Urban Jurgensen
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DETAILS
The historic Urban Jürgensen & Sønner brand was founded in 1773 by Urban Jürgensen, a Danish watch and chronometer maker, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2023. The brand is renowned for its exceptionally refined pocket watches and pocket chronometers. In 1979, Peter Baumberger, a passionate watch collector and entrepreneur, began reviving the brand in collaboration with distinguished British watchmaker Derek Pratt, making the brand renowned for wristwatches as well. The modern Urban Jürgensen collection, produced from 1979 to the present, has never been mass-produced and is aimed primarily at select connoisseurs and collectors.
This Reference 2 watch is one of the brand’s earliest releases, launched in 1986 and produced under Peter Baumberger’s guidance, with Derek Pratt actively involved in crafting the watches – a significant part of the early collection’s appeal. Acollectedman.com reports that only 175 examples of the Reference 2 were made in total. Probably 122 of these were encased in gold and the others in platinum (monochrome-watches.com reports 172 gold and 50 platinum Reference 2 watches). The serial number No. 032 on the dial of this watch suggests it belongs to the early Reference 2 period.
In 2021, Kari Voutilainen, an independent Swiss watchmaker of Finnish origin, joined a group of investors to acquire Urban Jürgensen and was appointed CEO. The first watch produced by Urban Jürgensen under Voutilainen’s leadership was unveiled in June 2025. This milestone marked the start of a new era for the historic brand, making Urban Jürgensen watches from the Peter Baumberger and Derek Pratt era especially significant for discerning collectors. However, the style, evident craftsmanship, and high level of manual work invested in producing their watches are common to both periods of the brand’s modern history.
REASONS TO BUY
This Urban Jürgensen Reference 2 in rose gold with a “smiling” moonphase face is an exceptionally attractive find for collectors, not only because it is an early, highly valuable, and rare mechanical wristwatch from a brand specializing in collector’s haute horlogerie, but also because of its moonphase indicator featuring a lunar disc featuring an engraved moon face. Importantly, this watch dates from the early period after the Urban Jürgensen brand was revived in the 1980s, with the direct and active involvement of British watchmaker Derek Pratt. The watch very likely owes its beautiful guilloché dial, as well as the assembly and adjustment of its ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar caliber, to him. Combined with the serene, traditional gold case with a double pomme bezel and elegant teardrop-shaped lugs, these features undoubtedly enhance the watch’s appeal.
The dial of this watch is slightly patinated, a characteristic of early Reference 2 models. This is especially noticeable on the date ring, an applied part of the dial, and on the silvered guilloché, which has taken on a delicate cream hue.
ABOUT THIS WATCH
The case of the Reference 2 watch is handcrafted according to tradition, with the case ring and teardrop-shaped lugs – typical of wristwatches from the Urban Jürgensen collection of the Baumberger and Pratt period – made separately and then soldered together. Connoisseurs will notice the impeccable craftsmanship, as the solder line is barely visible upon 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, calm, classic character.
The dial is also an outstanding example of traditional craftsmanship, an aspect of Reference 2 that the brand, like all other early Urban Jürgensen releases, owes to master watchmaker Derek Pratt, a leading figure in applying ancient decorative techniques to modern wristwatches. Many early Urban Jürgensen watches from the brand’s modern period, including most likely this example, were made by Derek Pratt himself. The guilloché decorations on the Reference 2 dial feature three different patterns: a lozenge in the center, a vieux panier (basket-weave) for the date and moonphase sub-dials, and filet sauté outlines. All were crafted by hand on a rose engine, most likely by Derek Pratt himself, who was renowned for his mastery of this finishing technique.
The solid gold ‘Observatoire’ hands by Urban Jürgensen are crafted with equal attention to detail. The diamond-polished inner incline of the slightly eccentric (moon-shaped) ring of the hour hand makes it a true eye-catcher, and the chamfers on the triangular tip of this hand are executed with remarkable precision.
The movement of Reference 2 is based on the ultra-thin Frédéric Piguet 71 self-winding caliber, which remains among the best in its category. The perpetual calendar module was developed by movement manufacturer Nouvelle Lémania for Urban Jürgensen. Peter Baumberger acquired the rights to this module for Reference 2 and, in a modified version with an added power reserve indicator, for Reference 3. A distinctive feature of both Reference 2 and Reference 3 is the absence of a leap year indicator on the dial. While many may see this as an omission, it should be noted that without this display, the dial achieves a remarkable symmetry and conciseness rare in perpetual calendars. Furthermore, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet also omitted the leap year indicator on some of their early perpetual calendar wristwatches. Today, this feature is seen as a sign of the times. Rich Fordon of hodinkee.com reports that Derek Pratt chose not to include this indicator because he could not find a dial design with this feature that matched his aesthetic sensibilities.
Finally, we should mention another “small” but important detail on this watch that is certainly worth noting: the lunar disc of the moonphase indicator. It is very special. This watch features an engraved moon face, while all other Reference 2 specimens we found images of have a plain, smooth moon disc. The moon on this Reference 2 is sure to make you smile.
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