Urban Jürgensen Reference 3 Perpetual Calendar, Platinum

Early Urban Jürgensen has been one of the better kept secrets of independents for a few years, at least till this year. This, I suspect, because the brand has one of the most convoluted and difficult-to-follow histories of any. The beauty, though, is easily understood. This is their 90s QP, the imaginatively-named Reference 3. It makes use of a superb Frédéric Piguet ébauche and is perhaps most notable for its dial, the work of Derek Pratt. Though scholarship is scarce, it's believed that around 175 QPs were made, of which about 50 are in platinum. As UJ has a promising future under Kari, the early works are seeing increased attention.

Reference 2 and Reference 3 often get mixed around, they're both QPs however the 3 integrated a power reserve on top of the already complicated feat within the moonphase. The 38mm case is very traditional, with a flair of style in teardrop soldered lugs. Its dial was painstakingly made by Pratt with three distinct guilloché sections, brushed chapter rings, and applied plaques for both the brand and case number. Each dial reportedly took him two days. The fine observatoire hands are another very tasteful touch. It is not difficult to see what attracted Kari Voutilainen, who is leading this brand today, to this work. The Reference 2 and 3 utilized a Frédéric Piguet calibre 71 ébauche with a Lemania-developed perpetual calendar mechanism. Baumberger actually went one step further to secure the rights to this exact module in period, in order to make it somewhat UJ’s. That said, the caseback is solid gold. It’s a bit George Daniels on the dial construction (or even old English), a bit AP 5548 in the stepped bezel, and VC teardrop in the lug. Yet, it is its own thing altogether and very confidently so.

These watches were the precursor to the duo’s eventual development of in-house calibres and the first detent escapement wristwatch guided under Pratt. It is a watch which leans very heavily into both tradition and 1990s, or neo-vintage, design cues. More importantly though, you can tell that everyone involved here really wanted to create something beautiful, characterful, and enduring. While the brand has been through many periods of dormancy, after this explosion of creativity, Urban Jürgensen has been back on track. We have Pratt and Baumberger to thank, and this is one of the watches that best encapsulates their aspirations.

This example is lovely. Numbered 008, it has its complete set with certificate. More importantly, the case is remarkably sharp with deep and defined hallmarks. The dial looks not a day over five years old. It's lovely, and hails from a well-regarded London retailer.