Unpacking a Watch That's Part Dinosaur, Part Millennium Falcon
In between trading thoughts on sci-fi, AI, and the shape of the Millennium Falcon (spoiler: it was inspired by an off-center hamburger), URWERK co-founder Martin Frei gave us an exclusive look at some of the indie watchmaker's wildest novelties at Watches & Wonders 2025.
If you're not already familiar, URWERK is a deep cut. Founded in 1997 by Frei and master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner, the Geneva-based brand makes timepieces that feel more spaceship than wristwatch.
They're unapologetically futuristic, mechanically brilliant, and collector-coded to the max.
The star of the show was the new UR-101 T-Rex, a scaly reinterpretation of one of the brand’s earliest models. Its textured case, armored with organic guilloché that resembles prehistoric skin, is what earned it the T-Rex moniker.
“At first, we didn’t set out to make a dinosaur,” Frei tells Highsnobiety. “We just started engraving, and the pattern emerged. It looked like scales. It felt alive. The UR-101’s form also nods to sci-fi’s greatest hits, with Frei confirming the shape was inspired by none other than the Millennium Falcon.
But the lineup didn’t stop there. Frei also walked us through other brain-melting creations like the UR-210, with its snapping retrograde hand and winding-efficiency display, and the UR-150 Scorpion, a satellite time display system that spins like alien tech in motion.
As for how they come up with these radical forms of timekeeping, Frei keeps the philosophy straightforward: “It’s about being mindful of what’s come before,” he says, “and then building one step at a time.”
But don’t confuse that simplicity with convention. Frei’s inspirations span from furniture design to futuristic cinema. Think Metropolis, Star Wars, and beyond. “It’s this relationship between humans and machines,” he says. “At a certain point, we ask — are we the machine? Or are we something else?”
And while URWERK might live in sci-fi, it’s steadily crossing over into culture. Frei lights up when talking about the moment Dave Free, Kendrick Lamar’s creative partner, wore the UR-100V SpaceTime Ultraviolet at the 2025 Grammys.
“Did you see that?” he asks. “My son’s a huge fan of Kendrick. I used to live in Brooklyn back when rap was just starting. To see our watches in making their way into that side of culture.”
Whether it’s bending time, reshaping the wristwatch, or showing up next to Kendrick’s crew, URWERK continues to push what’s possible. And with watches this limited and this conceptually rich, there’s always more to explore.
Just don’t be surprised if the next one looks more like a 3D-printed spaceship than a timepiece.
