Founded in 1773 as Larpent & Jürgensen, the Danish watchmaking brand was shaped by Jørgen Jürgensen and later his son, Urban Jürgensen, who became Denmark’s most celebrated watchmaker. Known for marine chronometers and scientific innovation, the family legacy passed through generations and collaborators. The brand Urban Jürgensen eventually moved operations to Switzerland and saw various owners until a major revival in 1979 by Peter Baumberger and watchmaker Derek Pratt, who created the oval tourbillon pocket watch, Oval Watch No. 1, one of the iconic vintage creations by Urban Jürgensen. In 2021, the Rosenfield family announced its ownership of the brand, with Kari Voutilainen leading as the Co-CEO, with the aim of restoring its legacy, together with his daughter Venla Voutilainen as the COO and head of aftersales service.

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The new timepieces have been launched under the direction of Co-CEO Alex Rosenfield. There’s the UJ-1 Tourbillon, UJ-2 Time-Only, and UJ-3 Perpetual. The watches pay homage to the brand’s DNA with subtle modern updates. Produced in Biel, Switzerland, these timepieces are made in small numbers, sold exclusively through the brand.

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UJ-1 Tourbillon

The UJ-1 Tourbillon leads the new collection. Mechanically the most complex of the three, it is an adaptation of the legendary Oval pocket watch, finished by Voutilainen and originally started by Derek Pratt. The timepiece is offered in three versions—Ref. UJ-1-PT-S-001 is made in platinum with a silver dial and flame-blued hands; Ref. UJ-1-PT-G-001, also in platinum, with a grey dial and silver accents; and Ref. UJ-1-RG-S-001 is crafted in rose gold and features a silver dial with rose gold accents.

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Its case, 39.5 mm in diameter and 12.2 mm thick, is compact and refined. The lugs are graphic and compact, and the stepped bezel alternates satin and polished finishes, while the caseback is guillochéd. The dial has a sterling silver base, decorated with Grain d’orge in the center and Clous de Paris on the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. Roman numerals circle the periphery in miniature, and time is displayed via open-tipped, flame-blued or gold hands. A power reserve at 10 o’clock completes the layout. Each applied track is in silver or gold.

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Powering the UJ-1 Tourbillon is the UJ-1 calibre, developed in-house under Voutilainen’s guidance. Inspired by the Oval’s architecture, the movement features a flying barrel, a central bridge on pillars, and a one-minute tourbillon with integrated remontoir d’égalité. The mechanism ensures constant force delivered to the escapement every second, enhancing precision. It beats at a frequency of 2.5 Hz and offers a 47-hour power reserve, and is further adorned with grenage surfaces, rose gold-plated bridges, hand-bevelled anglage, and mirror-polished screws.

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Each is limited to 25 pieces.

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UJ-2 Time-Only

The UJ-2 is the collection’s hand-wound, time-only watch that quietly houses mechanical ingenuity. It shares the same design language—stepped bezel, reinterpreted lugs, guilloché caseback—but slightly reduces dimensions to 39 mm in diameter and 10.9 mm thick.

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For the UJ-2, four models have been introduced—platinum case with silver dial (Ref. UJ-2-PT-S-001), platinum case with blue dial (Ref. UJ-2-PT-B-001), rose gold case with silver dial (Ref. UJ-2-RG-S-001), and rose gold case with blue dial (Ref. UJ-2-RG-B-001).

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The dial breaks symmetry purposefully. The hands are placed higher on the axis, and the small seconds counter sits at 4:30, surrounded by a Clous de Paris pattern. Grain d’orge flanks the periphery while the centre remains smooth. A power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock completes the display.

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Under the sapphire caseback lies the UJ-2 calibre. It features a large free-sprung balance and a natural escapement with twin escape wheels, making it efficient, precise, and lubrication-free. The movement is similarly decorated like the UJ-1—rose gold-plated bridges, grenage finish, sharp internal angles, and domed bevels.

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The model is not a limited edition, but its production is extremely limited.

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UJ-3 Perpetual Calendar 

Drawing inspiration from the Urban Jürgensen Reference 2, a 38 mm watch with a perpetual calendar and moonphase, the new UJ-3 has been developed by Voutilainen together with Swiss independent watchmaker Andreas Strehler, with an upgraded mechanism.

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It shares the UJ case design but is slightly thicker at 13.9 mm due to the integrated QP mechanism. Currently offered only in platinum (Ref. UJ-3-PT-B-001) or 18K rose gold (Ref. UJ-3-RG-B-001), the UJ-3 has a black guilloché dial with a silver base, decorated with a mix of Clous de Paris, circular and straight Grain d’orge, and sauté-piqué patterns. Gold hands matching the case display the time, with the date at 3 o’clock, integrated around the small seconds at 4:30. Apertures for day and month flank the central axis, while a moonphase rules the third quarter of the dial. The leap year is discreetly placed on the movement side.

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The movement, UJ-3, shares its base with the UJ-2, including the double wheel natural escapement. The perpetual calendar functions are fully integrated and feature instantaneous jumping at midnight. Strehler’s moonphase is highly accurate, deviating by one day every 14,000 years.

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Also not limited, but production is similarly limited. 

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What we think - 

It is a wonderful thing to see an old watchmaking name getting a due revival, and this time it is Kari Voutilainen himself at the helm of the resurrection. What more could we ask for!

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