Urwerk's Felix Baumgartner and his Personal Relationship with Time and Watches
Felix Baumgartner, founder of watchmaker Urwerk, discusses his philosophy on independent watchmaking and the importance of innovation over nostalgia. He emphasizes that watches should evoke emotion and push the boundaries of mechanical complexity.
Why it matters
The interview provides insight into the creative process of high-end independent watchmaking and the tension between traditional craftsmanship and modern technology.
1 – Which watch changed the way you looked at watchmaking? It was an 19th-century tourbillon on display at the Patek Philippe Museum. I was mesmerised. I stood there witnessing pure human genius: someone, three centuries ago, using the finest technology of their time, had invented a mechanism so refined it is still running and still being admired today. I told myself, “I want this.” Not to repeat it, but to do for our era what that watchmaker did for his: use today’s technology to create mechanisms nobody has ever seen before. That moment gave me the final push I needed to leave everything behind and jump into independent contemporary watchmaking.
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