workshops. It’s a movement with a classic finish that contrasts with its futuristic performance. For the EMC Pistol, Martin Frei envisaged a watch that displayed contrasting styles. The minimalist design of the top part of the case dissolves into raised engravings. The smooth and satin-finished surfaces of the upper part highlight the decorative work of the lower section.

Technical details
Model: EMC Pistol – 5 pièces uniques

Case
Material: Titanium and steel
Dimensions: Width 43mm; length: 51mm; depth: 15.8mm
Glass: Sapphire crystal
Water resistance: Pressure tested to 30m / 3ATM
Decoration: Engraving by Florian Güllert

Movement
Calibre: Calibre UR-EMC; movement made by URWERK
Escapement: Swiss lever
Balance: ARCAP P40; linear balance with an optical sensor
Frequency: 28,800v/h – 4Hz
Balance spring: Flat
Energy supply: Two barrels in series
Power reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Manually wound
Finish: Geneva stripes; snailing; shot-blasting; brushing; chamfered screw heads

Artificial intelligence
Generator: Hand-cranked Maxon® generator
Monitoring device: Optical sensor linked to the balance

Indications
Hours; minutes; seconds; rate indicator; power reserve; adjustment screw

Strap
Nile crocodile

Florian Güllert
Florian Güllert specialises in engraving firearms. He is a painstaking worker who loves his craft, proving that enthusiasm can coexist with meticulous care. For 15 years he has demonstrated his talent by transforming shotguns and handguns into works of art. Freehand chasing and engraving leave his mark on metal in scrolls and letters. This 43-year-old master-engraver set up his workshops at Klagenfurt on the shores of the Wörthersee Lake in Austria. He started his career as a gunsmith, graduating in 1995 from the Ferlach technical college. But he soon changed track. It was no longer the guns themselves that obsessed him; they merely became the canvas for his art. Four or five years ago, one of his clients mentioned URWERK. Curiosity led him to the website. When the watch company contacted him in 2014, he immediately agreed to accept a commission.

Joséphine Morf and Sylviane
Welcome to the little workshops of the Place Simon-Goulart in Geneva’s old watchmaking district of Saint Gervais. Hidden in an attic you find the Portalès leather company, presided over by its owner, Joséphine Morf, and Sylviane, her nimble-fingered worker. These two ladies are well known in watchmaking circles for their skill. Their speciality is the high-grade leather strap, the exceptional adjunct to outstanding watches. The strap for the EMC Pistol is certainly unconventional. Its manufacture is entirely in the hands of Sylviane who deftly manipulates edge bevellers, mechanical blades and cutters.