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19 March 2021, 07:42 AM | #1 |
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Incoming Independent
This is quite a lengthy post...feel free to skip my ramblings and go straight to the pics at the end
I first saw the Urban Jurgensen 1140 champagne dial in Cellini of NYC back in 2019 (I was able to secure one of the first available for purchase). I loved everything about it... except the dial color. The defining trait of this 1 of 50 limited edition. Why champagne instead of salmon? Surely salmon would have been the more popular choice amongst collectors. Not enamored with the dial color I left it for someone else. A couple months ago, this watch crept back into my mind (I think a thread on here was the linchpin). I was looking for a new watch, something unique and my love of independents steered me back in the direction of Urban Jurgensen. Maybe it was the lighting that day or maybe I was blinded by getting a salmon dialed watch... but I completely missed the point. Amidst the sea of blue, green and salmon dials, Urban Jurgensen have manged to create something special. Something that pays homage to early yellow gold dress watches. Champagne is beautifuly timeless. There is nothing quite like it in production today. Urban watches are not truly "in-house", they make no effort to hide this. This was no issue to me, I've long since got over that hang up. Urban source from the best artisans in the industry. So... this is a franken watch of sorts. The results though are spectacular; I'm enamored and regret waiting as long as I did. To those that think this watch closely resembles a Voutilainen, you are correct. Kari was a former employee who was allowed to use the Urban Jurgensen design language when he left. Without further adieu... Let's start with the standout feature... the dial. The guilloche on the solid silver dial requires 700 operations and two full days to complete. The guilloche work is flawless. The basket weave in the subsecond dial is particularly fetching. The dial color is extremely dynamic. It can range from a soft yellow to a truly metallic yellow gold. Each pair of the steel hands take one full day to craft, thermally blue and polish. The Arabic numerals are hand cut from white gold and mirror polished in a way to create a slight domed, bombe style. The way the numerals play off the light is mesmerizing. They are the watch's standout feature to me. The movement was created by Jean-Francois Mojon of Chronode (the same man behind many MB&F movements). It utilizes a Swiss lever escapement and partly skeletonized full balance bridge. It's decorated with thermally blued screws, cotes de solei stripes and nicely executed bevels. There is perlage visible on the mainplate as well. Overall, very nicely finished. The winding action, although not as smooth as a Lange, is also nice and cathartic. The individually soldered teardrop lugs arch around the wrist nicely; they are polished extremely well. Although not pictured here, the steel case features a nicely complex design with a slightly cambered, stepped out midsection and a slightly concave step to the sapphire. Even the box is well done. The craftsmanship on this lacquered wood box also surpassed expectations. Some more random pics...
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19 March 2021, 08:06 AM | #2 |
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Very nice. Classy looking. I like the gold/champagne dial. Have heard of this brand, but never really saw one in person. Thanks for the level of detail from an owner’s perspective.
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19 March 2021, 08:48 AM | #3 |
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Looks gorgeous buddy and very nice writeup. Congrats again. Wear it in good health.
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19 March 2021, 09:02 AM | #4 |
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Congrats
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19 March 2021, 09:06 AM | #5 |
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Gorgeous! Love the Breguet and VC influences on this piece. One of the finest independents at the moment. Enjoy it in good health!
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19 March 2021, 09:07 AM | #6 |
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Beautiful watch, congratulations!
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19 March 2021, 09:08 AM | #7 |
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Beautiful watch, I love Urban Jurgensen. Congratulations, I recently saw one of your other posts where you mentioned this watch so I can see that it stuck with you.
If I can pick your brain, do you have any thoughts on the UJ One, the stainless on bracelet that came out a few years ago? I've been toying with picking up one of these, the 3 hander, but I'm weak and need the approval of others. |
19 March 2021, 09:17 AM | #8 | |
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19 March 2021, 11:41 AM | #9 |
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Gorgeous watch! Congratulations. I really like everything about Urban Jurgensen watches. I agree that a salmon dial would have been more popular but the champagne dial is quite unique and lovely.
My only suggestion would be to put in on a monotone stitch alligator strap, as the sporty contrast stitched suede strap doesn't really work, as this watch can't really dress down, given the guilloche, numerals, and hands. |
19 March 2021, 12:29 PM | #10 |
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That's a beautiful dial texture and unique movement finish. Very nice
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19 March 2021, 02:49 PM | #11 |
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This is a beauty! A lot of charm and character. Very nice, I’m jealous. I also have the same book in the background, though I have yet to understand much of it :-)
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19 March 2021, 04:05 PM | #12 |
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Congrats- that is a beautiful watch with a lot of stunning details. The numerals are so nice and characterful- particularly the 3. I could look at that alone for days...
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19 March 2021, 04:14 PM | #13 |
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11/10 for that beauty.
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19 March 2021, 06:36 PM | #14 |
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Soooo many textures, tones, and colors. Beautiful.
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19 March 2021, 07:08 PM | #15 |
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Gorgeous watch, congrats!
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19 March 2021, 07:51 PM | #16 |
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19 March 2021, 08:27 PM | #17 |
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Great watch. I pass an UJ dealer most days (or did before COVID) and their pieces are just gorgeous. Enjoy it in good health.
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19 March 2021, 10:26 PM | #18 |
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Excellent watch buddy. Glad you finally made it back around to it!
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19 March 2021, 10:28 PM | #19 |
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Congratulations.
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19 March 2021, 10:36 PM | #20 |
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Congratulations! Very nice piece - love the dial color - I would add a croc strap as another has said.
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19 March 2021, 10:48 PM | #21 |
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19 March 2021, 10:50 PM | #22 |
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That is a work of art Congratulations
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19 March 2021, 11:50 PM | #23 | ||||
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Many thanks for the kind words all
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Many thanks! Two custom straps were already on order before I picked up the watch. I definitely took a chance on the color...let’s see if it works.
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19 March 2021, 11:57 PM | #24 |
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Haha, let’s just say I don’t understand much of what’s in that book either...maybe one day. For those wondering, that is a George Daniels book on watchmaking on my coffee table.
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20 March 2021, 12:03 AM | #25 |
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20 March 2021, 01:28 AM | #26 |
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Nice watch !
Congratulations
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20 March 2021, 03:21 AM | #27 |
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UJ's are very nice, big congrats, speedy.
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20 March 2021, 10:40 AM | #28 |
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Beautiful watch. Congratulations.
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20 March 2021, 02:47 PM | #29 |
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Congrats!
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21 March 2021, 07:11 PM | #30 |
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Wow, what a stunner. I agree with your assessment of the gold vs salmon dial. Initially those were my thoughts too, but after seeing this in the flesh in Cellini I was convinced champagne was the right call. Salmon is beautiful, but in my view I was being swayed by market trends...the champagne dial is amazing.
Huge congrats on your UJ! They are definitely on my short list of 'targets' for a new piece. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts, perhaps as they evolve, regarding the watch....and of course pics with the new straps are always welcome too. How does the winding action feel different to Lange? The 1815 chrono winding action is super buttery imo, but I haven't wound an UJ. My smoothest winding movement is an old omega 321, but that's not close to Lange either. It's tough to wind things in the flesh at the moment. In short, I love the watch, congrats again and thanks for posting...made my morning. |
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