In a landscape shaped by refinement and restraint, The URWERK UR-101 T-Rex cuts through with a presence that is tactile, sculptural, and unrepentantly primal. Bronze-clad and scale-covered, it beckons not only to be admired, but to be held, touched—and remembered.

First introduced in the 1990s, the UR-101 was URWERK’s earliest experiment with satellite hour indications. At the time, it was a bold divergence from convention, defined by an asymmetrical case and a time display that favoured interpretation over instruction. With the T-Rex edition, the brand returns not merely to its roots, but to its instincts—reviving the UR-101 in a form that is richer, more textured, and fiercely tactile.

The moniker ‘T-Rex’ is apt. URWERK’s co-founders Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner often draw from visual and cultural references far beyond traditional horology—cinema, architecture, literature. The result is a hybrid creature: part artefact, part spacecraft, part horological experiment.

The bronze case of the UR-101 T-Rex is the third model in URWERK’s evolving T-Rex lineage. Measuring 41 mm across and 11.86 mm at its highest point, the case wears smaller than its measurements suggest thanks to its curvature, designed to rest naturally between the bones of the wrist. And what sets the UR-101 T-Rex apart is its texture.

Traditionally confined to dials and hidden beneath sapphire crystal, URWERK’s organic guilloché pattern is here exposed across the bezel, case sides and lugs. First engraved, then oxidised and brushed, the finish creates a living surface—one that ages and evolves with the wearer. The sculpted grooves begin at the crown and ascend the case like a fossilised spine, culminating in a sweeping curve toward the caseback.

Behind glare-proof sapphire, the UR-101’s wandering hours are displayed on two satellites. This is not a traditional dial, but a mechanical theatre. The hours pass along a 180-degree minute track, driven by a solid snailed carrousel that is 150 times heavier than traditional hands. To move this display in perfect synchronicity, URWERK developed the self-winding UR-1.01V calibre—an evolution that traces its roots to the brand’s earliest complications.

Super-LumiNova accents on the markers ensure legibility, but the intention here is not to simplify time. It is to reframe it—to offer a different rhythm, one that is more visual, more sculptural.

Powering the UR-101 T-Rex is the UR-1.01V calibre, a self-winding movement that reinterprets one of the brand’s foundational mechanisms. The movement features 28 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, and a 48-hour power reserve. Developed as an evolution of URWERK’s first wandering hours complication, the mechanism combines a satellite-based hour display with a robust carrousel—requiring precise engineering to move a significantly heavier mass isochronously.

In doing so, URWERK draws a direct line from its earliest innovations to this modern incarnation. The finishing includes snailing, sandblasting, and satin-brushing, with chamfered screw heads and ARCAP P40 components adding technical credibility to the movement’s visual strength. The result is a calibre that not only supports the design, but amplifies it—anchoring the tactile boldness of the watch with genuine mechanical depth.

The asymmetry of the case is not merely aesthetic. It allows for a wrist-hugging fit and draws the dial closer to the wearer’s gaze. The crown, cleverly integrated into a ‘spoiler’ at the top of the case, further enhances wearability while preserving the integrity of the form.

Securing the watch is a black rubber strap lined with calfskin—an interplay of durability and comfort. It fastens with a black DLC-treated steel buckle, completing a watch designed for contact, not just observation.