Urban Jürgensen was born in Copenhagen in 1776 with a love of watches. His father, the Danish court watchmaker Jürgen Jürgensen, founded the Jürgensen watchmaking dynasty in 1773 and and played a decisive role in shaping his son's career. He was to become the best-known name bearer of the traditional watchmaking house.
After 5 years of lessons and with his father, he sent the young Urban at the age of 20 to Neuchâtel and Geneva for further training. it followed stations in Le Locle, also in Switzerland, where he worked for Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, the founder of Swiss chronometry. From Le Locle, Jürgensen travels on to Paris and London until he finally returns to his birthplace Copenhagen in 1801.
Trained also in the manufacture of chronometers, which find their use in the navy, the returned Urban Jürgensen soon acquired the court watchmaker privilege from the hands of the Danish King Frederik VI, as well as how the title of royal naval watchmaker. He was the first watchmaker ever to become a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences.
Scientific writings owe their appearance to his research depth, his discoverer-inventor spirit and his worldliness, in particular the "Principes généraux de l'exacte mesure du temps par les horloges" (1805). and he also had sons follow the continued watchmaking tradition. Jules Frederik and Louis Urban Jürgensen he passed on horological knowledge and craft, to them he entrusted the business, hence: Urban Jürgensen & Sønner Copenhagen.
Rediscovery of the Urban Jürgensen brand
it is largely thanks to antique dealer and watchmaker Peter Baumberger and watchmaker Derek Pratt, that the Urban Jürgensen brand still makes the heart of every watch lover beat faster today. Baumberger acquired the company in the 1980s. The cooperation with the British watchmaker Derek Pratt turned out to be an absolute stroke of luck. Through much skill, talent and the mastery of old techniques Pratt was able to restore the complex vintage watches and in maintenance.
Under Baumberger's direction, new watches were eventually created, including the automatic wristwatches ref. 2 and 3 with perpetual calendar, which were to shape the visual language of the brand and the legendary oval tourbillon pocket watch for which took Pratt more than two decades to complete and the final stages of which were carried out by Finnish watchmaker and current CEO Kari Voutilainen.
Kari Voutilainen - beginning of a new era
As a young independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen worked at Urban Jürgensen in the 1990s for Peter Baumberger and Derek Pratt. He himself once said about this time "I had the great fortune to work at Urban Jürgensen at the beginning of my career and to learn from some of the great watchmakers of the 20th century [...]". Today, the Finnish watchmaker is considered a luminary of his guild. After the death of Baumberger in 2011, Urban Jürgensen changed hands several times. In 2021, it Voutilainen succeeded in taking over the brand together with investors. Thus, a well-known and face that shaped the brand in the 1990s for returned to the helm of the company.
2023 marks the 250th anniversary of Urban Jürgensen. Under the leadership of Voutilainen, a new watch collection from the house of Jürgensen will be released after a long time.
Watch auction - Urban Jürgensen Reference 2 - Limited Edition
it is therefore a very special pleasure for us at WETTMANN Art Auctions a Urban Jürgensen Reference 2 wrist watch in our upcoming hall auction on 26.11.2022 to offer.
Equipped with perpetual calendar, weekday and month and moon phase display, watch in white gold, is equipped with real gold hands, a dial made of 925 sterling silver and steel movement with gold rotor. An impressive result of horological expertise from over two centuries of watchmaking. All further details about the hall auction can be found here on our site!
