Tick-Talk TickTalk Blog
Things had been quiet around the traditional brand Urban Jürgensen for a long time since Kari Voutilainen announced the takeover with a group of investors in 2021. When I last spoke to him on the phone, he said, “The upcoming relaunch is not just a rebranding exercise; it’s a thorough review of 250 years of watchmaking history. It is a great responsibility, and I am aware of that.” He has succeeded. What I saw left me speechless. Hats off to Kari!
The traditional brand Urban Jürgensen is back with a new logo, a new team and a new spirit. At the helm are exceptional watchmaker Kari Vouilainen and Co-CEO Alex Rosenfield, who will usher in a new era together.
Three milestones in the 250-year history of Urban Jürgensen, each one marking a significant moment in the company’s evolution.
UJ1 and UJ2: Tribute and progress
The first two models in the new collection make a clear statement. The UJ-1 is based on a legendary pocket watch by Derek Pratt (the oval pocket watch), has been miniaturised and equipped with a tourbillon, a remontoir d’égalité and a deadbeat seconds mechanism – a technical manifesto in a round case. The guilloched dial has a classical look, but the back reveals Voutilainen’s full technical and mechanical expertise.
The ref. no. UJ-1 is available in three versions (platinum with a silver or grey dial, or rose gold with a silver dial), each of which is limited to 25 pieces. Price: 368,000.00 Swiss francs (approximately 390,000.00 euros).
The Anniversary wristwatch corresponds technically in all components of the UJ-1.
The UJ-2 takes a different approach, offering a purist three-hand design with a double balance wheel and natural escapement – a highly complex system intended to serve as a future platform for further complications, increasing efficiency and stability. The design also makes a statement here: a classic round shape with deliberate asymmetry and technical finesse.
Ref. No. UJ-2 is also available in platinum or rose gold. It has a slightly slimmer design and costs 105,000.00 Swiss francs (approximately 111,000.00 euros).
Ref. UJ3 Perpetual Calendar Version. The double-wheel natural escapement system with a perpetual calendar function and an instant moon phase display combines complexity and elegance.
A perpetual calendar is a highly sought-after collector’s item that would enhance any haute horlogerie brand’s collection. Ref. UJ-3, created by Kari Voutilainen, Co-CEO of Urban Jürgensen, in collaboration with master engineer Andreas Strehler, tames the extraordinary mechanical complexity within the confines of a wearable timepiece. This achieves the rarest of goals, transforming mechanical virtuosity into pure elegance.
From the seamless integration of the calendar displays to Strehler’s precise moon phase display — licensed here for the first time in a series-produced watch — each function is in perfect harmony with the others. At the heart of this harmony beats the UJ double wheel natural escapement.
Every component and every carefully considered detail is hand-finished to a standard that would satisfy Urban Jürgensen himself — a standard that applies regardless of whether the component is visible from the outside.
The fact that such an ambitious goal has been achieved in such graceful proportions is testament to the intelligence of the design and the mastery of its execution. The UJ-3 proves that complex technology can achieve sublime beauty, and that sophistication need not be compromised by complexity. It is available in two versions: one in 950 platinum and one in 5N rose gold. Only 25 pieces of each precious metal are produced worldwide. The price is 169,000.00 Swiss francs.
Kari Voutilainen informs us that further models are in the pipeline. Although Urban Jürgensen is based in Switzerland and managed in the US, the brand’s DNA remains firmly grounded in European watchmaking thanks to Kari Voutilainen.
It’s a case of ‘born in Copenhagen, made in Switzerland, managed in the US’.
The pastense and the future
Summary:
I can still remember the early days of Urban Jürgensen & Söhne in the 1970s. Peter Baumberger had acquired the brand and on his farm there were containers full of important historical items that documented the history of UJS. He told me, “Carlito, I’m a master watchmaker and I have no idea about marketing and public relations. Could you please take care of that for me?” I agreed immediately, as such an opportunity doesn’t come along every day. As a brand profiler, I created the following brand mission statement:
“Urban Jürgensen & Söhne ist eine Sammlermarke. UJS produces only 150 watches per reference and precious metal type (yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and platinum). UJS sells directly from the factory to the end customer. Each UJS watch costs 150,000 Swiss francs.”
The movements, the extra-flat automatic calibre (for UJS Ref. 2), were sourced from Frédéric Piguet at the time (the Swatch Group acquired Frédéric Piguet in 1992). Following the Ref. 1 chronograph came an automatic perpetual calendar and then a perpetual calendar with a power reserve display (manual winding). Next came a tourbillon and a minute repeater.
In 2010, the Swatch Group, to which Frédéric Piguet belonged, decided that Frédéric Piguet calibres would be reserved exclusively for Blancpain.
Peter Baumberger had been working with Chronode (Jean-François Mojon) for some time to develop a new, in-house movement. What I did not know, however, was that the investment for this came from Dr Helmut Crott.
Following Peter Baumberger’s sudden death on 21 May 2010 from a brain aneurysm in his beloved factory, Dr Helmut Crott arrived on the scene and acquired the protected trademark ‘Urban Jürgensen & Söhne’. However, with the takeover, Crott questioned the well-functioning mission statement, believing that entry-level UJS watches were needed – a view that could only be held by someone outside the industry. Crott caused great damage to the brand by introducing ‘inexpensive’ UJS watches, losing the trust of the UJS collector community in the process. The market reacted immediately: long-time collectors parted with their UJS watches, brand awareness declined, and with it the brand’s value. Crott was passionate about watches, but lacked the experience to successfully run a company like UJS.
Annoyed, he sold the brand to a conglomerate of former Nokia investors, which did a good job until it outsourced certain manual tasks, such as the guilloché engraving of dials and the bluing of screws, for cost reasons. This was the death knell for the brand. Consequently, the brand lost its ‘Made in Switzerland’ designation.
In 2021, Kari Voutilainen took over as co-CEO of the brand alongside an American investor. In 2025, the exceptional watchmaker launched a completely new but well-thought-out collection.
