Let’s go back to 2014, the year “Gangnam Style” hit 2 billion views on YouTube and Luis Suarez bit an opponent at the World Cup. Do you remember? If the 2014 GPHG award winners don’t ring a bell, you’re forgiven. Let’s remember again: the star of the show was Urwerk EMC (Electronic Mechanical Control). This product won two awards: one for Innovation and one for Mechanical Excellence. Today, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this milestone, Urwerk has launched a new version: the EMC SR-71.
EMC SR-71 is a collaboration with Dreamland Aerospace. This lifestyle brand by Jason Saroyan and Dr. Roman Sperl aims to bridge the gap between space exploration, aerospace, and the luxury industry. The dynamic duo behind it approached Urwerk with some sections of the fuselage of an SR-71 Blackbird. Let’s see what the mad geniuses at Urwerk did with those parts…
Urwerk EMC
But before we get to that, a quick recap on Urwerk EMC. The core concept behind the original EMC was to increase engagement between the watch and its owner by letting the wearer see how environmental factors affect the timekeeping of a mechanical watch. After all, a watch behaves differently when it’s sitting on your bedside table than when it’s on your wrist while climbing a mountain in sub-zero temperatures. Urwerk made this visible by displaying a “delta” on the dial, which indicates the current deviation in the watch’s accuracy per day, in seconds.
But that’s not all: seeing the delta is only half the fun: Urwerk has also worked to allow EMC owners to modify the delta without the intervention of a watchmaker.
The escapement and optical sensor under the yellow housing
So how did Urwerk achieve this? The starting point is a fully in-house mechanical caliber; that is, designed, developed, and manufactured in-house. Then, a quartz circuit oscillating at 16,000,000 Hz serves as the time reference. An optical sensor monitors the balance, and a module calculates the difference between the two systems. A separate dial displays the result in seconds of deviation per day. Finally, a screw on the back of the watch allows the owner to make an adjustment, which effectively shortens or lengthens the balance spring. The entire electronic circuit is powered by a hand crank mounted on the side of the case.
New Urwerk EMC SR-71
In summary, EMC can show the wearer how accurately their watch is running at any given time. Once they know if their watch is consistently running slow or fast, the wearer can adjust it themselves. Very convenient, right? Now, this was all 10 years ago, but how does it compare to today’s releases?
This commemorative edition is limited to 10 pieces. Technically, it is very similar to the original EMC, except this one is themed around the SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 was an iconic Cold War plane, famous for flying more than three times the speed of sound (Mach 3). Its fuselage was made of a mysterious titanium alloy with a secret composition. Dreamland was in possession of pieces of the SR-71 fuselage and provided them to Urwerk. The brand then melted these pieces and made 10 cranks from the mysterious alloy. These cranks power the electronics of the EMC SR-71.
The new version also pays homage to the Blackbird in appearance, with a case coated in black like the spy plane and a nylon strap inspired by aviation safety straps.
Urwerk EMC SR-71 Specifications
The Urwerk EMC SR-71’s stainless steel and titanium case is 47.6mm wide and 49.6mm long. It’s just under 18mm thick. This certainly sounds huge, but you can’t compare the dimensions of something as innovative as this to traditional watch design. The shot-blasted case houses four dials and has a sapphire window on the case back.
Inside is the Caliber UR-EMC, a manual-wound movement with stacked barrels that provides a power reserve of 80 hours. The balance runs at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800vph) and is monitored by two optical sensors on either side. Although very modern in appearance, the caliber features some hand-decorated techniques typical of high-end watchmaking.
By pressing the lower push button, the crown pops out and the time can be set. The time is displayed on two dials: one for seconds and one for hours and minutes. An SR-71 titanium crank powers the circuits via a Maxon generator, and pressing the second button displays the delta. Finally, the power reserve of the mechanical movement is displayed on the bottom left dial.
First impressions
The original EMC was a true Urwerk masterpiece. The watch was completely original in concept, design and execution. It proved that master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and artist/designer Martin Frei were a dream team capable of pushing the boundaries of modern watchmaking. In fact, they proved that there is such a thing as modern watchmaking.
This latest version is a worthy successor to the original. I’m usually not a big fan of putting irrelevant important things on a watch. It definitely leads to a cheap and unnatural looking watch. Nine times out of ten, the result is more gimmicky and marketing fad than a relevant watch. But one time out of ten, it actually works, and I think that’s the case here.
SR-71 Blackbird titanium crank
If you had to think of a watch to go with the SR-71 Blackbird, a blacked-out Urwerk watch would be a perfect fit, especially one with a cockpit-inspired dial layout. You feel connected to this watch, at least aesthetically. Secondly, Urwerk didn’t go overboard. Many other brands would have gone crazy with blackbird-shaped hands or “warning” signs printed on the strap. Who would have thought Urwerk would excel at understated design? This watch is all the more amazing for it.
Price and availability
The new Urwerk EMC SR-71 is priced at 150,000 CHF before tax, and only 10 will be made, so if you want one, we recommend flying to Urwerk’s inbox at Mach 3.
What do you think of the new Urwerk EMC SR-71? Let us know in the comments section below.
