Over the years, Urwerk has built its reputation on innovation in time telling, often leaning on historic timepieces and reinterpreting them. Whether it is the wandering hours ­of the original UR-101 – which was inspired by a 17th century night clock created by the Rome-based Campani watchmaking brothers for Pope Alexander VII – or indeed the UR-CC1, the brand’s work has always been historically minded, yet innovative.

The UR-CC1, which was first seen in 2009, traces inspiration from a unique example, namely the Patek Philippe Cobra reference 3414 from 1958 that lives today in that brand’s museum. The Cobra issued from a collaboration between Louis Cottier and Gilbert Albert and was the first to feature a linear time display, inspired by dashboards of American automobiles of the era, specifically those with automatic transmissions. The watch, whose display relied on a cylinder drive mechanism linked to the movement, was never serially produced owing to the complication of the arrangement.

Urwerk’s UR–CC1, or Cottier Cobra 1, sought to right this. Its time indication is underpinned by two rotating cylinders – one features a helix pattern that spirals up a 60-part scale once an hour to indicate the minutes. The other cylinder is dodecagon in shape, with each face wearing an increasingly longer luminous line – it rotates once every 60 minutes to indicate the hour along a 12-part scale.

The advance and reset of both cylinders is governed by a vertical triple cam, connected to a rack with a honeycomb detail by a spring. The rotating cams move the rack up towards the top of the hour, with the spring flying the minutes cylinder back to the 0 position with an audible mechanical clunk.

Much of these mechanics are visible from the ergonomically formed case, with a monocoque upper portion crafted from gold and coated in AlTiN, an aluminium-titanium-nitride alloy known for its resistance to oxidation. Its dimensions – 42.6mm across, 53mm long and 18mm tall – are undercut by the stepped shape. The minutes and hours display, likely to be consulted regularly, are located on the lower half of the case that curves down and wraps around the wrist.  

The wide, soft bevels on the case as well as the open-work flanks, serve to diminish the robust form of the case. Through this are visible the honeycomb rack, created by LIGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung) process ideal for fabricating small, lightweight but robust structures. This is visible through the left flank, while on the right flank are visible the ends of the two time display cylinders, as well as the turbine air brake system that is designed to slow the roll of the self-winding rotor in the non-winding direction, reducing mechanical wear on the bearings on which it pivots.

On the top half of the case, are the twin seconds displays governed by a large digital seconds wheel with a chapter of Arabic numerals at two-second intervals. The wheel has at its centre a spiral, brightened with Super-LumiNova – as it turned once a minute, the line forming the spiral made its way across the 12-part linear seconds scale. The digital seconds are visible through a rectangular window adjacent to the scale. In fact, the generous use of Super-LumiNova on all time scales makes the watch highly legible in the dark.

The caseback, crafted from anti-allergen titanium as is customary for Urwerk, features an aperture through which the minutes indicator cylinder is visible. Powering the UR-CC1 is the self-winding calibre UR-8.02. It features a single turbine air brake system. The large crown on top of the case is deeply knurled and well integrated with both the case and the bracelet accommodating it. On the top lug, the end link straddles the width of the case and is secured by screws while on the bottom lug, it is more integrated into the case, pivoting on a smaller 20mm distance. This example comes not just with a woven fabric strap secured by a signed, AlTiN-coated pin buckle, as well as a matching bracelet crafted by specialist maker Maspoli. This latter detail is why Urwerk designated the watch a unique piece even within the 25-piece series of the UR-CC1 AlTiN.

The watch, which first retailed in 2018, comes with its full set of box and paperwork signed by co-founders, Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei.

It represents a singular execution within the rarefied world of Urwerk’s output. It is as respectful to history as it is to Urwerk’s particular view of haute horlogerie.  

If sold within the United Kingdom, this Urwerk Black Cobra will be subject to 20% VAT

Closer look

Condition

This Urwerk Black Cobra UR-CC1 is in excellent overall condition. The case, lugs, and bracelet are virtually free from any imperfections. On the reverse of the lugs there are light contact marks from bracelet wear, though only on the surface of the coating. The dial and movement are free from any signs of imperfections and have been well preserved.

Warranty

The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. Urwerk has additionally offered a complimentary service to the future owner which can be exercised within the first six months of purchase, extending the warranty by a further two years from the date of completion.