The artist is supporting the Swiss watchmaker

Did you know that Urwerk is turning 25 this year? While this is definitely worthy of celebration, the Swiss watchmaker is bringing back its very first collaborations, this time in collaboration with American Contemporary artist Cooper Jacoby, the UR-102. This nostalgic watch is being reimagined into the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded.

Martin Frei, chief designer and co-founder of Urwerk said, “It represents the starting point for Urwerk. The one that kicked it all off. It is celebrating its 25^th birthday this year, just as Urwerk itself is toasting its quarter-century of existence. It was a watch reserved for our first circle, our friends, our family members. Those who were the first ones to believe in us, so it is a highly emotional piece.”

The Urwerk UR-102 will be auctioned under the auspices of Phillips and this single-piece edition unique timepiece stems from the brand’s collaboration with American Contemporary artist, Cooper Jacoby. Jacoby is tasked with reimagining the most emblematic UR-102 into a reloaded version.

If anyone was wondering, Jacoby is not inexperienced, the artist on the up and up, shines a spotlight on the functionality of our day to day systems. Jacoby brings to life mesmerizing sculptures with materials such as nickel, copper, rubber and silicon, transforming the usually invisible into vibrant perceptions.

Through this interpretation of the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded, Jacoby puts a twist on the idea of graduation with this watch that displays a wandering hour that counts down both in analog and digital formats. The entire timepiece is a testament to modern art as it incorporates many other unique elements.

Among the unique Jacoby utilizes in the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded are thermochromic pigments which personifies the most essential of the human regulatory systems, temperature. The dial of the chronograph thus shifts between an infinite range of different colour tones indicative of the surrounding temperature.

Technically, with the processes of renewal at the core of the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded, this is the first piece of horology that blends the systemic precision of chronometry and the mystery of human biology.

For more details on the UR-102 Reloaded, check out the Official Urwerk Website.