How this exclusive Urwerk clock indicates Earth’s rotation speed in kmph
Urwerk, the Geneva-based high-end independent mechanical watchmaker, has harnessed the expertise of talented craftsman Dalibor Farny to create the spectacular Space-Time Blade – where science-fiction and time-telling converge in a glass column to indicate hours, minutes, seconds and even the Earth’s rotation in kmph, in luminous symbiosis.
At the heart of this exceptional Swiss-made clock lies an incandescent and almost nostalgic tribute to Nixie tubes: introduced in the 1950s, these soon gained popularity as a unique way to display numerals using glow discharge.
Standing 1.62m tall and weighing 40kg, the Space-Time Blade’s base is an Urwerk bronze crown, an imposing and oversized structure topped by a glass dome.
Beneath the latter sit eight vertically aligned Nixie bulbs, each individually custom-shaped using a blowtorch.
Each glass tube is meticulously filled with low-pressure neon gas and features a wire-mesh anode, with cathodes forming the numerals.
A separate cathode is precision-made for each unit from zero to nine. The whole assembly is then precisely arranged element by element using pliers, like the most delicate of constructions.
Mesmerising show
When the current is switched on, a distinct orange glow surrounds each cathode, staging a mesmerising visual show. The display can change up to 100,000 times per second.
The thin, fragile bulbs display both the time (hours, minutes, seconds) as well as a distance in kilometres, that of the Earth’s rotation.
The equally remarkable remote control driving the display of this extraordinary timepiece evokes the power of a lightsaber, presiding over the Space-Time Blade’s displays.
This exceptional Space-Time Blade – the first in an upcoming series that may be unveiled in 2024 – will be auctioned to benefit the Only Watch association, which has been fighting against Duchenne muscular dystrophy for the past decade.
Founded in 1997, Urwerk currently produces 150 contemporary timepieces that meet the most demanding criteria of Haute Horlogerie: independent research and creation, cutting-edge materials, and hand-finishing.
