Introducing: Urban Jürgensen One Watch Collection

The Swiss/Danish independent brand launched during Baselworld 2019 their first luxury sports watch – the Urban Jürgensen One.

For some a departure from the brand language, for others an expected move, the One is a modern interpretation of what Urban Jürgensen stands for – exceptional timepieces with no shortcuts.

Luxury sports watches are a tough game.

They need to strike a fine balance between to distinctly opposing areas.

On the one hand you have the elegance inherent in fine watchmaking, on the other you have the kind of rugged look and practicality necessary to survive a little roughness.

The Jürgensen name holds a special place in the rarefied world of Haute Horlogerie.

This horological dynasty has had a significant influence on watchmaking in Denmark and Switzerland over centuries.

One is a modern interpretation of what Urban Jürgensen stands for – exceptional timepieces with no shortcuts.

The name is a perfect fit; the Jürgensen One collection of four timepieces – three time-and-date-only, one GMT – marks a series of firsts for the independent watchmaker.

Like Nomos Glashutte this year it’s their first bracelet and the GMT is Urban Jürgensen’s first watch of that type.

Most importantly, all four include the watchmaker’s first in-house automatic movements.

The Luxury sports watch category has long been dominated by two icons: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus.

And in this instance, the word icon is not overused as there is really something religious in the way collectors feel about these two watches.

The movement in question for the time-and-date-only is the P.5 automatic calibre. It’s a serious piece of watchmaking, with a 72-hour power reserve and an impressive frequency.

It’s also finished like a work of art, resplendent in Côtes de Genève and a gold rotor, all visible through the sapphire caseback.

As for the watches themselves, they do the sports / elegance hybrid proud.

The steel cases are round and tactile, not too slim nor too bulky.

The four dials show off Urban Jürgensen’s artisanal skills with their barleycorn guilloche and stunning set of hands, particularly in the blue version.

In 1972, with the Royal Oak, Gérald Genta and Audemars Piguet defined a genre that has never seemed more relevant.

The archetype is straightforward: match a sporty but clearly expensively-crafted steel watch with an integrated steel bracelet and an automatic, ultra-thin movement.

Last but not least, the watch must be manufactured with punctilious attention to details.

If most of the major Haute Horlogerie brands have designed models in the category – Vacheron Constantin Overseas, Girard-Perregaux Laureato, IWC Ingénieur, Piaget Polo, Cartier Santos, Bvlgari Octo, to name a few – few independent watchmakers have released luxury sports watches.

Urban Jürgensen One is the first sports watch of the brand.

The three-hands watch was launched with three dial colour variations: Soft White, Charcoal Grey and Urban Blue.

There is available a GMT model but only in Urban Blue scheme.

A first impression can be made viewing the wrist-roll video below with the blue GMT and the three-hands white dial.

Expanding in the steel luxury sports category, Urban Jürgensen aims at addressing a younger clientele with the Jürgensen One, a perfect all-rounder that you can wear all day, every day.

With nothing of the sort existing in the brand’s rich archives, the challenge was to create something new, from a blank page, while respecting its DNA. Soren Petersen explains that his objective was to create a watch that would be “extremely pure in the origin of the fundamental concept… different from all comparable products… that would be recognizable 10 metres away … and still of pure Urban Jürgensen heritage”.

The highlight however is that first bracelet. It’s robust yet beautiful with it’s mirror-polished oval centres and links tapered to make them easier to switch in and out and the whole thing integrates flawlessly into the case.

It’s a good thing it turned out so well; the bracelet took two and a half years to fully develop.

Urban Jürgensen timepieces stand out and One makes no exception.

Manufactured from medical grade 1.4441 steel, the One’s case has a lower level of nickel content – so better for your skin.

At the same time, the metal presents increased resistance to corrosion and other chemical factors.

That means a good looking piece for generations to wear.

The Jürgensen One is a modern steel watch that feels classic and modern at the same time. With no straight edges, the coherence and balance of the design are achieved by variations of circular shape.

Thanks to the original oval-shaped central links, the steel bracelet has a distinctive character.

Of the four pieces, the blue-dialled GMT is the standout. The second time zone is shown on the 6 o’clock subdial but otherwise it’s as pared back as the simpler triplet.

