A very humble and modest Turkish, Dubai-based collector and member of the URWERK owners Kollektiv, who wishes to remain private, sat down with us to discuss his watch journey. How he selects pieces to add to his collection and avant-garde watches as acts of rebellion, the philosophy of rupture, and why URWERK occupies a singular place in the language of independent watchmaking.
There are collectors who accumulate, and there are collectors who think. The man we sat down with in Dubai belongs firmly to the second category. He speaks about watches the way a curator speaks about contemporary art, not in terms of rarity or investment, but in terms of what a piece proposes. His word of the moment is rupture: that decisive break in language, in form, in expectation, that separates a genuinely original object from everything that came before it. It is the lens through which he evaluates painting, philosophy, capital markets, and, increasingly, watches.
UR: How did you first get into watches, and was there a specific moment or piece that lit the spark?
Collector: The first time I truly noticed a watch was in Dubai's DIFC, the financial district, not long after Tariq opened Momentum (a boutique dedicated to vintage and classic watches). In the display window, there was an Andersen Genève world timer around 34mm in size, with a precious metal world-time ring. It was far too small for my wrist, but it struck me immediately. That was the first time I understood that a watch could be something more than a consumer object.
UR: How has your taste evolved since you started collecting?
Collector: I started collecting in 2014 with relatively mainstream brands. Quite quickly, though, I began looking beyond them toward independent watchmaking.
During a trip to Geneva, I bought a Chronomètre Bleu by F.P. Journe, and that piece really began my fascination with independents. For several years, my focus was on traditional high watchmaking: finishing, complications, and classical design.
Over the last two years, my taste has shifted dramatically. Today I am almost exclusively interested in avant-garde watches. The central theme of my collecting has become what I call rupture, watches that represent a decisive break in the design language of watchmaking, particularly from the 1990s onwards.
Chronometry itself interests me far less than conceptual design. What fascinates me are watches that represent a radical departure from the prevailing aesthetics of traditional watchmaking. That is where pieces like the URWERK UR-103, the Vianney Halter Antiqua, Cabestan, certain Harry Winston Opus pieces, or some of De Bethune’s more experimental watches become particularly compelling.
UR: How do you think about building a collection? Is it intuitive and emotional, or do you approach it with a deliberate strategy?
Collector: A few months ago, I downsized my watch collection quite significantly. My primary collecting focus today is actually modern art, and that shift has influenced how I think about watches as well.
Across many areas of human activity - art, philosophy, politics, even capital markets- there are rare moments when a handful of individuals introduce a completely new way of thinking. History is full of these ruptures. I find this idea of rupture deeply compelling, and this is exactly what I am looking for in watches and art.
To me, artists like Roberto Matta attempted to break the boundaries of physical reality, and Jean Dubuffet challenged established cultural aesthetics. These artists were not simply producing new works; they were attacking the prevailing language of their fields, and I want to enjoy a similar experience in my watch collecting as well. I am not interested in luxury consumer products.
Over the next several years, very slowly, I would like to build a collection of perhaps ten to fifteen important pieces, watches that represent milestones in independent watchmaking and embody a truly original design language.
UR: What's the one that got away? A watch you wish you had bought when you had the chance?
Collector: I wish I had acquired a Vianney Halter Antiqua years ago, when it was still trading at prices that were somewhat attainable.
UR: How do you feel about wearing your watches versus keeping them safe? Do you rotate regularly, or do certain pieces rarely leave the box?
Collector: When my collection was much larger, there were quite a few pieces that rarely left the box. Now that the collection is smaller, most of the watches get regular wrist time. When I’m not traveling I work mostly from home, and my watch box sits in my study. Because of that, I often change watches several times during the day depending on my mood.
I wear watches primarily for my own enjoyment rather than as something to be displayed. In fact, there are many days when I walk out of the house and realise I forgot to wear one altogether.
UR: What was your introduction to URWERK; when did you first encounter the brand, and what was your initial reaction?
Collector: When I was researching my first serious watch purchase, I remember coming across a video about URWERK and the team behind the brand. My first impression was that they looked almost like a “garage band” of watchmaking — a small group of people doing something radically different from the traditional industry.
I found both the team and the watches incredibly cool, but at the time, I could not imagine wearing something like that myself. Their designs felt so unconventional compared to the watches I was used to seeing.
UR: URWERK’s aesthetic is quite polarising. Were you immediately drawn in, or did it take time to come around to their visual language?
Collector: Urwerk, to me, represents the anti-hero, the rebel figure that challenges established rules. In that sense, it reminds me of characters like Prometheus, punished by the gods for giving fire to humanity; Icarus, who fell into the Aegean after daring to fly too close to the sun; or Giordano Bruno, burned at the stake for defying the orthodoxy of his time. Individuals who challenged prevailing beliefs and ultimately paid a price for it.
URWERK occupies a similar position within watchmaking. It stands outside the traditional aesthetic of the industry and proposes something entirely different. That kind of rebellion rarely gains immediate acceptance.
Culturally, the closest parallels I can think of are the stark worlds of Dune, the radical fashion language of Rick Owens, or even the early black-and-white paintings of Jean Dubuffet. Each represents a deliberate break from established forms.
So it definitely took me some time to appreciate URWERK’s visual language. But once you begin to see it through that lens of rebellion and rupture, the watches become incredibly compelling.
