More on the UR.103T - photos and press release.

The UR103T – it’s coming for you!









Since the presentation of the first UR103 in 2003, the 103 collection has gone on to become emblematic of URWERK. The UR103 heralded the birth of a new era in contemporary horology; it was revolutionary when launched and remains peerless today. The UR103 marks a watershed: it is a landmark, a watch of dreams and a source of inspiration for a new generation of avant-garde timepieces. The UR103 cannot be defined as an instrument for measuring time; it is a source of emotion, a work of art. Now the iconic UR103 collection will expand once again with the launch of the new UR103T.





The UR103T: ‘T’ for Time, ‘T’ for Temerity, ‘T’ for Tellurian? The ‘T’ in the 103T is at first a mystery, but only until the first look down through the massive sapphire crystal into the mechanism below. There you will sense a shape before you see it. A form slowly emerges from the orbital cross and stretches its mesmerising legs: ‘T’ for Tarantula! URWERK’s latest addition to the UR103 collection has a few genetic codes borrowed from one of the most famous members of the world of arachnids.




UR-103T in white gold

The Aesthetics. In the classic UR103, the central element is an orbital cross in titanium. In the new UR103T, the titanium cross has been replaced by a completely redesigned structure in ARCAP, a very stable copper/nickel alloy. The dark ARCAP wraps around the hour satellites in a protective embrace - though we can perhaps imagine something more sinister! This new configuration ensures that the numbers on the hour satellites can only be seen when they are required to tell the time while passing the arc of the minutes. With the UR103T, time takes on a different conceptual and even philosophical dimension to that of the open satellite system on the classic UR103. With the UR103T, the past and the future remain hidden - only the present is revealed.





The Technique. The actual mechanism for rotating the satellites has been completely modified on the UR103T. With this model the satellites rotate simultaneously behind the scenes in multiple stages, in preparation for their turn to indicate the time. They actually perform a four-beat 480° pirouette. Each satellite turns four 120° turns in the period between leaving the minute arc and arriving again with a new numeral displaying. The orbital satellite complication is over 300 times heavier than traditional hands, a factor that requires absolute precision in the manufacture of its minuscule components, and in assembling, balancing and regulating the complication to obtain the excellent chronometric performance URWERK demands of its exceptional timepieces.





The Force. The four satellites of the UR103T are made of aluminium and are each mounted on their own bronze/beryllium Geneva cross. The mechanism is then suspended from the orbital cross structure in ARCAP 40, a material that is light, non-magnetic and corrosion resistant, and is mounted on an ARCAP plate.



However, the essential feature of the UR103T is not technical but human, a testament to URWERK’s master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner, visionary chief designer Martin Frei and their talented team. In its AlTiN coated steel cocoon, the UR103T is ready to conquer the world. The Tarantula is out!





UR103T technical specifications

Model: UR103T
Limited edion of 60 pieces in each of ALTAiN steel, white gold and red gold.
Case: Stainless steel treated with AlTiN (Aluminium, Titanium, Nitride); white gold; red rold.
Dimensions: 50mm x 36mm x 13.5mm (including lugs)
Movement: Calibre 3.03; manual winding; 21,600bph/3Hz
Power reserve 43 hours
Triple bridges in black ARCAP P40
Time Indication by hour satellites rotated by Geneva crosses
Control Board: Grade 5 titanium, power reserve indicator, 15-minute and seconds dials for precise time-setting, user adjustable fine-tuning screw.

Ian Skellern
Greubel Forsey forum and URWERK forum moderator
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pics look great, that brown strap is stunning too

am i to assume by 60 of each piece they will still make .09's or this replaces the .09 for the short term?

i was thinking maybe lower production of each piece to allow for a third piece (new movement) to fit into the lineup (103T/202/New)

Ian, i assume the black UR103T comes with ALTAiN casing and is limited to 60 pieces. What is the difference with the ALTiN material? And what is the color of the casing that has been treated with ALTiN? All these exotic material is confusing

Limited edition of 60 pieces of each metal but URWERK made something like 700 watches per year, 40/50 103.08TiAlN.
I love the 103T AlTiN, Riley i want one.

Hi Steph1810, does UR103T AlTiN comes with the matte grey casing? I would like a piece too please

AlTiN looks from grey to black depending on the light.

Ian Skellern
Greubel Forsey forum and URWERK forum moderator
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Thanks for the clarification Ian I'll preorder it from my AD.

just remember, the coating are element arrangements..

103T/202 black are AlTiN (black)
Al -aluminum
Ti - titanium
N - Nitride

103.08 is TiAlN (bronze)
Ti- Titanium
Al - aluminum
N- Nitride

depending on the amount of Ti Versus Al the color changes from black to bronze .

broken down in better words:

"TiAlN coating
The TiN coating has now been superceded in many applications by the TiAlN coating. The colour is of the TiAlN coating is dependent on the Ti:Al ratio within the coating and can range from black to bronze. TiAlN offers superior performance for a range of metal machining and fabrication applications. The reason for this lies in the addition of aluminium to TiN or specifically the formation of aluminium oxide on the surface of the tool which increases the operational temperature range of the coating to 800 deg.C compared with 500 deg C for TiN. As the TiAlN coating is heated in air a thin layer of amorphous aluminium oxide forms on the surface of the coating, which protects the coating from further oxidation. This results in better hot hardness than most other coatings. In many high speed turning operations TiAlN outperforms TiN or TiCN because of the protective oxide layer. This has recently been increased by the addition of chromium and yttrium or vanadium to the coating increasing the temperature range to beyond 900 deg.C. The TiAIN coating is also tough resulting in a reduction in coating chipping."

