Most watches ask you to read time at a glance, but URWERK prefers to make you follow the process. Its wandering-hours display replaces familiar hands with moving hour satellites that travel across a curved minute track, turning an everyday function into a mechanical performance. First introduced with the brand’s early creations, the concept returns in a striking new guise with the URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba.
Nearly three decades after the original UR-101 made its debut in 1997, the Geneva-based independent watchmaker gives the foundational model a contemporary identity through a dark exterior and vivid emerald-green accents. The result is a limited-edition mechanical timepiece that preserves the original’s unconventional character while introducing a sharper visual identity.
Designer: URWERK
Green Mamba retains the distinctive asymmetrical architecture of the original, featuring a 41mm stainless steel case finished in matte black PVD. Measuring 10.3mm thick, the case has an angular profile that gives the watch a technical, almost industrial appearance. The black treatment extends to the caseback, allowing the contrasting green time display to become the visual focus. A glare-proofed, metallised sapphire crystal protects the unconventional dial, while the case offers water resistance of 30 metres (3 ATM).
Rather than relying on conventional hands, URWERK uses its signature wandering-hours mechanism to indicate the time. The display consists of two-hour satellites mounted on a rotating carousel. Each satellite carries an hour numeral and moves across a semicircular, 180-degree minute track. As the active satellite travels from left to right, its position indicates the minutes, while the numeral identifies the current hour. Once it completes its journey across the scale, the second satellite takes over, continuing the sequence.
The emerald-green minute track provides a strong contrast against the black surroundings, giving the watch its Green Mamba identity. Both the hour and minute markers are treated with Super-LumiNova, ensuring visibility in low-light conditions. The display is intentionally minimal, leaving the moving satellites and coloured track to define the watch’s character without unnecessary visual elements.
Powering the timepiece is the automatic UR-1.01V calibre, based on a Vaucher Manufacture movement. Operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), the mechanism incorporates 28 jewels and delivers a power reserve of 48 hours. Its construction combines copper, brass and ARCAP P40 components, with finishing details that include snailing, sandblasting and satin-brushing. Chamfered screw heads add another layer of attention to the movement’s mechanical presentation.
The watch is paired with a black rubber strap featuring a black calfskin lining and secured by a black DLC-coated steel pin buckle. This understated combination maintains the monochromatic appearance of the case while keeping the emerald display prominent. Limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, the URWERK UR-101 Green Mamba is priced at CHF 33,000 ($39,370) excluding taxes.
