URWERK doesn’t make watches; it makes wearable science fiction. And its latest creation, the URWERK UR-230 Black Star, looks like something Darth Vader would wear to a board meeting. This isn’t just black—this is “light-absorbing, celestial void that judges your life choices” black. It ends URWERK’s UR-230 trilogy, and it does so like a closing chapter that blows up the spaceship.
Let’s start with the structure. The UR-230’s movement, the Calibre UR-7.30, sits inside a hermetically sealed titanium container. Not a case, not a shell—basically a vault. Around that is a ceramic composite casing made from layers of braided ceramic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber fused into a polymer matrix. Yes, the same way stealth tech sounds when explained by someone who shouldn’t have access to military documents.
When machined, this material reveals tiny reflective dots, creating a subtle constellation-like texture. It isn’t glossy bling. It’s quiet menace.
On the front you get URWERK’s calling card: wandering hours with a 3D retrograde hand sweeping a 120-degree arc, complete with satellites that rotate like tiny orbiting cubes. When the 60-minute journey completes, that hand snaps back to zero faster than a parent pulling their kid out of the crane game area.
Then there’s the dual turbine system. One turbine helps regulate shocks, while the other controls airflow for automatic winding. A control on the back lets you adjust rotor behavior, from “keep spinning” to “please behave while I hand-wind you.” Indicators at 11 and 1 o’clock show what mode you’re in—very cockpit-panel vibes.
Size-wise, it’s unapologetically chunky at 44.81 mm wide, 53.55 mm long, and 14.30 mm thick. Strap is vulcanized rubber, secured by Velcro, because buttons and clasps are apparently too low-tech for something that looks like it came from an alien diplomatic gift exchange.
URWERK is making just 35 pieces, so this isn’t for people “curious about watches.” This is for collectors who treat safe-deposit boxes like display cases.
The URWERK UR-230 Black Star retails for CHF 150,000 (about US$176,000) plus tax.
Images: URWERK.
