The UR-CC1
The UR-CC1 is a timeless creation and the fruit of multiple inspirations: the talented and avant-garde watchmaker Louis Cottier (1894-1966); a reflexion on the myriad dimensions of time; and even fond reminiscences of the linear instrument panels found on some old American cars.
About
Code name :
"King Cobra"
Insights
Digital and linear seconds
The seconds are indicated by a single-coil flat spiral. The spiral, revolving once a minute, progresses along a linear scale. The second numerals appear at two-second intervals.
Triple cam
A vertical triple-cam operating a toothed rack rotates the minute cylinder. On arriving at the 60-minute mark the cylinder instantly reverses back to its original position thanks to an extra-flat linear spring.
Toothed segment
The toothed segment at the end of the rack transmits and transforms the rotation of the triple-cam into the rotation of the minute cylinder.
Linear retrograde minutes
The minutes are shown by a rotating helix on a cylinder. As the cylinder rotates, the helix progresses as a dashed line along the minute scale. When the line reaches 60 minutes, the helix winds back to the start of the scale in a lightning-fast 0.1 seconds.
Linear jumping hours
The hour is shown on a long cylinder with 12 lines, each longer than the last, against a linear scale. The cylinder jumps to the next line at the end of each hour.
Variations
UR-CC1
“Physicists tell us that time can be stretched with the circular cycles of the days, seasons and years. But I am intrigued that time can be ordered, even straitjacketed, to flow in a linear direction. And, because this can represent an individual’s lifeline, I feel that this linear format can be a very human way to look at time.”
MARTIN FREI