The new Urwerk EMC SR-71 “Blackbird” released just before Geneva Watch Days 2024 is one more example of why the brand holds such a unique place in the luxury watch industry. It combines traditional watchmaking with notably different and futuristic designs. Often extravagant in terms of mechanics, materials and shapes, Urwerk timepieces have a certain hyper-functional, instrument-like quality to them. Trademark features like “oil change” or “fine-tuning” indicators make the watches feel like actual pieces of machinery. Case in point, the EMC SR-71 is infused with a tangible link to the famous Cold War era supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The SR-71 plane was developed as a black project (meaning Top Secret) during the 1960s by Lockheed’s Skunk Works division.
The iconic spy plane, the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”, capable of flying over Mach 3, at an altitude of 26,000 metres. It was the first plane to be expressly designed to avoid detection by radar.
Urwerk, back in early 2010s, developed a watch called the EMC (Electro Mechanical Control) at their experimental lab. It was the first precision mechanical watch in which the timing could be both monitored and adjusted by the user. The EMC won the Mechanical Exception and Best Innovation prizes at the GPHG Awards in 2014.
The cockpit instrumentation panel of the SR-71 (left) inspired the design of the dials in the EMC SR-71 “Blackbird” (right).
The Blackbird is a complete mechanical watch with an inhouse movement with high-end finishing. The calibre was conceived, developed, crafted and calibrated in Urwerk’s atelier, but contains a monitoring unit powered by a micro-generator made by the Swiss company Maxon, known for developing motors for NASA’s Mars rovers. The unit is powered by simply opening up the crank arm to the right of the case, winding to power a small electromagnetic generator, and pressing a button to measure the timing.
When activated, a tiny optical sensor on the balance wheel captures the precise rate of oscillation for a period of three seconds. The precision of the movement is measured by a sensor and displayed in a semi-circular dial. A small screw on the back of the watch allows the owner to adjust the frequency until it falls into the acceptable oscillating range.
Movement of the Urwerk EMC SR-71 showing the yellow component covers for the electro-magnetic elements, which mimick details of the Blackbird plane.
A decade later, the Urwerk EMC SR-71 “Blackbird” marks this special anniversary by going further than any previous model. Fragments of the aircraft’s fuselage, made from a titanium alloy with an undisclosed composition, were melted down, cast and milled by Urwerk into crank handles and the time dials for the EMC SR-71 “Blackbird”. The fuselage parts were provided to Urwerk by Jason Saroyan and Dr Roman Sperl, founders of the aviation themed company, Dreamland.
The EMC SR-71 “Blackbird” with the crank open, resting on a piece of the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” fuselage, acquired with assistance from Dreamland Aerospace.
Amusingly perhaps, Lockheed refused to hand over parts of the fuselage metal, but pieces from an SR-71 could be found on the internet in former Soviet Union lands. Out of the 32 SR-71 ever made, 12 have been the subject of crashes, and three disintegrated. Parts of the wreckage “rained” on the former Soviet Union.
Other special touches are the yellow Pelican cases with a “black box” insert for the watch, and the bespoke military styled strap – made by a local Swiss artisan – which is the most comfortable NATO strap I have ever tried on. The Urwerk EMC SR-71 “Blackbird” is limited to 10 pieces to mark the anniversary of the watch. Find out more HERE.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
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