URWERK UR-112 Aggregat Back To Black Watch Video Review: A Week On The Wrist

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I'm a watch guy. I typically like watches that, well, look like watches. Vintage divers, watches with intricately textured dials, even convenient GMTs, you name it - I love it. That's why when I first laid eyes on Michael Jordan wearing an Urwerk I just did not get it. That thing was not a watch! It looked more like a spaceship strapped to his wrist. I'll admit, I was a little stuck in my ways back then, but fast forward a few years and I'm no longer quite as narrow-minded. So with the encouragement of a colleague, I decided to give Urwerk another look and see what it's like to wear, and decided to spend a week with the Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat Back To Black.

The UR-112 Aggregat is the kind of truly wild-looking piece of haute horology we've come to expect from the brand's founders, designer Martin Frei and master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner. It was inspired by things like vintage Bugattis and, believe it or not, chicken grills on the coast of Oman (more on that later), but before we get into this specific watch, let's delve a little into the brand's origins which are just as fascinating as their watches.

The name, Urwerk, comes from the word Ur which was a town in ancient Mesopotamia where the modern concepts of measuring time were molded, and werk, which is German for to work, or create. The brand was founded in 1997 and started out with some fairly unique pieces, and in 2005 a pivotal design moment occurred. That's when Urwerk partnered with Harry Winston on the Opus 5. If you're not familar with the Opus series it was when Harry Winston, which at the time was run by Max Büsser, collaborated with extremely talented independent watchmakers to make horological works of art. For example, François-Paul Journe, yes, the man behind F.P.Journe himself was the partner for the original Opus 1.

The Harry Winston Opus 5

The Opus 5 was something the watch world hadn't really seen before. It had an odd satellite hour display (which we admittedly had seen on the Audemar Piguet Starwheel albeit in a different movement execution) and a retrograde minute hand, all in a case that was just thick enough to give the dial a level of three-dimensionality that was really groundbreaking for the time. It really helped to put URWERK designs on the map and propel the watch industry into a new realm of haute horology designs. It was also the last Harry Winston Opus that Büsseer worked on before leaving to create his very own watch brand, MB&F, which was heavily inspired by his time working with independent watchmakers on the Opus series. This was a big deal and a real tipping point for both Urwerk and Büsser.

Released earlier this year, the UR-112 Aggregat is part of Urwerk's special concepts collection which as you can imagine is reserved for the most radical of their already radical designs. It was heavily inspired by a rare Bugatti Atlantic from Ralph Lauren's car collection. I'm no designer, but I can see the connection in the pitch-black color and that they both look like high-performance beasts of machines for their eras. The watch, just like the car, also has a hood that you can pop open to reveal a digital seconds display as well as a power reserve indicator.

holding watch with newspaper and table in background

Another interesting source of inspiration for Frei and Baumgartner was found during an adventure to the middle eastern country of Oman. Legend has it, they were near the seaside of the capital city, Muscat, looking out into the old harbor, sitting on colorful plastic chairs waiting for their locally prepared grilled chicken dish to be served. As they waited, they looked at the machine in front of them spinning and rotating their chicken to tender perfection. That simple piece of machinery, a vertical spit, triggered a discussion between the men and that's how the rotating digital jumping hour and minute hand came to be. I can guarantee no other brand, whether independent or conglomerate owned, has such a refreshing and eccentric take on design.

As far as the actual watch goes, it's mainly made from DLC-coated titanium and steel. The case is surprisingly 30 meters water resistant and it measures 42mm wide, 52mm tall, and 16mm thick. You would think that's a bit too large for most, but in this instance, I don't think it matters. This is far from a traditional watch and shouldn't be held to the same standards as one. This is art on your wrist, and when put into that perspective it's really fun to wear. Even though it wears large, the lightweight materials and the rubber strap make it a surprisingly easy watch to wear daily. The watch can also double as a great fidget device since opening and closing the hood provided me with solid enjoyment throughout the day.

Urwerk's in-house caliber UR 13.01 powers the UR-112 and it is an automatic movement that beats at 4Hz and has 48 hours of power. It also has something for all you car enthusiasts with what Urwerk calls a titanium "transmission shaft" which also happens to be one of the longest parts in modern watchmaking. It sits right in the middle of the movement and couples with the display module and drives the jumping hours and minutes prisms. It's not a watch with many complications, but the manner in which things are executed is very entertaining.

Urwerk isn't for everyone, and I think that is a great thing. I feel like the world around us, and the watch world especially can look a little stale at times. We need brands like Urwerk to push the boundaries of expression through their medium, which in this case is my favorite hobby, watches. I guess I was a semi-traditionalist before, but after spending time with the UR-112 it's really changed how I feel about these avant-garde timepieces. I definitely dig 'em.

If you're more of a visual person, like me, then you don't want to miss my full video review of the UR-112 which accompanies this article. I provide even more details about my week with the watch so please, check it out.

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The Hodinkee Shop is an Authorized Retailer of Urwerk watches; you can explore our collection here.

You can learn more about Urwerk online.

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