Urwerk Finally Revives Its First-Ever Watch, But Gives It T-Rex Scales

As Urwerk has grown into a brand synonymous with outside-the-box watch designs, its original UR-101 model may remain its most straightforward. Inaugurating the brand when it came out in 1997, the simple but unique wandering hours piece has yet to really see a revival, until now.

Admittedly, there’s not much you can do with the minimalist aesthetic of the UR-101. However, Urwerk has still found a way, ditching the flat design of the case below the wandering hours dial up top and giving it some serious texture.

Some Backstory on the UR-101

Co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei started Urwerk in 1997, debuting at Baselworld with the UR-101, a strange wandering hours piece with a semicircle minute track up top and a Millennium Falcon-inspired case. A year later, the indie brand came out with the UR-102, updating the previous watch and modeling the case this time after the Sputnik satellite. Both of these early pieces were made in limited quantities and are pretty difficult to come by these days. 

Back in 2023, Urwerk decided to reissue the UR-102 with its Reloaded variant, taking some design cues from the original UR-101 as well, including the flattened case front, crown shape, and lug pattern. And now it’s time for the UR-101 to get revived, but not in the way you might expect or even want.

Urwerk UR-101 T-Rex Basics

Beneath the black arced dial at the top of the case, the UR-101 T-Rex gets a guilloché texture reminiscent of the namesake dinosaur’s scales. It’s put on top of a dark, hand-painted bronze metal for a very evocative aesthetic. Hardcore fans of Urwerk might be a bit disappointed that the first UR-101 revival comes in this polarizing presentation. But with the Swiss brand, the unexpected has become the expected. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a T-Rexed Urwerk watch. In 2016, the company put the scales on the UR-105, and then again in 2021 on the UR-100V. However, this might be the purest version of the T-Rex, given the minimalist precept of the UR-101. Meaning, not a lot is going on otherwise, allowing us to focus on the case itself. And since the model is so case-heavy, the texture is able to extend down to the lugs as well as the top of the case, above the dial.

More Than Just New Scales

It’s not just the new T-Rex theming on the new watch. After all, it’s been nearly 30 years since the last iteration of the UR-101. And so, evolving the original a bit, Urwerk has decided to move the crown from the right side of the case to the top. Likewise, the case is now 41mm across (up from 38mm of the original), with a 11.86mm thickness. The watch is adorned with a black textile-looking rubber strap with calfskin leather lining.

Behind a black PVD-coated steel caseback is a new Vaucher-based UR-1.01V automatic wandering hours movement, which facilitates the movement of the two satellites, each with six numerals for the hours. The current hour moves along the 180-degree minute track, from left to right, until the next hour appears. Black in color, the lime green numerals are also painted with Super-LumiNova.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Like all Urwerk watches, the UR-101 T-Rex will be limited in edition size, with only 100 pieces this time around. Priced at CHF 38,000 (~$43,264), the watch is now available from the brand’s website.