Haute Man: Hands On With The Urwerk Electro Mechanical Control

Let’s begin by setting the record straight. Those who have heard of the Electro Mechanical Control (EMC) will know that it combines mechanical and electronic elements. This however, does not make it a quartz watch!

The EMC comes from the creative duo of Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk. As its name suggests, This is a pioneering piece of technology that combines the mechanical wristwatch with artificial intelligence. On the one hand, it is a fully mechanical watch, housing a manual-wind (see no batteries) movement with a power reserve of 80 hours. On the other, it features an electronic monitoring unit enables the wearer to fully adjust the accuracy for the watch to suit their life style.

Changes in position, temperature and shocks, can all effect the accuracy of a watch. Whether you are into sports, travel to hot or cold climates, or even just go about your day-to-day routine, it’s bound to create tiny inaccuracies in a watch’s performance.

That’s where the electric component comes into play. With the EMC the wearer can instantly obtain the precise timing rate on demand, and adjust the precision of the watch to suit their own life style.  The EMC system is an optical sensor controlled by an integrated circuit board, this AI unit is powered by a Maxon® generator with manual-winding charging the super oscillator.

Now that the tech side of the watch it out of our way, let’s talk about the design itself, and how it wears on the wrist. Despite its avant-garde claims, the EMC is actually the first watch from Urwerk’s 17 year history that actually features traditional watch hands.

With four dials indicating the hours, minutes, seconds, precision delta and the power reserve, the layout looks reminiscent of a nuclear power stations controls. Personally I love the industrial look with the case finished in titanium and steel. The design perfectly suits the movement and idea of the movement, and it’s surprisingly comfortable on the wrist, and easy to wear.

Although not traditional in looks or design the EMC is an incredible watch from a creative lab that always manages to produce thought-provoking and technically brilliant designs. For those who like something a little different, please visit Urwerk and the awesome EMC.

Photo Credit: Alex Rose. The EMC is available at Marcus Watches. For more, including pricing information, please visit Marcus Watches.