URWERK UR-300 Time Quantum Swaps the Carousel for a Jumping T-Frame

The URWERK UR-300 Time Quantum is URWERK's new wandering-hours watch, unveiled in Geneva on October 15, 2026. It drops the orbiting carousel the brand has used for decades and shows the hour on a T-shaped frame that jumps and rebuilds itself at the top of every hour. It is made in 50 pieces, 25 in titanium and 25 in black-coated titanium, at CHF 168,000 before taxes, which is about US$203,800 at the October 23, 2026 rate. URWERK's own page lists no price and no US figure, and outlets disagree on the power reserve.

At a glance

How the T-frame wandering hours work

URWERK's signature display is the wandering hour. Instead of a fixed hour hand, the current hour numeral travels along a minute scale, and at the end of the hour the next numeral takes over. On earlier models, such as the UR-202 and UR-120, the hours sit on satellites that orbit on a carousel. The UR-300 uses a different arrangement.

According to Revolution and Haute Time, the hours are carried on four three-sided prisms shared between two hour modules. The modules sit at right angles and form a T. During the hour, the prism at the bottom of the vertical bar moves slowly along the minute track, a 108-degree arc. At the top of the hour the two bars swap roles, the frame jumps forward 72 degrees, and all four prisms turn to their next face.

Revolution adds that each prism shows the time once every four hours and turns one face per jump, so after three jumps it advances by a full hour step. Unlike older URWERKs where only the incoming disc or cube turned, all four prisms move together here, geared to a shared central wheel. URWERK's own page calls the result a quick-blink forward jump rather than the snap-back of earlier retrograde designs such as the Opus V and UR-150 Scorpion.

Case, movement and the power reserve question

The case is Grade 5 titanium measuring 45.2mm by 58.8mm and 18.25mm thick, with water resistance of 30m. URWERK's page lists a two-position screw-down crown with a new crown protection system and flexible anodised aluminium lugs joined to a nylon strap. The Titan version is satin-finished and microblasted, while the AlTiN version carries a black PE-CVD coating.

Inside is the automatic calibre UR-30.01V. Monochrome and HiConsumption say it is built on a Vaucher base with URWERK's own display module. It beats at 4Hz, has 40 jewels and a Swiss lever escapement, and is wound through URWERK's patented Dual Flow Turbines, which regulate the rotor to reduce wear. Haute Time lists hour modules in beryllium copper, brass and anodised aluminium and a baseplate in ARCAP and titanium.

The power reserve is where sources part ways. Revolution, Haute Time, Fratello and HiConsumption say 44 hours. URWERK's product page says 43. Monochrome's text and Luxe Digital, citing a URWERK fact sheet, say 40, and Monochrome's own spec sheet says 44. We cannot settle it without URWERK's final documentation. Revolution notes that 44 hours is a few short of many recent URWERKs and that the extra motion probably costs energy, and Monochrome observes that the brand has rarely gone past 50 hours except on the EMC.

Price, edition and what is missing

Haute Time, Monochrome, Revolution and Fratello all give CHF 168,000 before taxes for each version, in two editions of 25. At the October 23, 2026 rate of 1 CHF = 1.2131 USD (Frankfurter exchange-rate API), that works out to about US$203,800 before tax. HiConsumption quotes roughly US$202,500 without stating its rate, and a Dupont Registry headline uses US$226,000, which we could not read and cannot verify. No source we found gives an official US price, so treat all dollar figures as conversions.

One Italian site snippet mentioned 50 pieces in titanium alone, but every article we read says 25 and 25, and we use that. No source gives a delivery date. Luxe Digital says the watch goes on sale now, and URWERK's page only has an enquiry link. For context on 2026 list prices see our watch price increases report.

Where it sits in URWERK's story

URWERK was founded in 1997 by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, and Luxe Digital describes the carousel as the brand's base for its satellite-hour watches since then. Replacing it is a notable change of approach, and Revolution frames it as three decades in, URWERK changing how it works. Baumgartner ties the concept to the atom, a state of constant, temporary equilibrium, and Frei describes the mechanism taking itself apart and reassembling in the blink of an eye, both as reported by Haute Time.

URWERK also appears this season in a different guise. The URWERK x Ulysse Nardin UR-FREAK, which combines URWERK's satellite hours with a rotating Freak movement, is listed in the Complication category of the 2026 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, according to Euronews (September 1, 2026), with 100 pieces at EUR 115,000. We could not read an official GPHG list, so that category rests on one outlet. The ceremony is set for November 7, 2026 in Geneva. See our GPHG 2026 guide and Ulysse Nardin Freak X report.

UR-300 Time Quantum versions

Background

The Swiss maker of the Freak collaboration is covered in our Ulysse Nardin history and Freak history. We have no dedicated URWERK history page yet.

Sources: URWERK product page, Revolution (Lee Sheng, October 15, 2026), Haute Time, Monochrome, HiConsumption, Luxe Digital, Fratello and Euronews, retrieved October 25, 2026. We did not find Hodinkee or aBlogtoWatch coverage. USD figures are conversions at 1 CHF = 1.2131 USD (October 23, 2026) and exclude taxes. Power reserve, water resistance and USD price are not confirmed by URWERK.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the URWERK UR-300 Time Quantum cost?

CHF 168,000 before taxes for either version. At 1 CHF = 1.2131 USD (October 23, 2026) that is about US$203,800. URWERK lists no price on its page and we found no official US price.

How many UR-300 Time Quantum watches will be made?

50 in total: 25 in Grade 5 titanium and 25 in titanium with a black AlTiN PE-CVD coating.

What is the UR-300 Time Quantum power reserve?

Sources disagree. Most outlets say 44 hours, URWERK's page says 43 and some say 40.

How big is the URWERK UR-300 Time Quantum?

The titanium case is 45.2mm wide, 58.8mm long and 18.25mm thick, with 30m water resistance.

How does the T-frame display work?

Four three-sided prisms ride on two hour modules shaped as a T. At the top of each hour the frame jumps 72 degrees and the prisms turn to their next face.

Is the URWERK x Ulysse Nardin UR-FREAK nominated at the GPHG 2026?

Euronews lists it in the Complication category. We could not confirm it from an official GPHG list. The ceremony is on November 7, 2026.

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