As one of the representatives of the “unconventional grail watch” category, Urwerk imbues each of its wild timepieces with meticulous attention to detail, often guided by a unique concept that’s never been attempted in the watch world before. Since 1997, the Swiss brand has come out with some actually insane watches from its flagship “Spock” wandering hours satellite display references from the recent UR-100V which lets you know how long it takes for the Sun’s light to reach each of the planets. Last year, we even covered their one-off Space Time Blade “clock” — a nixon tube-like device that stood over 5ft tall.

In 2014, Urwerk debuted yet another cool watch called their EMC (Electro-Mechanical Control). As the “world’s first precision mechanical watch,” it featured an optical sensor that let you gauge, manage, and adjust the timing mechanism inside. Now, for the EMC’s 10th anniversary, Urwerk has released a special-edition black version of the EMC, but with an aerospace angle.

Pieces of History

Not just content with coloring the entire timepiece black, this new EMC SR-71 now has an association with the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, a Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft built by Lockheed in the ‘60s. While none of the 32 Blackbird planes ever went down from enemy attack, 12 of the planes were lost in accidents, including the number 61-7970 example in 1970 which collided into a refueling tanker and went down in west Texas.

In development since late 2020 after Urwerk was approached by watch collector Jason Sarkoyan and aeronautical engineer Dr. Roman Sperl, the EMC SR-71 edition employs the fuselage from that specific aircraft as part of the construction of this latest EMC model.

Urwerk EMC SR-71 Basics

The front of the EMC features a quartet of indicators, including an hour/minute subdial, a seconds subdial, a power reserve indicator, and, most notably, a precision indicator from -20 to +20 seconds (this is activated when you push one of the watch’s buttons). As we stated, the innovative EMC watch houses a contraption that informs you of its mechanical performance. This is done through an optical sensor that measures the oscillation rate of the 4Hz regulator during a 3-second period. A screw on the caseback adjusts the watch’s timing.

Visible through the exhibition caseback, the in-house EMC movement is manually-would via a micro-generator made by Maxon, the same brand that developed the motors on NASA’s Mars Rover. This is activated using an actual hand crank, and this is where the SR-71 Blackbird comes into play. This, along with the watch’s bezel, is made from the Blackbird’s fuselage, which is a titanium alloy base mixed with other metals like vanadium and iron. 

Aside from the black titanium case and nylon-leather NATO Velcro strap, the rest is business as usual for the EMC, which means a 47.55 case diameter with a 17.58mm thickness and 30m of water resistance.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

If you know anything about Urwerk, you can surmise that the EMC SR-71 won’t be cheap. Limited to just 10 — yes, 10 — pieces, the timepiece is priced at CHF 150,000 (~$176,000). Head over to Urwerk’s website to learn more.

Urwerk EMC SR-71

For the 10th anniversary of its EMC watch, Urwerk utilizes fuselage from the legendary SR-71 Blackbird plane for its construction. The EMC is a unique timepiece in its own right, giving you the ability to gauge and fine-tune the watch’s mechanical performance.