Urwerk releases the final edition of their UR-230 collection with a new version which they call the Black Star.
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Urwerk UR-230 Black Star
The Urwerk-230 Black Star has a retail price set of CHF 150,000 before tax. Limited Edition of 35 pieces.
Commentary
This is the third generation of the UR-230 lineup. The first being also a black version which Urwerk calls Eagle. The second is the Polaris, where the case and strap takes on a white ceramic which is fiberglass enhanced.
The use of fiberglass within the ceramic composite provides structural integrity to withstand chipping and breakage, which is common in ceramic cases as it is very hard and often brittle. With the white aesthetic, Urwerk also opened up the dial, to show the pivot where the rotating satellite mechanism is located, giving the watch a more airy and roomy look. And now the final edition is released in the same ceramic composite, but rendered in black.
The indications are in a yellow luminous hue and the watch comes with a matching rubber strap in a brilliant yellow. The movement remains the same UR-7.30 which has been in the UR-230 since launch.
Pricing has remained even with the Polaris which was released in 2024 at CHF 150k. Interestingly, we note that the Eagle was released at CHF 180k, of course with a black DLC-treated titanium and 318 layers of carbon CTP (Carbon Thin Ply) for the case and hunter-style cover to protect the sapphire glass. Later models (Polaris and this Black Star novelty is not equipped with this cover).
Release details
URWERK ends the year in sidereal black. The independent watchmaking house unveils its new UR-230 “Black Star,” a creation that does not seek light but instead absorbs it, engulfs it – the better to restore it on its own terms.
After the raw texture of the Carbon CTP in the “Eagle” and the mineral whiteness of the ceramic “Polaris”, the “Black Star” concludes the 230 collection triptych on a cosmic note. The curtain falls on a note of vibrant black: a gravitational field where light vanishes, only to be reborn in random flashes.
Welcome to the dark side of the URWERK force!
A highly protected mechanism
This UR-230 “Black Star” is original in more ways than one. First, there is its structure. Calibre UR-7.30 powering this creation is protected by a hermetic titanium container designed as a mechanical safe. Surrounding this highly protected heart, a composite ceramic case and a black DLC titanium back form the UR-230’s shell: “I love the aesthetics of ceramic and its clean, precise look. It’s a material that’s hard, shiny, beautiful… and incredibly fragile. A single impact and it cracks – yet I didn’t want to give up on this option”, explains Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK. “We had to find a solution to fulfil this desire without making any comprises.”
The original, high-performance case of the UR-230 “Black Star” is made from a laminated composite ceramic developed specifically for URWERK: layers of braided ceramic, fibreglass and carbon fibre have been integrated into a polymer matrix. When machined, this unique ceramic reveals a shiny relief. Its flat, smooth surface is illuminated with sparkling dots, creating a dense, vibrant black-light texture.
Vibrant darkness
“While Polaris evoked the brightness of the North Star, Black Star belongs to the interstellar void”, says URWERK’s artistic director and co-founder Martin Frei. “This black is not there to conceal. It breathes. It makes light appear in a setting of shadows. In astrophysics, a Black Star refers to the state of a collapsing star. The star then absorbs light like a black hole, but not completely, just at the cosmic boundary between being and disappearing. URWERK’s ‘Black Star’ embodies this paradoxical presence: a deep, living black that does not deny light but reveals it by draping it in shadows – a glow born from the very heart of the night.”
Wandering mechanics
The UR-230 “Black Star” embodies URWERK’s DNA. This new UR-230 features a satellite complication with wandering hours and a retrograde 3D hand; while a central hub connects three cubic hours satellites. These four-sided blocks move across a 120° sector in 60 minutes. The active hour – the one scrolling along this minutes rail – is taken charge of and put into orbit by an openworked retrograde hand that accompanies it throughout its journey from index 0 to 60. At the end of 60 minutes, the hand instantly flies back to zero to take charge of the next satellite.
Dual turbine system
The UR-230 is a self-winding watch regulated by an exclusive dual turbine system:
- – one absorbs external shocks
- – the other regulates the air flow of the automatic winding mechanism, acting as a true aerodynamic brake.
A control on the back allows the rotor load to be adjusted or even completely deactivated to switch to manual-winding mode.
Two symmetrical indicators − at 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock − display these settings.
This UR-230 “Black Star” concludes the 230 collection chapter. The end of a story, but with new adventures to follow in 2026…
Urwerk-230 Black Star Specifications
| Movement | Calibre UR-7.30 developed by URWERK |
| Winding | Modular automatic winding |
| Escapement | Swiss lever escapement |
| Frequency | 28,800 vph – 4 Hz |
| Balance | Variable inertia |
| Jewels | 50 |
| Balance-spring | Flat |
| Energy | Double barrel |
| Power reserve | 48 hours |
| Materials | Baseplate in ARCAP P40, 3D minutes pointer in aluminium with counterweight; Steel central spring; hours transporter in aluminium; central carrousel and screws in grade 5 titanium |
| Finitions | Hour-markers painted with Super-LumiNovaTMStructure finely 3D-engraved with a circular satin-brushed patternShotpeened satin-brushed subdial indicationsFinely sandblasted carrousel with a shotpeened, circular satin-finished and black rhodium-plated cageFinely sandblasted satellite cam with DLC coatingFinely sandblasted anodised 3D handComponents hand-painted with Super-LumiNovaTM: yellow glowing blue for the hour-markers; yellow glowing blue for the automatic indication; red glowing green for the 60-minute marker and the OFF position of the automatic indicator; green for the ON indication.Polished screws |
| Indications | Wandering hours on a satellite complication (URWERK patent) 3D retrograde minutes handAerodynamic winding regulation indication (Air Brake)Automatic winding status indication (On-Off) |
