Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown Watch Review
The Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown is endowed with a rich, dark chocolate dial. Angus Davies discusses in detail this mouthwatering concoction.
Watches and food
Watches and food are two of my greatest passions. In this instance, it would appear Urban Jürgensen has blended the two together to splendiferous effect. Its latest model, the Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown, features a dial with a physical appearance resembling rich, dark chocolate in a mouthwatering form.
Urban Jürgensen timepieces are imbued with a high quotient of craftsmanship and this particular model proves no exception.
Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown – guilloché dial
The delicate blued steel hands contrast magnificently with the brown dialscape. The hour hand features the brand’s customary ‘eye’, a golden ring which fits into the hour hand merely by friction alone. The minute hand is elongated and stretches majestically all the way to the chapter ring, proving most helpful when reading off the prevailing time.
The central area of the dial is a sea of Grains d’Orge, casting shadows of light and shade and resembling woven material. This is the protracted outcome of an artisan spending two days engraving the dial with a rose-engine lathe. Only one person is assigned to one dial, ensuring the consistency of its appearance. It is reputed that one dial requires up to 700 different operations to bring to fruition.
A small seconds display resides at 6 o’clock and features a basketwork motif. The texture tempts a curious index finger to sample its form only to be frustrated by the pane of sapphire crystal. This guilloché dial is truly sublime with an exquisite texture that invites examination. Applied hour markers eloquently denote the hours. They are golden, faceted and dance with light to glorious effect. They sit upon a softly spoken, circular brushed hour track.
Everything is highly intelligible and magnificently formed.
Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown – 40 mm rose gold case
Measuring a mere 40 mm in diameter, the rose gold case exhibits a modest character and is the antithesis of some outré sports watches that demand attention. Indeed, part of the allure of Urban Jürgensen is that its timepieces consistently evince a tasteful, unassuming appearance.
The case of the Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown is formed in three parts and the bezel is convex. The lugs are teardrop shaped and individually soldered to the case. There is no indication of any join between the lug and the case, everything is seamless. The sapphire crystal gently arcs, inviting light to bathe the dial in natural illumination. The posterior of the case is equipped with a sapphire crystal, affording sight of the hand-wound Urban Jürgensen movement P4.
A few months ago, Urban Jürgensen unveiled the 1140 PT Blue which I reviewed on ESCAPEMENT. The Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown, whilst sharing much in common with the 1140 PT Blue, evinces a very different character. The rose gold case appears richer and warmer. This is not to say one model is better than another, but rather that each model has its own distinct identity, proffering greater choice for would-be Urban Jürgensen clients.
One element of the case design which I especially like is the way light interacts differently on the bezel and case, causing different hues to be formed and imbuing the case with a wonderful depth.
Urban Jurgensen Movement P4
The Urban Jürgensen Movement P4 is hand-wound and incorporates 23 jewels. Twin barrels collaborate to deliver 72 hours of autonomy. The balance oscillates to a frequency of 21,600 VpH (3Hz).
The bridges are adorned with Côtes de Genève Rayonnantes. The jewel sinks are highly polished. The anglage is exquisite with each bevelled surface shining resplendently. The balance bridge is affixed at two points making it more stable than a balance cock secured at one point alone.
Each wheel is circular-grained and the mainplate is adorned with perlage. However, typical of Urban Jürgensen, the perlage is exceptional with each pearl precisely overlapping its neighbour. The screws are thermally blued with wonderfully defined slots. Pulling out the crown causes the seconds hand to stop, allowing the wearer to synchronise the watch with a reference clock.
Everything is distilled to a very high standard with this movement.
Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown – closing thoughts
The Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown features an interesting combination of a dark brown dial with thermally blued hands. I did not anticipate that this blend of hues would prove successful, however, it works magnificently.
Appraising the dial of the Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown one is struck by the unusual brown hue, it is captivating. However, despite its obvious beauty, the dial proves highly practical and communicates with the wearer with perspicuous prowess.
Guilloché dials are a speciality of the maison and this particular model perfectly illustrates the adroit skills harnessed in crafting such a dial. The combination of Grains d’orge and Guilloché Dimier confers a wonderful texture to the dial which usurps anything mass production is capable of generating.
To focus solely on the dial would be to do a disservice to the case and movement. The three-part case is exquisitely formed and the soldered articulated lugs augment its appeal. The Urban Jürgensen Movement P4 is beautifully finished and reinforces the sense of no-compromise creation which is omnipresent with this watch.
However, ultimately, I have to return to the dial. Its brown shades are delicious and, typical of fine chocolate with a high cocoa content, its quality shines through. This is truly a mouthwatering horological creation.
Technical specification
- Model: Urban Jurgensen 1140L RG Brown
- Case: Rose Gold; diameter 40.00 mm; water resistant to 3 bar (30 metres); sapphire crystal to front and caseback.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; small seconds.
- Movement: Urban Jürgensen Movement P4, hand-wound movement; frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz); 23 jewels; power reserve 72 hours.
- Strap: Semi-matte, brown alligator strap, presented on a C-buckle in rose gold
- Further reading