Urwerk UR-EMC
Recently, we brought you the news about the new EMC movement by Urwerk. You can read the details here, but essentially this 100 percent mechanical movement incorporates its own integrated intelligence. Today, in Geneva, Urwerk officially unveiled the UR-EMC watch that houses this unique movement that was a long journey for its watchmakers and engineers. For URWERK, a precision timepiece should have a movement that is accurate, reliable and long lasting. Such a movement should meet specific criteria including accuracy in 5 positions between -4 seconds and +6 seconds over 24 hours. However, while it is one thing to regulate an accurate watch in the
Sketches of the Urwerk EMC
controlled world of a workshop, performance in the sometimes-extreme real world, i.e. on the wrist, can be very different. Changes in position and temperature, and shocks, can all adversely affect isochronism (timing regularity) of a wristwatch. The challenge with EMC was in developing a mechanical watch that can be regulated by its owner to obtain the finest chronometric performance. EMC is the first precision mechanical watch that enables timing to be both easily monitored and easily adjusted by its owner.
EMC back view
With EMC (Electro Mechanical Control), not only can the wearer obtain the precise timing rate on demand, they can then use that information to accurately adjust the timing of their watch to suit their own personal rhythm. The interactive watch is totally mechanical, but it also houses electronic portions that have no effect on the movement and are only used to monitor the precision of the movement much like a car’s speedometer.
EMC features a dial with four separate indications: on demand, precision indicator ranging from -20 to + 20 seconds per day; seconds dial with counter-balanced seconds hand; hours and minutes; and 80-hour power reserve indicator. Turning EMC over reveals the in-house movement with the integrated circuit board (the EMC brain), the top of one of the two mainspring barrels near the crown and optical sensor on the winding handle side.
movement parts for EMC
Felix Baumgartner, co-founder of Urwerk, says EMC has a triple objective: to show how external parameters (positional changes, temperature and pressure) influence the timing of the movement; to enable the wearer to adjust the timing; and to offer interactivity between the timepiece and its owner. EMC is conceived, developed and crafted in the URWERK ateliers in Zurich and calibrated by URWERK in Geneva. The movement meets stringent quality control, with its chronometric performance tested in five positions during a 30-day cycle. The 43mm case is crafted of titanium and steel.