-pvdcoatings.co.uk



i have a feeling the hex was "black" because it was gloss, this watch is matted so the material seems more grey ;-)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2009 01:15PM by rijowysock.

but URWERK do not even make 1/3 of that number per yerar and have no intention of ramping up production anything soon.

Those 60 pieces in each of the three metals for the 103T will not be produced, let alone sold, in one year.

Ian Skellern
Greubel Forsey forum and URWERK forum moderator
www.facebook.com/underthedial
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It is the AlTAiN coat that is that colour.

Ian Skellern
Greubel Forsey forum and URWERK forum moderator
www.facebook.com/underthedial
twitter.com/underthedial

very glad to hear this, from past interviews ive read i heard the yearly production was around 150-200 pieces.. that is why i asked about the T overtaking the .09 as the next progression of the 103 case (maybe T standing for ten i.e .10).

i feel the 202 is too new to be cannibalized which is why i asked if the new movement will be in addition to the 202.. but then again the 201 had a short shelf life and each model 103 as well.. so maybe the new movement will be the new 20X series watch... which is fitting since its auto as well and employs a movement that is a lilttle bit more radical/outside the box compared to 103...

this is surely a great year for URWERK, i really love all the designs they do even tho i dont like every single aspect of the watch... i think loving a piece is like loving a person in which you give and take.. i also enjoy how the main guys (felix/martin) are still very integral on everything that happens with the company and are not simply standing aside and counting their $ but still hands on with everything.. lastly i enjoy the small production numbers and the small number of authorized dealers.... of course with small amount of production they must also have few AD's because each AD should have at least one of each model present at all times (103/202).. but i enjoy that with the few AD's that each strives to be very knowledgeable about the pieces and also gives very personalized service, i have grown very close with the AD i use here in USA and we chat about urwerk on a regular basis... the community is very close knit and the ability to speak to people such as IanS that can relay items to/fro the main guys (martin/felix/etc) is just amazing.

i can say for sure that without this forum and the help of IanS i would have never had the "gaul" to pull the plug on my First URWERK, i saw the communication and info on this forum and i felt more comfortable with placing that type of money down on the table... there are numerous other "haute horology" brands that i think are stunning but they do not have such information regularly available and for this reason i have never bought one of their watches... hopefully next year i can arrange a trip to geneva to visit the hotel and see the new URWERK creations and possibly chat with the main people responsible...(martin/felix) i would also like to maybe chat with serge/stephane and yacine as they seem very integral to the brand we call URWERK... would just be amazing...

Hi heard that from the AD who sell me my 103.08 TiAlN few months ago, so if URWERK made 200/300 watches, 60 pieces of each is for 3 years production? But i don't care, i LOVE this brand, i love this watch and want one on AlTiN. I love the Urwerk on AlTiN or TiAlN but not on gold or platine, the design of those watches look more good with that unusual colors/material. The only one that i like on gold is the 202 Rose gold.

Riley we can if it' s possible go to the Urwerk "Salon" to Geneva next year and all the HOROMUNDIAN welcome, we have all the year to fix that with the help of Ian, can be VERY GOOD?

I'm a bit confuse...what's the difference between AlTAiN and AlTiN? Or its just a typo?

Riley explain that VERY GOOD:

rijowysock [ PM ]
Re: More on the UR.103T - photos and press release.
January 23, 2009 01:11PM Registered: 3 months ago
Posts: 616

just remember, the coating are element arrangements..

103T/202 black are AlTiN (black)
Al -aluminum
Ti - titanium
N - Nitride

103.08 is TiAlN (bronze)
Ti- Titanium
Al - aluminum
N- Nitride

depending on the amount of Ti Versus Al the color changes from black to bronze .

broken down in better words:

"TiAlN coating
The TiN coating has now been superceded in many applications by the TiAlN coating. The colour is of the TiAlN coating is dependent on the Ti:Al ratio within the coating and can range from black to bronze. TiAlN offers superior performance for a range of metal machining and fabrication applications. The reason for this lies in the addition of aluminium to TiN or specifically the formation of aluminium oxide on the surface of the tool which increases the operational temperature range of the coating to 800 deg.C compared with 500 deg C for TiN. As the TiAlN coating is heated in air a thin layer of amorphous aluminium oxide forms on the surface of the coating, which protects the coating from further oxidation. This results in better hot hardness than most other coatings. In many high speed turning operations TiAlN outperforms TiN or TiCN because of the protective oxide layer. This has recently been increased by the addition of chromium and yttrium or vanadium to the coating increasing the temperature range to beyond 900 deg.C. The TiAIN coating is also tough resulting in a reduction in coating chipping."

-pvdcoatings.co.uk



i have a feeling the hex was "black" because it was gloss, this watch is matted so the material seems more grey ;-)

would love to do that, i know meeting up at the "salon" isnt a problem as every year i get the invite from yacine... the problem is if i was over there i would like to see the rest of the releases going on at SIHH which would require invitations from each brand i think? ... i guess we got year to figure it out ;-)

So we need the help of all moderators for have an access to the SIHH

Even moderators find it very hard to get inside.

I don't think the SIHH is an option, but there are many excellent brands exhibiting in Geneva outside of the SIHH.

Ian Skellern
Greubel Forsey forum and URWERK forum moderator
www.facebook.com/underthedial
twitter.com/underthedial



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2009 01:01AM by IanS.

I KNOW BUT WE HAVE ALL THE YEAR FOR "DREAM"

Guys, would you share your opinions if the UR103T looks better in ALTiN or WG casing?

ALTIN

...that's the one I am getting!

Alberto Schileo
Patek Philippe Forum Moderator
Tempus fugit, horologia manent