Can high horology be joyful, sexy, yet restrained? Yes, say the new owners of Urban Jurgensen

The global relaunch of 18th-century Danish watch brand Urban Jurgensen was a most intriguing one. The location was sunny Los Angeles, with a series of events spread across the vast city. The hosts? The illustrious American Rosenfield family, who had acquired the brand through a consortium of investors back in 2021.

In two full days of activities, media from the world over first descended on the Rosenfield holiday mansion in the affluent residential neighbourhood of Brentwood for a garden dinner party. It was followed by a morning presentation at the early 19th-century Beaux-Arts-style Santa Monica Post Office downtown, culminating in a lavish gala dinner featuring a slew of celebrities in the modern space of The Barker Hangar on the grounds of Santa Monica Airport.

At the front and centre of every occasion was the father-and-son duo of Andy and Alex Rosenfield, Urban Jurgensen’s chairman and co-CEO, respectively. Like two peas in a pod, the charming and gracious pair made guests feel like they were welcomed into an intimate celebration. 

There is really no mystery to their palpable pride and joy — it took them a swift three years to take over and reintroduce the brand with Kari Voutilainen, one of the most esteemed watchmakers of our time, who is now the brand’s co-CEO.

New world order

During his morning presentation, a beaming Alex Rosenfield spoke of injecting an “American sensibility” into Urban Jurgensen, and enthused about the company being a “polyglot family” — a refreshing departure from how high horology brands are typically run and perceived. 

And it looks like that is the secret sauce Urban Jurgensen needs now. Founded in Copenhagen by Danish horologist Jurgen Jurgensen with master clockmaker Isaac Larpent in 1773, the manufacture took the name of the former’s son, Urban.

Having studied under Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris and John Arnold in London, he rose to prominence through innovations in precision engineering and marine chronometers made for the Danish Navy. 

Reaching its peak in the 19th century, when the company supplied timepieces to royal courts and scientific institutions, its fortunes would then rise and fall through the following century as it moved its base to Switzerland and changed hands several times.

The brand flourished as a niche producer of classically elegant watches under Swiss watchmaker Peter Baumberger, who bought it in 1979 and stewarded it until he died in 2010, after which it was acquired by a group of Danish investors in 2014.

As fate would have it, US financier and watch collector Andy Rosenfield heard of the brand’s struggles during Covid-19 and stepped in to negotiate a buy-out, with son in tow. Reveals Alex Rosenfield, “We’re both trained lawyers who never practised, but from the very first minute, we were doing the deal together. I was living in New York City, but the pandemic being a scary moment, I drove back overnight to my parents’ home just outside of Chicago.” 

He adds, “It was an unusual but incredible experience to be living with them. And when my dad told me about this interesting opportunity, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful for Urban Jurgensen to be with a family again?’ People who really love the brand and its history, and can pour that care we think it deserves into it.”

Fresh beginnings

For the new custodians, who had never intended to step into horology and “found out just purely by chance that Urban Jurgensen was in a little bit of trouble and needed a next chapter”, that outpouring of care is incredible. As it was apparent to us present at the relaunch, no expense was spared, as was the dedication to ensure its success. 

“My father is a very committed collector and gravitates towards independent watchmaking,” the junior Rosenfield elaborates. “He’d loved Urban Jurgensen since the 90s, when Peter Baumberger and then technical director Derek Pratt were making them. The watches were just always among his favourites.”

And thanks to senior Rosenfield’s standing as a longtime client of Kari Voutilainen, boasting one of the largest collections of the latter’s pieces in the world, the family managed to convince the Finnish watchmaker to join them. “My dad has always thought highly of Kari’s work, whether it’s his manufacture creations or collaborations with Rexhep Rexhepi and Philippe Dufour.”

With Voutilainen aboard as a shareholder and co-CEO overseeing design, technical development and production, the responsibility of creative direction, operations, strategy, marketing and sales falls on Alex Rosenfield.

With fashion, beauty, and media experience across the pond from Europe, he has delivered a revival campaign that is as refreshing as it is deeply personal to him and his family. 

“Our motto is: Time kept and spent beautifully. We want to think as much about how you spend your time as how you keep it, because that’s what gives life meaning. I love my watch and look at it throughout the day, but my life isn’t about my watch or what I’m wearing. It’s about all the people I meet, my hobbies and interests,” he explains.

With nature and the ocean in his backyard, there is no question that the new Urban Jurgensen must have a place in his (and anyone’s) modern, carefree lifestyle. “I wear a handmade Urban Jurgensen watch with my jeans and a T-shirt, and go to the beach and run around with my dog. They’re sturdy, wonderful watches, but they don’t have to be rarefied items. The worst thing to me is when a timepiece sits in a safe. It should be on somebody’s wrist, and they should be enjoying it. That sense of casualness, to me, has an American core.”

And that philosophy, initially forming “just a collage” in his head, has been beautifully translated into a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, and contemporary visual narrative so unlike what one would expect from a high horology house.

