UR-1001 Zeit Device: Über Complicated
Unveiled in 2011, the UR-1001 “Zeit Device” is URWERK’s most extreme expression of timekeeping—a horological spaceship built not for the wrist, but for the ages. More than a watch, the Zeit Device is a fully mechanical time capsule capable of tracking everything from seconds to a millennium, challenging the very limits of what a timekeeper can be.
Encased in a massive, futuristic shell of black AlTiN-coated steel and titanium, the UR-1001 is an engineering marvel. On its front, it houses URWERK’s iconic satellite hour display, a retrograde minute track, day/night indicator, running seconds, and a power reserve. But it’s on the caseback that the Zeit Device becomes something else entirely—tracking not just the date and month, but also the year, 100-year, and 1,000-year indicators. It’s time on a cosmic scale, measured with mechanical poetry.
Nicknamed “The Pocket Watch of the Future,” the Zeit Device was produced in extremely limited numbers, intended for true visionaries and collectors unafraid to challenge horological norms. As a monument to URWERK’s creativity and technical prowess, the UR-1001 remains one of the most audacious timekeeping objects ever made—less an accessory, more a philosophical statement about time itself.
In 2014, URWERK pushed the concept even further with the UR-1001 Titan—a wearable evolution of the Zeit Device. Crafted in Grade 5 titanium and fitted with a specially engineered articulated titanium armature, the Titan transformed the original pocket watch concept into an oversized wristwatch for the boldest of collectors.
The case, while still monumental, was reimagined for ergonomics, allowing this horological machine to be worn on the wrist—albeit with commanding presence. Inside, it retained all the complexity of the original Zeit Device: satellite hours and retrograde minutes, calendar functions, and the century and millennium indicators on the back. But with its lighter construction and innovative strap system, the Titan offered a new kind of intimacy with a machine designed to track time over ten centuries.
Produced in highly limited quantities, the UR-1001 Titan is a true grail piece—an emblem of URWERK’s commitment to pushing the boundaries between science fiction and fine watchmaking.
