For the most part, Urwerk tends to embrace a fairly dark color palette consisting of black and gray, often punctuated by small colorful accents. However, for its latest release of 2024, the futuristic Swiss brand has embraced a crisp white aesthetic, and the new Urwerk UR-230 Polaris iterates upon the original UR-230 from last year with a case crafted from a special ceramic-based composite material reinforced with fiberglass for additional durability and resistance to impacts.
The Urwerk UR-230 is the modern evolution of the Geneva-based brand’s popular UR-2xx series, which has evolved throughout the years and given us models such as the UR-210Y Black Hawk and the UR-220 “Falcon” (along with various other iterations of the UR-200, UR-210, and UR-220 platforms). Urwerk’s UR-230 series first debuted last year in 2023; however, unlike the original UR-230 “Eagle” that featured a hinged lid partially covering its display, the new Urwerk UR-230 Polaris opts for a simplified structure that is more reminiscent of the previous UR-220 models, and it entirely foregoes the hinged lid of its UR-230 “Eagle” sibling.
Measuring 44.81mm in diameter by 53.55mm in the lug-to-lug direction, with an overall height of 18.38mm, the case of the Urwerk UR-230 Polaris offers near-identical dimensions to its UR-230 “Eagle” sibling, and it similarly features 30 meters of water resistance, a domed sapphire crystal, and a display-style caseback made from black DLC-coated titanium. That said, while the original UR-230 “Eagle” has a case crafted from layered carbon fiber (CTP), the new UR-230 Polaris is constructed from a white ceramic-based composite material created in collaboration with Urwerk.
Typically used within the aerospace and medical industries, ceramic-based composites consist of a polymer matrix that houses sheets of woven ceramic reinforced with fiberglass. The incredible hardness of ceramic also makes it brittle, and traditional ceramics can crack or shatter when they receive a strong impact. Similar to the role of carbon fibers, the woven glass fibers significantly strengthen Urwerk’s ceramic-based composite material, and the finished components are characterized by finely stacked layers that are formed by the pale silver fiberglass sheets and the white resin that encapsulates them.
The Urwerk UR-230 Polaris is powered by the same Caliber UR-7.30 automatic movement that can be found inside the original UR-230 “Eagle” from last year, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. Along with featuring Urwerk’s signature satellite-style retrograde display system, the 50-jewel Cal. UR-7.30 includes two unique technologies that are intended to increase the movement’s resistance to impacts. Since the large mass of a rotor makes it a liability under extreme shocks, the caseback of the UR-230 includes a knob that allows owners to disengage the rotor from the movement. However, a second knob on the caseback enables wearers to alter the speed of the rotor with a unique “Air-Brake” turbine system that regulates the amount of air resistance on the component.
A pair of turbines within Urwerk’s Caliber UR-7.30 movement serve as a valve, and turning the knob on the caseback either increases or decreases the amount of airflow within the chamber that contains the rotor. When airflow is restricted, the rotor will move more slowly, and this prevents rapid motions from causing the rotor to spin wildly and potentially damage the movement. Realistically speaking, a significant drop onto a hard surface will still shatter the sapphire crystal, although Urwerk’s shock-resistant technologies are primarily intended to allow owners to wear their watches during sports or strenuous activities without worrying about the rotor rapidly moving within the case and damaging adjacent components.
Since the Urwerk UR-230 Polaris lacks the hinged lid of its UR-230 “Eagle” sibling, the entirety of its display sits visible under the crystal, and its internals are finished black with small red accents to offer a striking contrast against its crisp white case. Urwerk’s signature satellite display system occupies the majority of the space under the crystal, and it is joined by two additional indicators that are symmetrically placed on the upper corners of its display. The indicator at 11 o’clock shows the amount of airflow for the “Air-Brake” system, while the indicator at 1 o’clock displays the status of whether or not the rotor is engaged. Additionally, just as you would expect from one of Urwerk’s watches, the UR-230 Polaris features hand-painted Super-LumiNova markings, with the white-colored elements glowing blue, and the red accents emitting a green-colored glow in the dark.
The strap for the Urwerk UR-230 Polaris follows the same overall design as the strap fitted to the original UR-230 “Eagle” model, but rather than being entirely black, the strap is made from bright white vulcanized rubber to match the case. Just like the black strap fitted to its UR-230 “Eagle” sibling, the white rubber strap for the UR-230 Polaris features a textured outer section with a velcro-style closure, and the upper side of the strap has a cut-out in the center to accommodate the winding crown that protrudes from the 12 o’clock side of the case. Since the UR-230 series does not feature standard lugs, compatible third-party straps will be rather limited, although I doubt there will be many owners who will actually want to switch up the strap on this particular model.
Similar to the UR-230 “Eagle” from last year, the new Urwerk UR-230 Polaris will be produced as a limited edition of 35 examples. With that in mind, due to its different case material and the omission of its predecessor’s hinged lid system, the Urwerk UR-230 Polaris is actually less expensive than last year’s model, and it has an official retail price of 150,000 CHF (or approximately $170,000 USD, at the time of writing). Overall, the UR-230 Polaris is more-or-less just a new variation of an existing model, although the original UR-230 was already a very distinct timepiece, and the bright white appearance of this latest rendition offers a fresh expression of the brand’s distinct space-age aesthetic. For more information on the Urwerk UR-230 Polaris, please visit the brand’s website.