Reference 8, Yellow Gold

Between 1999 and 2008 it is estimated that Urban Jürgensen produced approximately 700 examples of the Ref. 8, all in precious metal. The brand had previously only produced their watches in limited production. The Ref. 8 aimed to capture a broad audience; a restrained time-only design, it was intended to offer an accessible entry point to the brand in a variety of configurations. A watch from the Baumberger-Pratt era, the most desired of the brand’s wristwatch production, its modesty places emphasis on the traditional watchmaking and elegant design at the foundation of the brand. 

Where most watchmakers scrambled to integrate battery powered movements into their range, Peter Baumberger saw the quartz crisis as not only a phase soon to pass, but a unique opportunity. He purchased the rights to the Urban Jürgensen & Sønner name, along with heavily discounted machinery deemed obsolete by most in the industry, and partnered with English watchmaker Derek Pratt to re-launch the brand as a champion of traditional watchmaking. 

Urban Jürgensen & Sønner’s Ref. 8 was the brand’s first non-limited production wristwatch. It aimed to offer an entrypoint into their model range with a modest, three-hand design highlighting key features of the brand’s identity: immaculate hand-guilloché dials and sculpted, soldered lugs. The solid silver dial features printed circular minute plots and Roman numerals, along with contrasting guilloché patterns between dial and subdial. The guilloché terminates in dimpled brushed tracks for both hours and minutes. This classically English aesthetic ties in beautifully with its stepped case and observatoire handset to create a timeless vintage feel which nods to the brand’s origins in pocket watch manufacture. The soldered teardrop lugs accentuate the 8.5mm thin 37mm case from Swiss casemaker Centrale Boîtes. While numerous dial configurations, case metals, and even a date display were offered within the reference, all utilize a Frédéric Piguet ebauché. The Ref. 8 was the first in which an optional display caseback was offered.

This yellow gold Ref. 8 is one of the more restrained offerings. It’s time-only display with solid caseback placing all focus on the masterful hand guilloché dial, turned by Pratt himself. The bi-metal observatoire hands take a full day’s labor to manufacture. The yellow gold ring is machined independently, then delicately pressed into a frame on the heat blued steel hour hand. The result is a beautiful contrast, a unique take on the traditional hand shape. Its calibre FP 1160, is from later in the reference’s production after the FP 1150, offering 72 hours of power reserve and increasing the beat rate. Its 21k gold rotor, though behind a solid caseback, features intricate engraving in both a barleycorn pattern and brand logo. 

The Ref. 8 is the closest the Baumberger-Pratt era ever came to a ‘core model’ of the brand, its nearly 10 year production the longest of their references. The yellow gold and time-only display create an aesthetic that feels particularly well aligned with the origins of the brand. Its restraint is not only tasteful and elegant, but emphasises the masterfully hand guilloché dial that epitomizes this era of Urban Jürgensen.

This Reference 8 presents in great overall condition. The dial and hand set feature no signs of wear or patina. The case is full and strong, with sharp hallmarks but moderate surface wear throughout, commensurate with its age. Its calibre FP 1160 is running well within spec on our timing equipment. The watch comes with its original strap and pin-buckle.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.