Reviews
Precision to the People
So, even though a watch might leave the factory within the acceptable range of precision, the myriad of experiences, environments, bumps and changes in position it goes through during transit, while in the shop, and then when on and off the wrist of the wearer all have an impact.
And the owner of the watch has no way of accurately determining or regulating the precision, unless the watch is returned to a service center or a watchmaker.
Until the Urwerk EMC, that is.
In 2014, this movement appeared in a wristwatch for the first time, and this timepiece won a number of awards for its innovation and its style, including the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève “Mechanical exception” and “Innovation” prizes. “Simply by pressing a button you get accurate and reliable information on the timekeeping status of your EMC, hitherto only available from a professional,” says Felix Baumgartner, master-watchmaker and co-founder of Urwerk. “We have perfected the most reliable way of adjusting a 100% mechanical watch by making mechanics intelligent. Thanks to this system, you can safely interact with one of the most exhilarating mechanisms invented by man – the mechanical watch.”
The original EMC introduced the electronic system, completely isolated from the mechanical movement, using an optical sensor, a 16,000,000-hertz electronic oscillator and an artificial intelligence module to calculate the difference between the timing rate of the movement and that of the reference oscillator. The electronics of the watch are powered by a manual-winding generator developed by the Swiss company Maxon, known for developing motors for NASA’s Mars Rovers.
“Our idea was to use optics or the properties of light to measure the rate of a mechanical movement to within less than a microsecond,” explains Olivier Evalet, the software developer and electronic engineer who worked on the EMC project. “The system we came up with was designed to be long lasting. The energy to power the brain of the EMC TimeHunter doesn’t come from an ordinary battery, but from a capacitor that can be recharged between 100,000 to 200,000 times with very little loss of its efficiency. We have also selected a resonator with an extremely long life that varies by just three parts in a million over a year.”
“The new EMC allows you to obtain a reliable and accurate piece of data on your timepiece at the touch of a button – information that until now has been the preserve of professional watchmakers,” says Baumgartner. “Using this information, you can fine tune one of the most exciting, most jubilant mechanisms invented–the mechanical watch–all by yourself.” The EMC was developed with three objectives: to show how external factors (positional changes, temperature and pressure) influence the timing of the movement; to enable the wearer to adjust the timing and to facilitate interactivity between the timepiece and its owner.
The EMC TimeHunter “X-Ray” is only available in a limited edition of 15 pieces in a 43mm Grade 5 Titanium and Steel case. The dial features four displays: the time display; a rotating disk displaying seconds; the power reserve indicator; and, at the top left corner, the display of the two EMC electronic indications—timekeeping precision to +/- 15 seconds per day and the amplitude of the balance.
On the back, you can see the fully in-house movement with integrated circuit board (the EMC “brain”), the top of one of the two mainspring barrels near the crown and the top of the balance wheel and optical sensor on the winding handle side. The timing adjustment screw is here, and simply turning this screw allows the owner to make very fine adjustments to the balance rate regulator by changing the active length of the balance spring.
The EMC TimeHunter “X-Ray” is a revolution in watchmaking because it puts precision, one of the chief goals of watchmaking since its birth, in the hands of the people who are actually depending on it.
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium/steel or green ceramic-coated grade 5 titanium/steel
Dimensions: 43mm width, 51mm length, 15.8mm height
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Water resistance: Pressure tested to 30m / 3ATM
Finishing: Satin finish; bead-blasted
Movement
Caliber: UR-EMC2 caliber conceived, developed and manufactured by Urwerk
Escapement: Swiss lever escapement
Balance wheel: In ARCAP P40, linear balance coupled to the optical sensor
Frequency: 4 Hz /28,800 vph
Balance spring: Flat
Energy source: Vertically mounted double mainspring barrels connected in series
Power reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Manual winding
Finishing: Côtes de Genève, snailing, micro-bead blasting, polished bevels on screw heads
Generator: Maxon® generator with manual winding charging super capacitor
EMC system: Optical sensor controlled by an integrated circuit board ;16,000,000 Hz reference oscillator
Indications: Hours, minutes, seconds; precision delta, amplitude, power reserve. Timing adjustment screw
Photographer: Sidney Teo
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