UR-100V LIGHTSPEED CERAMIC LIMITED TO 15

UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic belongs to a rare category of watchmaking that does not simply tell time, but questions it. Produced in a strictly limited edition of 15 pieces, this creation extends URWERK’s exploration of time beyond terrestrial reference points, translating scientific reality into a mechanical experience that unfolds on the wrist.

With the LightSpeed Ceramic, URWERK proposes a reading of time that is inseparable from motion through space. Here, the familiar wandering hour satellite abandons its conventional role as a mere indicator of hours. The moment it leaves the minute track, it becomes something else entirely, a marker in motion, tracing the journey of a photon as it departs the Sun and travels across the solar system. Time is no longer counted. It is traversed.

This interpretation is grounded in physics rather than metaphor. Light travels at a constant speed of 299,792 kilometres per second. Photons born in the core of the Sun require thousands of years to escape its dense interior, yet once free, they cross the vacuum of space unhindered, reaching Earth in just 8.3 minutes. What appears instantaneous is in fact delayed information. Every ray of light is a memory.

The UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic transforms this scientific truth into a mechanical narrative. In addition to satellite hours and minutes, the dial incorporates a three-dimensional planetary display representing the eight planets of the solar system. Each position corresponds to the precise time required for sunlight to reach that planet, from Mercury at 3.2 minutes to Neptune at over four hours. As the hours satellite departs the minutes arc, it ceases to indicate conventional time and instead traces this cosmic journey, mapping astronomical distance onto the constrained geometry of a wristwatch dial.

As Martin Frei, Artistic Director and co-founder, explains, wearing the LightSpeed Ceramic is akin to carrying a fragment of the universe on the wrist. By transforming astronomical velocity into visually quasi-static motion, the watch allows the wearer to perceive vast cosmic distances at a human scale. It is not a display of data, but a tangible reminder of the immensity of space and our relative position within it.

This conceptual rigour is matched by material innovation. The case represents URWERK’s most advanced exploration of composite engineering to date. Rather than relying on traditional monolithic ceramic, which offers hardness at the cost of brittleness, URWERK developed its own proprietary ceramic composite. This new material integrates finely woven ceramic fibres alternating with layers of glass and carbon fibre within a polymer matrix, using technologies derived from aeronautics and medical laser-guided processes. The result is a ceramic composite that does not shatter under violent impact, engineered for resilience rather than ornament.

The choice of white is deliberate. A specially developed white resin contrasts subtly with the silver tones of the glass fibre layers beneath. Machining reveals a stratified structure, producing natural visual depth. Depending on light and angle, the case oscillates between deep matt and soft luminescent variations. These effects are not decorative, but the honest expression of the material itself, controlled yet never entirely predictable.

The white ceramic case frames a black dial conceived as a window into the deep darkness of space. As Martin Frei notes, white is not a single colour but an optical state, created by the balance of all visible wavelengths of light. In this watch, white ceramic and white light meet, two forms of energy revealed through surface and structure.

The case architecture measures 43 millimetres wide, 51.73 millimetres long, and 14.55 millimetres thick. The caseback is crafted from DLC treated Grade 5 titanium, micro blasted to reveal the automatic rotor, an abstract evocation of the Sun driving the mechanism.

Powering the UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic is the automatic calibre UR 12.02. Regulated by URWERK’s Windfänger system, an air resistance turbine controls winding efficiency, preventing excessive energy input. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivering a 48 hour power reserve via twin barrels, the movement balances complexity with control. Forty jewels support a kinematic structure distributed across three ARCAP alloy plates, chosen for their dimensional stability. Aluminium hour satellites mounted on beryllium bronze Geneva crosses, an aluminium carousel, and a black PVD treated aluminium rotor complete the construction.

Finishing is purposeful rather than ornamental. Circular graining, sandblasting, shot blasting, and circular satin finishes structure the visible surfaces, while chamfered screw heads remain as a quiet nod to traditional watchmaking. Super-LumiNova® on the hours and minutes ensures legibility without compromising the dial’s strict geometry.

The UR-100V LightSpeed Ceramic does not attempt to explain the universe. It does something more demanding. It translates a scientific reality into a mechanical experience, one that unfolds slowly on the wrist, at human scale, while remaining anchored in the vastness of space.