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Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants
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Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants
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The venerable Urban Jürgensen & Sønner brand was founded in 1773 by Urban Jürgensen, a Danish watch and chronometer manufacturer, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2023. The brand has earned a reputation for producing outstanding pocket watches. In 1979, it was revived by Peter Baumberger, a passionate watch collector and entrepreneur, in collaboration with the remarkable British watchmaker Derek Pratt. The modern Urban Jürgensen collection was never mass-produced and was primarily aimed at selected connoisseurs and collectors.
This Reference 1 watch is the earliest release of the brand. It was produced from 1982 under the direction of Peter Baumberger and with the active involvement of Derek Pratt himself in the manufacture of the watches, which is a good part of the appeal of the early collection, even though the brand was not officially founded until 1985. At the heart of this model was the Zenith caliber 3019PHF, better known as El Primero, a calendar clone of the caliber 3019PHC, the first automatic chronograph with an integral construction and a high-frequency balance operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour or 5 Hz. However, this choice seems quite reasonable as it was the only commercially available high-end self-winding chronograph movement at the time, i.e. without plastic parts and other technical compromises and with a traditional column wheel and lateral clutch scheme. Several things are noteworthy about the use of this movement in the Urban Jürgensen Reference 1.
The venerable Urban Jürgensen & Sønner brand was founded in 1773 by Urban Jürgensen, a Danish watch and chronometer manufacturer, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2023. The brand has earned a reputation for producing outstanding pocket watches. In 1979, it was revived by Peter Baumberger, a passionate watch collector and entrepreneur, in collaboration with the remarkable British watchmaker Derek Pratt. The modern Urban Jürgensen collection was never mass-produced and was primarily aimed at selected connoisseurs and collectors.
This Reference 1 watch is the earliest release of the brand. It was produced from 1982 under the direction of Peter Baumberger and with the active involvement of Derek Pratt himself in the manufacture of the watches, which is a good part of the appeal of the early collection, even though the brand was not officially founded until 1985. At the heart of this model was the Zenith caliber 3019PHF, better known as El Primero, a calendar clone of the caliber 3019PHC, the first automatic chronograph with an integral construction and a high-frequency balance operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour or 5 Hz. However, this choice seems quite reasonable as it was the only commercially available high-end self-winding chronograph movement at the time, i.e. without plastic parts and other technical compromises and with a traditional column wheel and lateral clutch scheme. Several things are noteworthy about the use of this movement in the Urban Jürgensen Reference 1.
Firstly, Urban Jürgensen and most probably the technical driver of the project, Derek Pratt, were almost the first in the entire industry to draw attention to this movement, which was produced from 1971 to 1975 and used by the Zenith factory exclusively in Espada models, the total production run of which amounted to 800 pieces in those years. Apparently, Urban Jürgensen acquired unused stocks of the caliber 3019PHF, because El Primero production was not resumed until 1985, when Ebel and Rolex showed interest in this movement. Phillips reports that only 186 Reference 1s were produced between 1982 and 1986. in 2001, a series of 15 pieces was produced in platinum.
The second remarkable circumstance is the fact that Urban Jürgensen equipped the Reference 1 with a closed caseback that prevents the watch owner from seeing the movement – this was a standard option for Urban Jürgensen at the time. However, Urban Jürgensen felt it necessary to make the rotor much more openworked than was originally done by Zenith in order to make the beautiful chronograph movement more open, even if it is not visible under the closed caseback. There is a slightly more mundane version in which the corresponding part of the rotor has been milled to remove the engraved Zenith lettering.
The watch case is traditionally handcrafted, with the case ring and the drop-shaped lugs typical of Urban Jürgensen being produced separately and then soldered. Connoisseurs will notice the impeccable craftsmanship of this process, where the solder line is barely visible upon visual inspection. All parts of the case are carefully polished. The ‘double pomme’ profile of the polished bezel deserves special attention and gives the watch an unmistakable classic character. The same bezel design proved extremely successful in the creation of classic Blancpain wristwatches after the relaunch of the brand collection in 1983 by Jean-Claude Biver.
The dial is also an outstanding example of traditional craftsmanship, an aspect of Reference 1 that the brand, like all other early Urban Jürgensen releases, owes to its master watchmaker Derek Pratt, a protagonist of old traditional decorative techniques. In particular, it is known that many early Urban Jürgensen watches, and most likely this example as well, were made by Derek Pratt himself, including the guilloché work, the results of which can be enjoyed when looking at the dial of this watch. The guilloché work on the Reference 1 dial consists of three different styles: a ‘lozenge’ guilloché in the center, a ‘ vieux panier’ (basket weave) guilloché for the sub-dials of small seconds, the 30-minute and 12-hour counters, the latter combined with moonphase, and a filet sauté guilloché in the outlines. All the decorations on the dial were made by hand on a rose machine, most likely by Derek Pratt himself – he is known to have been an outstanding master of this finishing technique.
The chapter ring with the black printed Roman numerals is finely brushed in a circular pattern, and the date window has a trapezoidal shape – all examples of Mr. Pratt’s extreme attention to detail. The ‘Pomme de Breguet’ hour and minute hands and the small seconds hand are made of gold, while all the chrono hands are made of blued steel – another sign of respect for tradition, ergonomic rules and good taste. Another sign of the ergonomic design approach is the recessed crown and chronograph pushers, which are also recessed and have a rounded baguette shape.
| Ref | 1 |
| D= | 39mm |
| Box: | Yes |
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