When the fanatic group knew that the beloved watchmaker City Jürgensen model was coming again in 2025, nobody was fairly positive what sorts of watches we might see. I used to be made conscious fairly early on that the newest iteration of the City Jürgensen identify can be manufactured by Kari Voutilainen and his succesful corporations. That made it clear that City Jürgensen can be decidedly high-end, however I used to be nonetheless fully in the dead of night about product technique. Now that City Jurgensen has debuted not only one, however three fashions, there’s much more readability in terms of what the model might be all about. Fanatics (well-funded ones) must be excited. On this article, I’ll talk about the City Jürgensen UJ-3, which is an attention-grabbing product that encompasses a perpetual calendar and moonphase complication on high of a base manually wound motion that encompasses a double pure escapement.
What we will be taught in regards to the new City Jürgensen model from the UJ-3 watch is the corporate’s willingness (if not intention) to overtly collaborate. The City Jürgensen model itself is positioned as a collaboration between co-CEO and manufacturing associate Kari Voutilainen and co-CEO Alex Rosenfield, who will give attention to branding, gross sales, and advertising and marketing. The UJ-3 watch features a additional collaboration with esteemed watchmaker Andreas Strehler. He and Voutilainen labored collectively on making a novel perpetual calendar system for the Voutilianen-modified mechanical actions that may function the bottom for lots of the first new City Jürgensen merchandise.
I feel perpetual calendar watches are sometimes very stunning, however carrying them is considerably impractical as a result of except you put on them commonly (and preserve the time set), the calendar knowledge is prone to be incorrect. Adjusting a perpetual calendar’s indicators can take a couple of minutes of fiddling (and as is the case with the UJ-3, additional requires use of a stylus to press small inset pushers), which impatient individuals who have to seize a watch and depart the home typically lack the time for. Thus, whereas I like the thought of perpetual calendar watches, I hardly ever take into account them for private use. With that stated, generally a very beautiful perpetual calendar could make you overlook that the calendar isn’t set. Whereas the City Jurgensen can be much more sensible as an automated, it does have a helpful energy reserve indicator below the “0 o’clock” place on the dial. The best way Voutilainen and Strehler laid out the indications could be very intelligent. Not solely did they should cope with having to construct the calendar system round an current motion structure, however in addition they wanted it to be fairly. On high of that, they included a extremely correct Strehler moonphase indicator with an instantaneous leap function that’s correct to about 14,000 years (folks preserve wristwatches working for that lengthy, proper?).
The ensuing City Jürgensen caliber UJ-3 manually wound motion has an unbelievable dial format that pleasantly feels less complicated than it truly is. The intercalary year indicator was fortunately taken off the dial and positioned on the rear facet of the motion, seen by way of the rear of the case. The subsidiary seconds dial now has a second hand that acts because the date indicator. Home windows (fortunately positioned close to the outer edges of the dial) with matching-color discs function the day of the week and month indicators, respectively. The colourful tilted moon section indicator balances out the dial and provides a remaining ornamental aptitude. That is all towards a perfectly basic face with a number of types of guilloché engraving and a design that might make Mr. Breguet blush. That is additionally the one perpetual calendar watch in the marketplace with a double escapement system.
The City Jürgensen UJ-3 thus achieves a semi-minimalist method with out in any respect being a minimalist watch. Obtainable in both 18k rose gold or platinum, the UJ-3’s case is 39mm huge, 13.9mm thick, and water-proof to 30 meters. Over the dial and caseback are sapphire crystals. City Jürgensen debuts the UJ-3 Perpetual Calendar Moon Part with just one dial shade, a black galvanic remedy over the bottom strong silver materials. I anticipate the additional dial colours for the City Jurgensen UJ-3 will most likely be obtainable sooner or later. I’ll discover it attention-grabbing to see which of the brand new UJ-1, UJ-2, or UJ-3 watches lovers who buy watches like this may gravitate to first. Every of the watches has comparable circumstances, however they’re at totally different (throughout $100,000) worth factors and all function totally different manually-wound actions. Should you just like the UJ-3 greater than the opposite new City Jürgensen watches, I’d be curious to know why you are feeling this piece is the winner. From a collaborative engineering and technical perspective (the motion includes 484 components), the UJ-3 definitely is. City Jürgensen debuts the UJ-3 because the reference UJ-3-PT-B-001 (platinum case with black dial) and the reference UJ-3-RG-B-001 (18k rose-gold case with black dial). Value is CHF 168,000. Be taught extra on the City Jurgensen web site.
