Nuclear option URWERK AMC

Nuclear option URWERK AMC. ith its bulky aluminium body and constantly running digital milliseconds indicator, the latest timepiece from Urwerk (urwerk.com) wouldn’t look out of place as a nuclearbomb prop in a James Bond movie. That comparison proves apt upon closer inspection of the 37-kilogram clock – the Urwerk AMC is indeed atomic. A high-precision rubidium clock inside the AMC powers the display and synchronises, regulates and winds a removable wristwatch that is attached to the top of the device via a complex mechanical linkage. This marvel of modern horology may seem like a novelty, but the AMC is rooted in tradition. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet made a number of Sympathique clocks that similarly mated with pocket watches. “Breguet’s most advanced Sympathique was able to regulate, synchronise and wind its watch,” says Dominique Buser, head of Urwerk’s R&D department, which worked on the AMC over a 10-year period. “This is really Urwerk’s modern interpretation.”

Urwerk has experimented with interactive links to the timekeeping vitals of its wristwatches for several years, and the AMC’s functionality is a logical extension of those capabilities. The development team was able to place many of the key mechanisms inside the wristwatch itself. Nevertheless, the complexity of the atomic clock – which runs at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius – means that the company will produce only two or three at most, with delivery scheduled to begin at the end of the year at the earliest. Pricing has not yet been determined, and will likely run well into the seven figures. But for lovers of precision timekeeping, the clock may be the ultimate possession. “The rubidium element has a precision of one second every 317 years [at least],” says Buser. “I think it’s enough for us.” – JAMES D. MALCOLMSON.

Sources: Robb Report australia, July 2018

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