Regardless of which you prefer, there’s little doubt that this is Urban Jürgensen’s big horological statement.

The Alfred was beautiful but this is taking things to the next level.

From a technical perspective, the 41mm case is a 7-piece construction with individually soldered lugs. In this respect, the finishing of the case, with satin-brushed and mirror-polished surfaces, is impressive.

Urban Jürgensen opted for medical implant grade 1.4441 steel, offering increased corrosion-resistance, with a low level of nickel – about half the nickel content of 904L steel. Water-resistance is of 120 metres.

The case comes with a predominant brushed finish.

As one might expect from the independent brand, the lugs are soldered. A technique very well mastered by the Urban Jürgensen people.

The top is covered by a generously sized bezel. The polished piece hosts a slightly raised domed sapphire crystal.

The dial of the Jürgensen One is manufactured as one piece and features facetted baton-style hour markers inlaid with luminescent material.

The periphery of the dial features grenage while the centre part is slightly recessed and decorated with a wave-style grain d’orge (barleycorn) guilloché pattern.

The hand-finished hands retain the Urban Jürgensen design elements and ambitious manufacturing standarts with hand-rivetted centre canons.

These are delicately openworked, slightly bent at their extremity, polished or thermally blued.

The addition of Super-LumiNova provides excellent readability in low light.

For the GMT version of the Jürgensen One, the brand developed a specific movement (not just a module, the additional function is built-in) providing simple and intuitive use.

It features a 24-hour sub-dial for the home time at 6 o’clock. Two pushers allow for the independent forward/backward correction of the central hour hand (local time) in one-hour increments.

So, when you arrive at your destination, a few presses to adjust the time, (forward with the upper pusher, backward with the lower pusher) are all that is required.

The home time is adjusted by the crown.

The Jürgensen One collection uses a proprietary movement, the Urban Jürgensen P5, an automatic version of the brand’s P4.

It comes in two different versions, the time-and-date and the GMT. Like the P4, the P5 is a large 32mm calibre.

The screw-balance, which runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, is secured under a transversal bridge to provide optimal stability.

Its two barrels can store a healthy 72-hour power reserve. The stop seconds mechanism allows for precise adjustment.

The exhibition caseback provides ample evidence of the attention dedicated to its finishing.

The bridges are finely chamfered and decorated with Geneva stripes radiating from the balance wheel. The screws are blued.

The rotor is openworked with an Urban Jürgensen shield and a 22k gold outer winding section.

Jürgensen One collection, is elegant, subdued but striking at the same time.

Movement

Urban Jürgensen Automatic P5 movement
GMT, 4 hands with sweep seconds, date window at 3 and 24 hours Home Time subdial at 6. Adjustable by +/- pushers at 10 and 8 for the central hour hand, including date change.
Swiss Lever Escapement
Adjusted to temperature, isochronism in five positions
Stop-seconds
Open worked rotor with gold inlayed UJ Shield and 22 ct. solid gold oscillating weight.
Traversing Balance Bridge secured by double screws
Twin barrels
Autonomy 72 hours
Frequency 21.600 V/h – 3 Hz
Thirty-four (34) jewels
Diameter 32 mm
Thickness 6,1 mm for 3-hands, and 6,6 mm for the GMT

Dial

Urban Blue
Grenage textured chapter ring
Facetted mirror-polished hour markers inlaid with
Super-LumiNova in blue/green
Maritime wave style grains d´orge guilloche centre
Dials executed as one-piece solid dials

Hands

Open worked and hand finished in mirror-polished steel
Diamond polished eye on the hour hand
Hand riveted centre canons in diamond polished steel
Inlaid with Super-LumiNova in blue/green

Case

Medical Grade 1.4441 steel, 7 piece case with satin-brushed and mirror-polished surfaces.
Individually soldered lugs
Screw down crown with embossed relief Urban Jürgensen logo
Domed front sapphire crystal in the mirror-polished bezel.
Open screwed on back with flat sapphire crystal
Case diameter 41 mm / height 12,1 mm at bezel / 13.8 mm at the center of the domed crystal.
Water-resistant to 120 meters
GMT model has two pushers at 10 / 8 for forward/backward adjustment of central hour hand local time.

Bracelet