If I have to use a word to describe the style of Urwerk watches and its designer Martin Frei, I would say “retrofuturism”.

Twenty years ago, Martin Frei moved to New York and set up United Swiss Artists (USA) with local artists after graduating from Lucerne School of Art and Design in Switzerland. While still in New York, he created the Urwerk brand with Felix Baumgartner even though Baumgartner was located in Geneva. The brand’s cutting edge design immediately gained rave reviews. At that time, people expected these two young watchmakers were there to disrupt the Swiss watchmaking industry, but each piece from Frei and Baumgartner, from then to now, is well referenced with classic architecture, design, art and popular culture. In that sense, “retrofuturism” would be a suitable word to describe the brand.

The UR-105 CT Streamliner is a special piece to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the brand. The name “Streamliner” is derived from the 1930s classic style, while the cover on the top of the case is clearly borrowed from antique hunting of the 19th century. The vertical lines on the case are influenced by Art Deco buildings such as the Empire State, the Chrysler and the Comcast buildings. Inside there is a wandering hour indication based on an openwork carousel previously seen on models UR-101 and UR-102. The carousel carries four satellites each bearing three numerals for the hours. The hours then successively sweep past the minutes scale, showing the time with analogue and digital display.