If there’s one watchmaker you can count on to produce something that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie, it’s URWERK. But its latest creation, the UR-101 Green Mamba, isn’t an entirely new design. Instead, the Swiss independent watchmaker has gone back to 1997, dusted off one of its founding models, and given it a rather venomous makeover.
And what a makeover it is.
The Green Mamba takes the original UR-101’s unusual, almost pebble-like silhouette and dresses it in deep black, punctuated by an emerald-green time display. The case is coated in something called Panter Black, which URWERK co-founder Martin Frei describes as a nod to the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. I don’t know about you, but I’d say it looks more like something Darth Vader would use to tell the time. That green display, though, is pure spaceship instrumentation.
Unlike conventional watches with hands going around a dial, the Green Mamba displays time through a wandering-hour mechanism. Two satellites carry the hours, with the current hour traveling along a curved minute track visible through the upper portion of the case. Both the hour and minute markers feature Super-LumiNova, ensuring that the Green Mamba doesn’t completely disappear into the darkness.
Inside beats the self-winding UR-1.01V caliber, featuring 28 jewels, a 4 Hz frequency, and a 48-hour power reserve. The movement combines copper, brass, and ARCAP P40 components, with traditional decorative finishes reminding us that there’s some serious watchmaking underneath all that science-fiction styling.
The black PVD-coated steel case measures 41 mm across and just 10.3 mm thick, with a glare-proofed sapphire crystal and 30 m (3 ATM) water resistance. A black rubber strap with calfskin lining completes the stealthy appearance.
URWERK is making just 50 examples of the UR-101 Green Mamba. Nearly three decades after the original’s debut, this snake still has quite a bite.
And the sting? CHF 33,000, before taxes, which works out to be around US$39,505 based on today’s going rate.
Images: URWERK.