A stand-out in the campaign imagery is the cinematic and soulful Time Well Spent portrait series shot by acclaimed fashion lenswoman and Urban Jurgensen’s photography director, Ellen von Unwerth. Among the interesting individuals featured are the lauded light and space sculptor James Turrell at his massive installation, the Roden Crater.

“It was really fun for me to come in as an outsider. I thought about what the fashion and beauty industries do better, if not differently. Much of current watch marketing features the same types of people representing brands in the same poses, with timepieces next to their faces. It’s very serious, high-focus, and glossy,” he states.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, but I thought there was a real space to do something unconventional. My goal was not to be beholden to any traditional practices. We can take the watchmaking seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. That’s sexy, right?”

And this sense of liberation and sensitivity to the Zeitgeist isn’t just an aesthetic one; the rebooted Urban Jurgensen wants to make horology inclusive. “I think that too often, watch companies give you this attitude that there are watches for men, and women are allowed to wear them. Our watches cater to men and women of all ages. Everyone should feel welcome.”

Power moves

If Urban Jurgensen’s new branding bears Alex Rosenfield’s personality, then the watches are unequivocally Kari Voutilainen. The former states, “We have both made an effort to bridge the two by using the brand legacy as the core. He’s one of the hardest-working and most creative people I’ve ever met, and incredibly collaborative. I’d never in a million years tell him what to do.”

Renowned for his fiercely independent take on contemporary artisanal horology, the elite watchmaker is more than the right man for honouring Urban Jurgensen’s codes of quiet Danish elegance and passion for Swiss precision. His 11 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) awards aside, the man had also worked at the house early in his career.

The debut collection features just three models powered by proprietary movements that are developed, assembled, and finished to the highest standards in the manufacture’s Bienne workshop. From the escapement architecture to the hand-guilloche solid silver dials to the slew of exquisite finishings, every detail reflects a singular pursuit of purity and excellence. 

Among the hallmarks retained are the classical styling, flame-blued hands, and modestly sized cases. While the brand’s individually forged, hand-soldered teardrop lugs have always been its signature, imbuing the case profile with a sculptural grace, Voutilainen has given the feature a new riff after much deliberation — by turning it on its side. 

It was a brilliant decision, says Alex Rosenfield. “The short stepped lugs look and feel good. I have a small wrist, so it’s like a barometer, and even my mother liked how the watches fit. It was so important to Kari that what he created isn’t a recreation of the original, but becomes a future representation of Urban Jurgensen.”

With the UJ-1, which is the showpiece 250th Anniversary Watch, Voutilainen revisits the legendary Urban Jurgensen Pratt Oval Pocket Watch created during Peter Baumberger’s tenure. It was a monumental project that had taken nearly two decades to complete, the last phase of which saw Voutilainen replacing an ailing Derek Pratt in 2024 to finish the movement. 

The achievement here lies in the miniaturisation and adaptation of the Oval’s tourbillon movement —  integrated with a remontoir d’egalite constant-force escapement and dead-beat (jumping) seconds mechanism — into a wristwatch for the first time. A mechanical feat attempted by others but long considered impossible, the UJ-1 is a continuation of the original’s virtuosity and, in itself, a magnum opus.

For this 39.5mm timepiece, there are three references, each in a limited edition of 25 pieces, in a platinum case with a light silver dial or grey dial, and in rose gold with a light silver dial.

The three-hand UJ-2 happens to be Alex Rosenfield’s favourite. Taking centre stage in this creation of understated beauty is a double wheel natural escapement. And the fact that Urban Jurgensen has chosen such a sophisticated system for serial production affirms its commitment to high horology — that what others reserve for their top-shelf pieces is foundational to the brand.

Four references complete this 39mm model, with cases in platinum or rose gold, and dials in light silver or blue.

A picture of utmost complexity and elegance is the UJ-3, which flaunts a double-wheel natural escapement perpetual calendar with an instantaneous moon phase indication. A collaborative product between Voutilainen and master engineer Andreas Strehler, it demonstrates mastery of extraordinary mechanical complexity within the confines of a 30mm timepiece. 

Furthermore, Strehler’s precise moon phase is licensed for the first time in this serially produced watch, which comes in either a platinum or rose gold case, both with a light silver dial.

From the sound of it, Voutilainen had as much fun as Rosenfield junior. Says unassuming Finn, “To return now, and to shape its next era with the same care that defined its past, is both a joy and a duty. We are creating watches that honour time, and that through handmaking and finishing, have a soul.”

If such inspired watchmaking is setting the stage for Urban Jurgensen’s comeback, we can only imagine what the future might hold. Alex Rosenfield has this to say about his hopes for the brand’s legacy: “We’d like to make sure it represents the best in independent watchmaking in driving engineering and design forward. And that we do it always with both a sense of joy and restraint. We want to be elegant, not flashy, but that doesn’t mean being flawless. We’d do our very best — it’s a very American sensibility. Yes, I can’t help saying that.”