Urban Jürgensen’s splashy relaunch features three luxury timepieces.
Denmark might not be a country that comes to mind when one considers luxury watches but Urban Jürgensen will surprise you. Founded in 1773 in Copenhagen by Jürgen Jürgensen and led by his son Urban, the brand’s history is full of twists and turns. From the early days, making marine chronometers for the Danish army to becoming the official watchmaker to the country’s royal court to its subsequent quiet shuttering during the pandemic, the brand seemed destined to be a forgotten relic, remembered only by diehard collectors. And yet, it was a diehard collector who actually spearheaded its revival, culminating in a splashy relaunch in Los Angeles last week.
Acquired by the Rosenfield family in 2021, father Andy is a watch collector while son Alex serves as co-CEO alongside Kari Voutilainen, a celebrated watchmaker with eleven Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève awards. “Reviving Urban Jürgensen as a family-led, independent house is a rare privilege,” says Alex via the press release. “Founded by a pioneer and upheld by generations of mastery, [it] is one of the great names in watchmaking history, and we are honored to steward it. This means making sure every detail, every story, and every watch lives up to what this name deserves. We believe that the way we keep time inspires how we spend it.”
How we spend time is a fitting way to describe the creative direction behind the relaunch. To mark the occasion, the brand launched a portrait series by their photography director, Ellen von Unwerth. Titled Time Well Spent, each month a slew of images will show creatives immersed in their respective fields. Leading off is James Turrell, with the light sculptor posing alongside his installation Roden Crater with more to come. And it’s not just these photos that indicate a new path forward for the brand — the visual identity has also undergone a major revamp. Think Danish classics like Verner Panton’s eponymous chair or tinned fish, as well as a nod to Urban Jürgensen history as pocket watchmakers juxtaposed against their new timepieces.
From left: UJ-1, UJ-2, and UJ-3
Speaking of the timepieces, there will be just three unisex options available, all made in Switzerland. Conceptualized by Voutilainen, they combine the precision you’d expect from a respected watchmaker alongside an incredible attention to detail ranging from the escapement architecture to the hand-guilloché dials. You have the UJ-1, known as the anniversary watch, which is the reimagining of the iconic Urban Jürgensen Derek Pratt Oval Pocket Watch. Considered the style that turned the impossible into the possible, it features a miniaturized version of the pocketwatch’s tourbillon movement. With only 75 made, you’ll find 25 of each of the three colorways.
The second, UJ-2, draws from a concept created by Urban Jürgensen’s mentor Abraham Louis Breguet in the 18th century. With a double wheel natural escapement, the three-hand design took 565 hours to complete. And finally, the UJ-3 is their showstopper. Hefty and sizable, the perpetual calendar with instantaneous moonphase design was created as a collaboration between Voutilainen and engineer Andreas Strehler. Accurate for 14,000 years, it’s not hyperbole to say that this timepiece will outlive us all.
From left: Rashida Jones, Leighton Meester, Kyle Kuzma, Ego Nwodim, Ellen von Unwerth, Sienna Spiro, Andy & Alex Rosenfield
To celebrate the release of these timepieces, the brand hosted a dinner in Los Angeles. Attended by the likes of Rashida Jones, Leighton Meester, Kyle Kuzma, and Turrell, the evening was held at The Barker Hanger. An exterior made to resemble the inner mechanism watch led to a dinner set in the round, with touches of Danish design in the form of warm wood walls and Louis Poulsen Artichoke lamps hanging over the bar. To cap off the night, emerging artist Sienna Spiro performed in addition to a DJ set by Them Jeans. Consider that evening time well spent.
