Urban Jürgensen has a rich history that goes back to the late 18th century. The manufacture’s namesake, Urban Jürgensen (1776-1830), along with his father Jürgen Jürgensen, have long been credited with introducing the watch industry to Denmark. Shortly after the birth of his son Urban in 1776, the senior Jürgensen moved to Le Locle in Switzerland to work with Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, laying the foundations for a Danish-Swiss connection which persevered well into the late 20th century.
Peter Baumberger acquired the brand in 1976 and together with master English watchmaker Derek Pratt, set about bringing the Urban Jürgensen name – and the legacy of elegant and complicated timepieces it conjures – to the modern era. Pratt of course is one of the most accomplished watchmakers of the 20th century and had long collaborated with the late Dr George Daniels. The two shared ideas and collaborated on more than one occasion. Worth noting is the contribution of a young Kari Voutilainen during these years. He is the current chief executive officer leading the revival of the brand.
Made during this golden period for the brand around the turn of the millennium, this example of the Reference 8 was never initially sold. As such, it presents as the day it was created, complete with caseback stickers and a full set of pristine box and paperwork, which includes a hang tag on which the retail price was never noted. It is an opportunity akin to buying a Reference 8 straight from Baumberger-Pratt.
The 37mm case wears the brand’s characteristic rounded, organic form marked by the stepped case, its edges softened gently as if by time. While the Reference 8 was also created in rose gold and platinum, the yellow gold this example is crafted from is perhaps best suited to the classicality of the design. The crown, slightly recessed into the midcase, is perfectly ergonomic. The form of the short, teardrop lugs serve to keep the visual footprint compact and classical. In the modern context, it is an aesthetic cue most associated with the work of Voutilainen, and serves as reminder of his time as a young watchmaker with Urban Jürgensen. The lugs here are paired with an unworn, black alligator-grained leather strap from the brand. It is secured by a simple, horseshoe-shaped yellow gold signed pin buckle.
The dial is equally classical, while enriched by several details that were the brand’s hallmarks. Sauté piqué rims separate the elements of the watch, all the way down from the rehaut to the central portion that is decorated with petit clous de Paris engine turning. The printed chapters – the minute plots and the Roman hours – are done in a rich navy, with the same shade used to graduate the subsidiary seconds register. These scales are set against frosted rims and, for visual continuity, the blue is repeated in the heat-hued hands. The hours hand is particularly noteworthy – it is observatoire-style and features a gold insert. This detail is beautifully finished, with the bevelling on the inside done to a mirror sheen. Such attention is paid to the gold bases that secure the hands to the cannon pinion. They feature countersinks and bevelled edges that are high polished. The minutes hand is simple and of the sort that brings to mind marine chronometres. The seconds hand, which traverses a register decorated with basket weave guilloche, also has a polished gold base.
Beneath the circular grained closed caseback lies the self-winding calibre 1160, based on an F. Piguet ébauche. It features a yellow gold rotor adorned with barleycorn guilloche interrupted only with the engravings detailing the brand logo and 21k precious metal hallmark. The bridges underneath the rotor are decorated with Côtes de Genève, with the brand mark, serial number, jewel count (31), position of adjustment (five, as is the chronometre standard) and historic place of manufacture – Copenhagen – engraved in gold. The watch features a free-sprung balance and the mainspring offers around 60 hours of autonomy.
As previously noted, this example is marked by its remarkable original condition. It features an inner and outer box, hang tag, instructions and warranty paperwork signed in 2021.
