Urwerk: EMC Time Hunter X-Ray

The EMC Time Hunter is a watch in the subversive URWERK tradition. This unique concept combines a precision mechanical movement with an electronic module that monitors its rate. Simply by pressing a button you discover whether your watch is running fast or slow and the amplitude of its balance. Furthermore, you can adjust it accordingly for optimum timekeeping.

The Time Hunter X-Ray comes across as a timepiece that is easy to read with a central dial for black hours and minutes hands coated with white SuperLuminova for enhanced contrast. A rotating disc showing the seconds at 1 o’clock is balanced at 7 o’clock by a power-reserve indicator. The EMC Time Hunter’s performance indicator showing its rate (± 15 seconds a day) and balance amplitude on demand are at 10 o’clock. On the back of the watch the movement can be seen through the sapphire crystal. Also on the back is the rate-adjustment screw, one of the nerve centres of this watch.

“If it’s not properly adjusted, even the most expensive movement remains a useless mechanism.” This is the premise on which the URWERK team got to work on the EMC Time Hunter.

According to the temperature and the time spent in every position in space, two identical watches with different owners might show a different weekly gain or loss.

Simply by pressing a button the owner of an EMC Time Hunter watch can find out the rate of his watch — how much it is gaining or losing. He can then adjust it accordingly. This interactive feature enables the owner to adapt his watch to his lifestyle and the changing environment.

The energy for the electronic rating module is generated by turning a crank. When the button is pressed the hand first points to the rate — ± 15 seconds a day — and then, after a short pause, the amplitude of the balance. In addition, a light emitting diode shows green if the watch is performing correctly and red if the rate is outside acceptable tolerances.

Apart from the sophisticated finish of the movement, the key features of the back of the EMC Time Hunter are the adjustment screw and the push-button at the bottom of the dial between the lugs that releases the winding crown.

For URWERK, the crazy idea of incorporating a workbench instrument within a watch represented the ultimate challenge. The Time Hunter X-Ray confirms the advent of the mechanical watch enhanced by electronic functions that provide a diagnosis of its timekeeping performance. Such a watch gives its owner the active role of getting the best performance from his timepiece.

The Time Hunter X-Ray will be produced in a limited edition of 15 pieces.

By Jacopo Corvo