UR: Which was your first URWERK, and why that particular reference?
Collector: My first URWERK was a UR-105 that I acquired through my friend Jacopo at GMT Italia. Before buying it we had several conversations about the brand and its place in independent watchmaking.
Jacopo has been a remarkable curator of independent watchmaking over the years, and those discussions helped me better understand what URWERK represents. The UR-105 felt like a natural entry point into the brand’s world of unconventional, but still very wearable.
UR: URWERK has produced a wide range of references over the years, the UR-103, 105, 110, 202, 210, 220, and beyond. Which family or era of the brand’s work resonates most with you?
Collector: For me, it is the UR-103. That model really captures the essence of what URWERK represents. I currently have various iterations of it, including an early 103.2 in white gold, which is probably my favorite in addition to my Mexican Fireleg.
The UR-103 feels like the moment when URWERK truly defined its identity, the satellite display, the architecture of the case, the sense that this was something completely different from traditional watchmaking. It embodies that idea of rupture that I find so compelling.
UR: URWERK occupies an interesting position we are independent, avant-garde, and technically serious. How do you think we fit within the broader landscape of independent watchmaking?
Collector: URWERK has a very unique, coherent, and honest design language. You can recognise one of their watches immediately, which is something very few brands achieve. In that sense, they remind me of the first generation of Surrealist artists following André Breton’s manifesto, figures who introduced an entirely new visual language.
More broadly, I think we are currently seeing something of a bubble in independent watchmaking. Over the past five or six years, many new names have appeared. Outside of a small handful of truly distinctive watchmakers, however, I am not sure that many of them have developed a genuinely original design language. They may be independent on paper, but their watches often feel derivative. What makes URWERK different is that their visual and mechanical language is completely their own. That authenticity is very rare.
UR: Many URWERK collectors also gravitate toward brands like MB&F, Richard Mille, or De Bethune. Does your collection reflect that, or is URWERK somewhat singular in your tastes?
Collector: Yes, most of those brands definitely resonate with me, and at one point or another, I have owned pieces from several of them. They all share a willingness to challenge traditional watchmaking in different ways.
Greubel Forsey, for example, remains a dream brand for me. I would love to eventually acquire one of the early Double Tourbillon Historique pieces. Another watch I have admired for a long time is Vianney Halter’s Antiqua, which I think represents one of the most original designs to emerge from independent watchmaking.
UR: Have you ever had direct interaction with Felix, Martin, or the URWERK team? How has the relationship with the brand itself factored into your collecting?
Collector: I’ve had the chance to meet Felix, Martin, and members of the URWERK team on a few occasions. Those encounters actually deepened my appreciation for the brand, to be honest, I really like the entire team, members of the URWERK family. Through Alex, I gained a lot of knowledge on various models and the history of the brand. I also talk to Diego quite often. In fact, I was able to purchase my last 103 entirely thanks to Diego. The watch was in Geneva, and Diego literally went to the auction house to review the condition of the timepiece and also gave me a service estimate. Without the information he provided me, I simply would not be comfortable enough to go for the piece. I feel like interacting with family & friends rather than a company. URWERK is really a name that is close to my heart.
What strikes me most is how honest they are, both with themselves and with what they are trying to create. They have a very clear vision for their watches, and they pursue it without compromise, which I think is quite rare in the industry.
UR: Where do you see URWERK going in the next chapter — and is there a piece or concept you’d love to see them explore that they haven’t yet?
Collector: I would personally love to see a relaunch of the UR-103. For me, it remains one of the purest expressions of the URWERK philosophy, the satellite display, the case architecture, and the sense that it came from a completely different design universe than traditional watchmaking.
UR: Are there any variants within a reference you own — such as a specific case material, dial treatment, or limited edition where you believe URWERK truly excelled?
Collector: One piece I particularly love is the UR-103 Mexican Fireleg, with the all-black case and red/orange accents. I find that combination incredibly striking. I also really appreciate URWERK’s idea of coating precious metal cases with black treatments. It creates an interesting tension between something traditionally luxurious and something that looks almost industrial or tactical.
UR: URWERK watches are known for their unconventional case shapes and wrist presence. How do the pieces in your collection actually wear day-to-day? Are there ones you reach for regularly and others that feel more like special occasion watches?
Collector: When I’m not in business meetings, my daily uniform is usually jeans and a black T-shirt, so URWERK watches actually fit very naturally into my day-to-day life. Their design language works well with a more casual style, which makes them surprisingly easy to wear regularly.
UR: Looking at your URWERK pieces side by side, do you see a thread connecting them — a shared quality or character that explains why those specific references ended up with you, or has it been more accidental than intentional?
Collector: It’s probably a mix of opportunistic purchases and more deliberate acquisitions. Some pieces came into the collection because the opportunity presented itself at the right moment, while others were watches I had been thinking about for quite some time.
At this stage, I probably already have more URWERKs than I strictly need, but I could still see myself adding an EMC one day.
A big thank you to our favourite Turkish Dubai URWERK collector for opening up his home to us in a difficult period in the Gulf and allowing URWERK and our followers an insight into the mind of a URWERK collector and his ever-growing collection.
Stay tuned for our next URWERK Kollektiv member interview, and if any of these pieces caught your eye you can visit our >>> Certified Pre-Owned LEGENDS collection
