Last year, Urwerk introduced the EMC (Electro Mechanical Control), a mechanical watch that lets you check its rate electronically at the touch of a button. Now, their latest version of the EMC is Pistol – an extremely limited edition of just five pieces, features a very intricate mix of hand-engraved artistry and groundbreaking technology. It is the result of the collaboration between master-engraver Florian Güllert, Joséphine and Sylviane strapmakers, Martin Frei, Urwerk’s artistic director, and master-watchmaker Felix Baumgartner.
Their workd resulted in a mechanical timepiece that can be adjusted by its owner to achieve the best possible timekeeping performance.
Powered by the hand-wound, in-house UR-EMC caliber with an 80-hour power reserve, the case includes a lever that powers a generator that in turn powers the electronic elements that measure the movement’s precision. The inner mechanics are comprised of both traditional pieces and a custom-made electronic device that uses an optical sensor to record the oscillations of the 28,800v/h balance over a period of three seconds. An electronic oscillator at 16 million Hz obtains the most precise measurement possible, and accompanying artificial intelligence measures the difference between the rate of the movement and that of the reference oscillator to calculate if the watch is slow or fast by even a fraction of a second.
By hand-winding a small handle hidden on the right of the watch face, all of these calculations can be accessed at the touch of a button.
The Urwerk EMC Pistol will be available in 5 pieces only, all unique. Unique not because the pattern or the materials used are different but mainly because each watch will reveal the work made by hand, thus slightly differing one from another.