ight months. In watchmaking, that’s barely a heartbeat. And yet at Urban Jürgensen, the sensation is one of swift acceleration. The official relaunch in June 2025, with nine new watches introduced at once (read our article here), set the tone. Since then, the brand has appeared on the wrist of one of today’s most prominent independent watch collectors, Timothée Chalamet. A Geneva workshop and showroom are set to open soon, alongside a dedicated space in New York.

Operating between the United States and Switzerland, Urban Jürgensen is methodically building its organisation, teams and network of partners, brick by brick.

Founded in 18th-century Denmark, the company also stands out for its distinctive and highly focused communication strategy. It deliberately steps outside traditional watchmaking circles to reach beyond the usual insiders. Though the technical substance of its watches is formidable, the timepieces themselves are rarely the focal point of its visuals. Instead, once a month, the brand highlights a different artist - a friend of the house - through its photographic series “Time Well Spent.”

Ed Ruscha, a leading figure in contemporary painting, was photographed in his Los Angeles studio as part of Urban Jürgensen’s “Time Well Spent” campaign.

For Ruscha, as the campaign emphasises, “time well spent is not about chasing the spectacular; it’s about sourcing the spectacular in the everyday. Pursuing the small sparks of intrigue and gleefully following wherever they lead. A gas station. A word. The 20th Century Fox logo. An art museum on fire. A phrase that makes you smile for no particular reason. Noticing, and capturing, is time well spent.”

Because before speaking strictly about watchmaking, Urban Jürgensen - in what may well become its third golden age - wants to speak about time itself: the very substance it measures, and the essence of its fascination. We sat down with Alex Rosenfield.

Europa Star: Eight months after the official launch, it all seems to have happened very quickly for Urban Jürgensen. Does it feel that way to you?

Alex Rosenfield: Yes and no. From the outside, it may appear fast. But when we acquired the company in 2021, we spent nearly four years defining what we wanted Urban Jürgensen to become and preparing for this launch. We asked ourselves fundamental questions: What should the brand stand for? How do we marry technical innovation with decorative tradition? And perhaps most importantly, what watches would we want to collect ourselves?

The GPHG award certainly amplified our visibility. But the nine watches unveiled in June represent the culmination of years of quiet work behind the scenes.

Alex Rosenfield on stage at the 2025 GPHG alongside Kari Voutilainen. The relaunch of Urban Jürgensen was widely acclaimed by the watchmaking community, earning nominations in several categories and winning the Men’s Watch Prize with the UJ-2 just a few months after the collection’s unveiling.

Beyond a strong identity, you give the impression of wanting to build a distinct ‘culture’…

We take our watches very seriously - but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We want to bring a sense of lightness, humour, art and culture into watchmaking, and in doing so, reach a different audience. I’d call it cross-pollination.

Culture also defines how we operate internally. We’re building a place where people genuinely enjoy coming to work. Our watchmakers are treated with respect, we invest in training, and we foster a positive environment. We want there to be joy in what we do because that comes through when you wear the watch.

How is the brand organised today?

Our executive operations are primarily in the United States. I work out of New York with our team from our space within Pace Gallery. In Switzerland, we have our atelier in Biel and are developing an additional workshop and showroom in Geneva.

What is Biel’s role?

Our Biel workshops have expanded significantly - from six to twenty-five employees - and we are actively recruiting watchmakers and decorators. That growth takes time. Training a watchmaker to assemble the UJ-2’s double-wheel natural escapement requires 6–12 months, even for an already excellent watchmaker. Mastering the UJ-1 requires substantially longer than that. We never compromise on skill - or on attitude, which is equally essential to maintaining a joyful working atmosphere.

The UJ-2 distinguishes itself through its double-wheel natural escapement. At its core, twin escapement wheels work in seamless harmony, minimising friction and efficiently transmitting energy to the balance. A mechanism typically confined to flagship masterpieces here forms the foundation of the design, brought to life through serial production.

Each timepiece demands 565 hours of hand craftsmanship by a master watchmaker.

Why bring more expertise in-house?

Certain decorative processes were previously outsourced, which proved inefficient. While we will always work with external partners, we want to do so in the smartest and most strategic way. Our team has worked to rationalise what is done by whom. For example, training our own decorators on anglage and investing in tools to do that allows us to gain efficiency and elevate quality. As we grow, we want to be smart and strategic about making sure that we can increase production while never losing our standard of quality.

And Geneva?

We will soon open a workshop-showroom in Geneva’s Old Town. This will give us access to a broader pool of watchmakers and allow us to welcome collectors in a setting that reflects the world we are building for Urban Jürgensen.

The first episode of ‘Time Well Spent’ featured light sculptor James Turrell in his monumental installation, Roden Crater.

What is Kari Voutilainen’s role today?

