Urban Jürgensen

One of the oldest and most storied names in watchmaking — keeping time beautifully for over 250 years, driven by a passion for innovation, intricate complications, and the highest standards of craftsmanship. This is the Danish spirit: taking joy seriously, finding delight in the details, magic in the minute, and pleasure in the pursuit of perfection. The story begins in 1770 when Jørgen Jørgensen sat his son Urban down to polish his first blue screw. Born in 1776, Urban Jürgensen trained under the great masters of the era, recording his findings in a book for future timekeepers; in 1797 he set sail on an odyssey across Europe, returning in 1801. His singular genius put the Danish Navy on the map with precision chronometers and placed exceptional timepieces in the pockets of kings — including Prince Frederick (1820). He passed the torch to his sons in 1811; Urban died in 1830. Over the following two centuries the name travelled far — the 1867 World Exhibition, Jules Jürgensen (1894), passing through Rose Watch Co. and Ed. Heuer & Co. (1919), dark years (1936) — until in 1976 Swiss collector Peter Baumberger rediscovered the legacy at the Bicentennial.

In 1979, with British restoration legend Derek Pratt and a young Finnish watchmaker (Kari Voutilainen), he launched the Second Golden Age. Voutilainen designed the signature Breguet-style hands and dial elements that define Urban Jürgensen's modern identity. In 1996 Kari Voutilainen joined; in 2005 the Oval Pocket Watch and P8 appeared; in 2011 the company changed hands again; in 2014 it returned to Danish family ownership — finally back home.

Three current collections: UJ-1 (guilloché dial, small seconds, power reserve); UJ-2 (rose gold, deep blue guilloché); and UJ-3 (rose gold, moonphase, day and date, power reserve). The Central Second won the GPHG 2014 Men's Watch award.