Introducing: The Urban Jrgensen Big 8 'London Edition' For A Collected Man

April 17, 2020

Today, we've got a brand new limited edition coming out of Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK, all at the same time. The Urban Jrgensen Big 8 "London Edition" is a new take on one of the brand's foundational watches, which Jack wrote about all about way back in the summer of 2017. It's a moderately sized (40mm) three-hand watch with a date complication that plays up Urban Jrgensen's signature case style, with its teardrop lugs and concave bezel, as well as the brand's ornate guilloch dials and fine gold hands. It's a distillation of the brand's hallmarks into a single model, all packaged up into a more accessible, daily-wear style watch. Jack was a fan back then, and today, I still totally agree with him. London-based retailer A Collected Man specializes in vintage pieces and modern independent watchmaking (you might remember them from our story about the Daniels Blue Tourbillon or Talking Watches With Todd Levin). They teamed up with Urban Jrgensen, for whom they're an authorized retailer, to put their own take on the Big 8. That meant rendering it in stainless steel, coloring that guilloch dial rich British racing green, removing the date window, and adjusting some of the dial elements like the shapes of the Roman numerals to feel a hair more contemporary. The results pretty much speak for themselves, as you can see in the photos here. Now, here's the kicker: This watch is being sold to fund research related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. There are only 10 pieces of this limited edition being made, and a full 100% of the profits from those 10 watches will go to the Wellcome Trust's COVID-Zero fund. The watch is priced at 13,500, including a 20% VAT for the EU, and all 10 pieces are finished and available now. Initial Thoughts No reason to mince words here: I'm really into this watch. I've always had a soft spot for the strange Urban Jrgensen aesthetic. It's a bit antiquated, a bit avant-garde; the proportions are always such that the watches have a hint of tension about them. These are watches that make even non-watch people stop and say, "Wait, what's that on your wrist?"? If I were being really picky here, I'd want this watch to be a hair smaller for my own purposes, maybe in one of the 37mm cases that Urban Jrgensen also makes. That said, I get the 40mm choice, as it's much more likely to find buyers that way. Otherwise, the green dial is stunning, and that's coming from someone who typically finds green dials to be on the gimmicky side of things. I think of green-dialed watches as "great 10th or 12th watches" C those that you acquire only when all the other bases are covered, as they're not the most flexible or forgiving. This is a green dial that I think is just as flexible as any navy blue dial out there. I'd put it up there in the green dial Pantheon, with the likes of the Grand Seiko Peacock. My only substantive gripe has to do with that disappeared date window. Aesthetically, I like the Big 8 much more without the date, and I think this layout is much more in keeping with the spirit of the watch itself. This isn't just a dial change though C the F. Piguet Caliber 1160 inside has had the date module entirely removed and the crown adjusted so that there isn't a dead position. It's nice to see that kind of attention-to-detail in a watch like this (though it's not surprising).? That this watch supports a good cause in a time of global need is what puts this over the edge for me though. It's a great chance for a few collectors who are still doing alright to help those who are in need and acquire a beautiful watch (and a reminder of their good deed) in the process. I'll get behind that 10 out of 10 times. The Basics Brand: Urban JrgensenModel: Big 8 "London Edition"Diameter: 40mmThickness: 10.5mmCase Material: Stainless steelDial Color: British racing green with engine-turned guilloch patternIndexes: Roman numeralsHands: Blued white gold "Observatoire" hands with gold insert on hour handLume: NoneWater Resistance: 30 metersStrap/Bracelet: Brown nubuck strap with stainless steel Urban Jrgensen tang buckle The Movement Caliber: Modified F. Piguet Caliber 1160Functions: Hours, minutes, secondsDiameter: 32mmThickness: 5mmPower Reserve: 48 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 31Additional Details: Winding rotor is 21k gold with guilloch decoration Pricing & Availability Price: 13,500Availability: Exclusively via A Collected Man, with 100% of profits going to the Wellcome Trust COVID-Zero Fund.Limited Edition: 10 pieces, individually numberedFor more, click here. Editor's Note: This story previously stated that the movement did have a dead crown position for the removed date complication. We have learned that this is not the case and have updated the story accordingly.