Kari remains a board member and advisor to the business and is deeply involved in product development. As an advisor, he takes an active role in making sure that everything we produce meets the quality standard that people have come to expect from him. As with his own brand, he has stepped back from executive management to focus on what he does best: creation. Kari is an artist - a genius. For all of us, and for posterity, it is far better that he spends ten hours a day at the bench rather than in administrative meetings. That is where his passion and brilliance reside, and we are profoundly grateful to him.

Will you continue working exclusively with him?

From the beginning, our intention was to collaborate not only with Kari, but with other master watchmakers as well. Urban Jürgensen has known several great eras: the first, under the Jürgensen family, when each watch bore the unmistakable signature of the Jürgensen, who made each of those watches and tools; the second, around the turn of the millennium, shaped by the artistry of Derek Pratt. We now hope to enter a third era - initiated with Kari and enriched by other exceptional talents. Each watch must carry a vision, an author, a standard. A watch is a human thing and we believe our collectors appreciate knowing the name and the vision of the person who conceived each watch.

Actress, writer, director, and producer Rashida Jones in the latest episode of ‘Time Well Spent’.

You made a strong statement by launching nine models across three collections at the relaunch. What are your production limits? Can you accelerate further?

Quality will always define our limits. Yes, we will increase production. But we will never release a watch simply to satisfy an arbitrary deadline.

Is that why you are not participating in Watches and Wonders?

We prefer to move at our own rhythm. We don’t unveil a watch because there happens to be a fair. We launch when the piece is ready - when we truly have something to say. We don’t think in quarters; we think in decades.

With the UJ-1 and UJ-3, Urban Jürgensen completes its 2025 launches. The multifaceted maison seems to be stepping into a third golden age.

Your “Time Well Spent” campaign is striking - the watches are barely visible. Why?

Because a watch is a companion. It accompanies a moment, a person, a life. We live in a hyper-digitalised world. Craftsmanship offers a deeply human refuge. “Time Well Spent” is more than a campaign - it’s a philosophy. Time that is beautifully measured should become time beautifully lived.

In the December chapter of Time Well Spent, Leon Bridges is captured in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Fusing soul with deep introspection, the genre-defying artist turns memory, faith and heritage into sound - a body of work that stands as a celebration of time itself.

You feature artists, dancers, architects…

Yes. In each chapter of “Time Well Spent”, we present a new portrait - personalities with a strong intellectual or artistic voice: James Turrell, James Whiteside, Jake Clark, Sienna Spiro, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. We aim to build bridges between watchmaking and other creative disciplines - art, architecture, performance.

Timothée Chalamet regularly wears your watches. What is the nature of that relationship?

Timothée approached us through mutual friends shortly before we launched. He loved the watches and wanted to wear them. We are grateful to him for his support and for the attention he has brought to our work. We connected over the importance of craft and doing things with intention and with the highest level of quality. Those are values that appear in his work and in ours and that I think resonated with him as an artist.

Who is Urban Jürgensen’s audience today?

Collectors, certainly - but not exclusively. Many independent watchmakers speak primarily to highly specialised enthusiasts. We respect that world deeply. Yet we also want to engage those drawn to art, design and culture more broadly.

Watchmaking can sometimes feel guarded, given its technical complexity. We believe there are multiple entry points into our universe beyond mechanics alone: beauty, history, emotion, art. All are legitimate.

Why adopt an exclusively B2C distribution model?

A direct relationship with our clients is essential. It ensures transparency in pricing, a more satisfying purchasing experience and honest dialogue - in a market where buying a watch can often be frustrating. There is also a practical reality: our watches are costly to produce and our margins are modest. Introducing intermediaries would complicate matters unnecessarily.

The UJ-2 in its platinum case with a light silver dial.

Beyond your forthcoming Geneva space, does your partnership with the Pace Gallery in New York mark the first step toward a broader international presence?

Yes. Our space within the gallery will place us inside an artistic ecosystem aligned with our vision. This model could inspire similar presences in other cities. We also plan to participate in art fairs, travel to share our universe, and host intimate gatherings. Above all, we seek to cross disciplines.

What makes you most proud today?

Seeing our watches worn and the happiness they bring to collectors. Watching our workshops grow through recruiting and training. Having the opportunity to work with some of the greatest watchmakers and minds in the watch world to develop the next products we will introduce. We spend a great deal of time thinking of building a team that is happy to work together . We work hard but we work with joy.

Ultimately, our ambition is simple: to create extraordinary watches - and to remind people that time, when well spent, remains life’s most precious resource.

Actor Timothée Chalamet has recently emerged as a discerning collector of cutting-edge independent watch brands, beginning with Urban Jürgensen. He wore the UJ-2 on the cover of Vogue (above) and on the red carpet at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards.