Released in 2020 as part of a limited, 10-piece collaboration between Urban Jrgensen and A Collected Man, the proceeds from the original sale of this "London Edition" went towards research on COVID-19. We are thrilled to reoffer this piece for sale on behalf of the original owner.
The Danish watchmakers was founded in 1773 in Copenhagen by Urban Jrgensen himself, previously an apprentice to Abraham-Louis Breguet, Ferdinand Berthoud, and John Arnold. Passing through several hands over the last two hundred years, the modern Jrgensen brand was acquired by Peter Baumberger in 1979, with master watchmaker Derek Pratt as Technical Director.
More recently, the brand has been acquired by Finnish independent watchmaker, Kari Voutilainen. With himself as CEO and his talented daughter, Venla, as Head of After Sales Serivce, the community has been told to expect a new release in 2023.
The dial of this Urban Jrgensen watch is its most striking feature, as it is an unusual British racing green that takes its name from the international racing motor colours. Reminiscent of a 1920s' Bentley from Le Mans or a 1950s' Aston Martin, the colour provides the piece with a striking depth and invokes a rich history.
Building on the classic aesthetics of the piece, the dial also features a hand-finished, engine-turned guilloch dial. This requires up to 700 operations and two full days of hand craftsmanship to complete. Manufactured from one piece of solid silver, the racing green colour is added by a three-day colouring process through Physical Vapor Deposition (or PVD). The centre section of the matte dial is finished with a Clous de Paris pattern, instead of the more traditional guilloch usually found on the Big 8.
Additionally, when viewed in combination with the Observatoire-style hands, brushed chapter ring, and individually soldered teardrop lugs, these aspects further cement the pieces alignment with a more classical style of watchmaking, and recall the 18th and 19th century styles of marine chronometers previously made by Urban Jrgensen. For the sake of visual simplicity, the date window usually placed within the subsidiary seconds at 6 oclock has been closed.
This piece houses the upgraded Calibre FP 1160. The movement is expertly finished and elaborately hand-decorated, featuring a 21k gold Guilloch rotor, signed with the Urban Jrgensen crest.
Closer look
| Brand: | Urban Jrgensen |
| Model: | Big 8 London Limited Edition of ten pieces |
| Movement: | Automatic modified FP 1160 |
| Functions: | Hours, minutes, sub-seconds |
| Features: | British Racing Green guilloch dial, display back, blue steel Observatoire hands, Roman numerals |
| Case: | Stainless steel |
| Case size: | 40 mm |
| Crystal: | Sapphire front and back |
| Strap: | Curved taupe grained leather strap, curved tan nubuck strap, UJ two-piece blue alligator strap with original springbars |
| Strap size: | Curved 20 x 16mm |
| Box & papers: | Signed stainless steel tang buckle |
| Year: | Sold in 2020 |
| Papers: | Certificate (signed and dated), instruction manual |
| Box & accessories: | Retailers' shipping box, outer paper box, inner wooden box with insert, polishing cloth, hangtag |
This Urban Jrgensen Big 8 London Editon is in practically NOS condition, having only been worn on a couple of occasions by the original owner. As such, the case remains unopened and unpolished from new. The internal components are untouched, while the engravings on case retain their original sharpness.
The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
