Swiss haute horlogerie maker Urwerk’s new partially biologically powered watch, the UR-210 Maltese Falcon, is being described by timepiece connoisseurs as a machine that makes the relationship between a person and his or her watch a symbiotic one. The line between the mechanical and human gets blurred, meaning the watch is equipped with the world’s first winding efficiency indicator; the watch gets its operating power from the movement of the wearer and also monitors the timepiece’s energy stores.
Swiss haute horlogerie maker Urwerk’s new partially biologically powered watch, the UR-210 Maltese Falcon, is being described by timepiece connoisseurs as a machine that makes the relationship...
The wristwatch, done in a futuristic design, features titanium and steel and a three-dimensional cage which gives the impression of a falcon’s beak, hence the name Maltese Falcon. Featured on the watch’s dial is a traditional power reserve indicator in red and white, while on the opposite side a red and green indicator shows the winding efficiency of the previous two hours, a feature that is a first in the world of horlogerie.
The winding efficiency indicator will most likely be in the red zone when the user is sedentary, to show the UR-210 is using stored energy; the automatic rotor in this case will not be in action generating energy. However, once the user starts to move about, the rotor will also be activated, and the indicator will move to the green zone to state that the watch is being replenished with power.
A winding efficiency selector on the back of the watch has three positions: “full “for maximum efficiency, “reduced” to decrease wear and tear on the rotor if the wearer is particularly active, and “stop” which lets the watch run on reserve power and the wearer may need to manually wind the watch.
The price of the timepiece is approximately 137,000 CHF or $148,000.
Source and photos courtesy Urwerk press release.
