Urwerk has long been known for challenging the traditional boundaries of horology, but its latest release seeks to measure the very fabric of the universe itself. The luxury-minded Swiss independent watchmaker just announced the launch of the UR-100V “LightSpeed” Ceramic, a timepiece that replaces conventional time-telling with a scientific exploration of the speed of light.
While most watches focus on the earthly measurement of seconds and minutes, the UR-100V LS Ceramic supposedly uses its mechanics to give shape to the propagation of light through space, at least according to the brand itself. The watch is said to feature Urwerk’s signature wandering hour satellite system, but once the hour satellite completes its 60-minute journey across the lower track, it transforms into a cosmic marker. The display tracks the journey of a photon leaving the Sun and traveling toward the planets of our solar system. The dial provides a sequence of scientific data points: sunlight reaches Mercury in 3.2 minutes, Earth in 8.3 minutes, and continues until it reaches Neptune in 4.1 hours.
“Wearing this creation is like carrying a fragment of the universe on the wrist,” said Martin Frei, Urwerk’s artistic director and co-founder, in a statement heralding the release. “By mapping astronomical distances onto the constrained geometry of a wristwatch dial, the transformation of scale reduces the effective velocity of light to a visually quasi-static motion”.
Beyond its celestial complications, the UR-100V LS Ceramic introduces a significant material innovation. Traditional ceramics are prized for their hardness but criticized for being brittle and prone to shattering upon impact. To solve this, Urwerk developed a new ceramic composite that integrates glass and carbon fibers within a polymer matrix.
Master watchmaker and Urwerk co-founder Felix Baumgartner noted that this new material, derived from aeronautics and medical laser-guided processes, offers enhanced shock resistance without sacrificing the aesthetic precision of ceramic. The white case features a stratified structure that reveals subtle visual depth when machined, contrasting with a deep black dial that Frei describes as “a window into the deep blackness of space”.
The watch is powered by the UR 12.02 automatic calibre, which utilizes a “Windfänger” air-resistance turbine system to regulate winding efficiency and prevent excessive energy input. The movement beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides a 48-hour power reserve. Measuring 43 mm wide and 14.55 mm thick, the case is finished with a micro-blasted DLC-treated grade 5 titanium caseback, offering a view of the sun-inspired rotor. The price has yet to be revealed, but it’s virtually guaranteed to be a very exclusive collector’s timepiece, from a decidedly space-obsessed brand.
For Urwerk, which produces only about 150 watches per year, the UR-100V LS Ceramic represents a seismic shift in watchmaking that’s truly out of this world. “When the light of a distant star reaches us, that star may have long since ceased to shine,” Baumgartner said. “What we see no longer exists and is never the present—only a memory”.
