News: Urwerk Time Hunter X-Ray
From self-driving cars to increasingly sophisticated computer AI, technology is moving further towards autonomy with every passing year—and now, with Urwerk’s Time Hunter X-Ray, horology is apparently getting in on the action.
If there’s one thing you can say about Urwerk, it’s that it’s a watchmaker that likes to think outside of the box. Whether you love or hate its quirky, alternative style, you can’t deny that Urwerk is most definitely an innovator—and this piece is a spectacular example of that. The Time Hunter X-Ray allows its wearer to find out the rate of their watch and then adjust it to compensate.
The rate and amplitude of a watch can be affected by everyday wear, causing it to lose or gain seconds throughout a day. Where this is usually monitored by a timing machine and adjusted at a watchmaker’s bench, the Time Walker X-Ray makes use of an electronic mechanism that allows the watch’s wearer to measure the watch’s timekeeping and adjust it according to their lifestyle.
The dial is skeletonised, and displays indicators for a power reserve of 80 hours, as well as a scale that measures rate and amplitude. The oversized crank on the case is what generates the energy for the electronic timing module; once charged, you simply need to push a button on the case to get your read out.
The watch makes use of the intriguing EMC movement, which the brand has been experimenting with since as early as 2013. To monitor the watch’s timekeeping, it uses an optical sensor and electronic microchip, while twin mainspring barrels offer a constant power output.
As with all new technology, the Time Hunter X-Ray isn’t easy to get your hands on. It’s limited to only 15 pieces, and has a pricetag just shy of the £100k mark. The square case measures 43mm x 51mm, so it’s no shrinking violet on the wrist—but it’s most definitely a one of a kind watch with genuinely ingenious complication.
