Unveiling the Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 Tourbillon: Inspired by a Masterpiece and Redesigned for the Modern Wrist

The resurgence of Urban Jürgensen in 2025, guided by creative maestros Kari Voutilainen and Alex Rosenfield, emerged triumphant with a triumvirate of timepieces. Among these, the UJ-1 Tourbillon 250th Anniversary Watch stands as a technical marvel, embodying the rebirth of a historical horological name. The UJ-1 serves as a testament to the design brilliance of the late Derek Pratt’s landmark Oval pocket watch, miniature in form but monumental in architectural grandeur.

Urban Jürgensen’s beginnings and its journey back to prominence have been well documented, yet the UJ-1 Tourbillon’s creation requires a revisiting of the Derek Pratt Urban Jürgensen Oval Pocket watch. This revered timepiece, a masterwork of contemporary independent watchmaking, was initiated by Derek Pratt in 1982, nurtured over two decades, and ultimately brought to culmination by Kari Voutilainen.

It’s critical to note that the UJ-1 does not simply mimic the Oval in appearance as a wristwatch. The approach that Voutilainen chose was innovative and engrossing. He reimagined the fundamentals of Pratt’s movement, miniaturizing and modifying them into a compact, 30mm wristwatch caliber.

The transformation of the Oval to the UJ-1 posed its fair share of challenges. The Oval, a key-wound and key-set timepiece, required a redesign to accommodate a wristwatch’s customary crown and keyless works. The solution was ingenious: the entire winding and hand-setting components were relocated to the dial side of the calibre, effectively invisible on the wristwatch.

From the rear, the UJ-1 adheres to the architectural integrity of the Oval, unmarred by a crown wheel or keyless works. Its primary structures reveal a flying barrel, a striking curved central bridge, and a captivating one-minute flying tourbillon.