Another “Rare Species” emerges…

Following the Urwerk White Shark (a limited edition take on the Urwerk UR-202), the Urwerk Champagne Supernova is a limited edition twist on Urwerk’s UR-110 Torpedo watch launched early this year.    Like MB&F’s Horological Machines, Urwerk’s ultra-limited, super-pricey timepieces are of their own world and tend to foster love or hate by those who view them.  I, for one, am still trying to “warm up” to these unique creations — but I do not hesitate to give big props to Urwerk Chiefs Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei for their ability to create what they love while at the same time pushing the limits of horological design.

Anyway — as to the UR-110 Champagne Supernova — the radiant and very nice looking color comes from a coating of Zirconium Nitride on the bezel, which provides the distinctive pale gold hue that gives rise to the “Champagne Supernova” nickname.  Zirconium Nitride is a high-performance ceramic coating that provides superb scratch, wear and corrosion resistance.  As far as inspiration goes, I guess that Urwerk drew on one (or both, hehe) of the following:  1) a song by English rock band Oasis, written by guitarist Noel Gallagher (video here), 2) a supernova known as SN 2003fg (or SNLS-03D3bb by the Canada-France-Hawaii Supernova Legacy Survey) –  see ‘Champagne Supernova’ Breaks Astronomical Rules, CBS News, 2006.  Anyway…here it is….

Urwerk Champagne Supernova Watch

Limited Edition of 12 pieces

Functions include Urwerk’s revolving satellite system with rotating hours and minutes modules mounted on planetary gears; day/night indicator (top of dial) and “oil change” indicator (lower dial — alerts you when the watch needs service); small seconds

The Urwerk UR-110 Champagne Supernova is available exclusively from Chronopassion (Paris), Marcus (London), The Hour Glass (Singapore) and Westime (Los Angeles) with a six-figure price tag.