Just a few weeks ago, URWERK showed us a future without its beloved satellite carousel, and decided to retire the signature orbiting display from its radical new UR-300 Time Quantum. So what does the Geneva skunkworks do for an encore? It goes all the way back to 1997 and resurrects the watch where those satellites first launched. Say hello to the UR-101 Green Mamba, the brand’s founding design reborn in blacked-out PVD and venom green.
Satellite Zero
When Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner rolled into Baselworld 1997 with the UR-101 and UR-102, they really did take the watch world by surprise. No hands, and no conventional dial. Their innovative watch was just an hour numeral riding a satellite across a 180-degree arc, pointing at the minutes as it travels.
That little experiment built everything URWERK has done since. And lately the brand has been mining it hard, following 2025’s engraved-bronze T-Rex and this spring’s diamond-paved Diamond Sky with a third UR-101 variant in under two years.
Black Case, Green Fangs
This one plays it a bit darker than either sibling. The 41mm steel case wears matte black PVD front and back, and Baumgartner’s stated goal was to make the metal vanish on the wrist. This watch is all about the display.
The active satellite creeps along an emerald scale that Frei ties to spaceship instrument panels and the stare of the watch’s namesake snake. There’s also a lone red 60 closing out the arc and Super-LumiNova handling after-dark duty.
The founding quirks survived the blackout, too. The crown still sits at 12 o’clock, released by a pusher tucked into the caseback, and the lopsided dome profile remains gloriously intact at a wearable 10.3mm thick.
The URWERK Starter Kit
Powering it all is the automatic UR-1.01V (a Vaucher base carrying URWERK’s in-house wandering hours module), good for 48 hours of reserve at 28,800 vph. The guts get copper, brass, and ARCAP P40 components finished with snailing, sandblasting, and chamfered screws.
At CHF 33,000, the Green Mamba is the least expensive watch in URWERK’s current lineup, undercutting the bronze T-Rex by CHF 5,000 and the gem-set Diamond Sky by a bananas CHF 52,000. Entry-level might sound like a strange word for a $41,000 watch, but in this catalog, that’s exactly what it is.
Spec Sheet
Model: URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba
Case Size: 41mm
Case Thickness: 10.3mm
Case Material: Black PVD-coated stainless steel
Crystal: Metallized sapphire with anti-glare treatment
Movement: Caliber UR-1.01V automatic (Vaucher base, in-house wandering hours module)
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power Reserve: 48 hours
Display: Wandering hours on two satellites, 180-degree minute arc
Lume: Super-LumiNova hour and minute markers
Water Resistance: 30m (3 ATM)
Strap: Black rubber with calfskin lining, black DLC-coated pin buckle
Limited Edition?: Yes, 50 pieces
Pricing & Availability
The UR-101 Green Mamba runs CHF 33,000 (~$41,000) before taxes, capped at 50 pieces. Considering URWERK only builds around 150 watches a year, this one snake accounts for a third of the brand’s entire output. Head over to URWERK’s website to inquire.
Recap
URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba
URWERK brings back the 1997 watch that started it all, this time wearing vanishing black PVD and a venom-green glow.
