Urban Jürgensen has a rich and varied history, dating back to the late 18th century. The manufacture's namesake, Urban Jürgensen (1776-1830), along with his father, Jürgen Jürgensen, have long been credited with introducing the watch industry to Denmark. Shortly after the birth of his son in 1776, Jürgen Jürgensen moved to Le Locle in Switzerland to work with Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, laying the foundations for a Danish-Swiss connection that still exists over 240 years later.
Peter Baumberger acquired the brand between the years of 1979 and 1985, and together with master English horologist Derek Pratt, they set about carrying forward a legacy of elegant and complicated timepieces, while pioneering concepts of performance, stability, and movement aesthetics. During this time, watchmaker Kari Voutilainen also did some work for the brand, mostly with complicated pieces, then continued to collaborate later on with Dr. Helmut Crott, who bought the brand from Baumberger.
In particular, the 1140C is notable for being a piece Kari Voutilainen was involved with before becoming the CEO of the brand in 2021. Such was the influence that the case, with its teardrop shaped lugs, is reminiscent of the Observatoire and Vingt-8, two of Voutilainen's own most recognisable models. The two styles of engine turning found on the dial bear similarity to those used by Derek Pratt during the Baumberger era, executed by Voutilainen in this case.
The dial found on this 1140C is markedly different compared to production examples, a change requested by the original owner. This pre-production execution of the dial is actually closer to the subsequent automatic version of the Ref. 11 chronometer and P8 Automatique, featuring a sub-seconds at 6 o'clock and two cartouches with "Detent" and "Escapement" symmetrically placed at 9 and 3 o'clock. On the typical 1140C pieces, the Urban Jürgensen signature is placed at the bottom of the guilloché center, whereas this example places it within the power reserve. Some aspects of the design have been simplified, such as the absence of any numbering on the sub-seconds and no red accents on the power reserve. The brushed chapter ring features Roman numerals in black, and heat-blued hands add a touch of colour to the overall grey and silver look.
The watch is powered by the UJS08 calibre, which has a pivoted detente escapement. This innovation was first introduced in 2011 with the P8 chronometre, and was conceived by Pratt, who created a successful prototype before his passing. Subsequently, Voutilainen would work together with Jean-Francis Mojon of Chronode to modify the design and continue Pratt's legacy. Voutilainen assumed responsibility for the decoration, assembly, control and regulation of the movement, before providing feedback to Mojon and his engineers who developed the calibre.
The P8 marked the first time that a pivoted detente escapement was used in a wristwatch, previously having been used in marine chronometers of the 18th-19th century. Compared to the Swiss lever escapement, which features two impulses with twin pallets locking and unlocking the escape wheel, Pratt's detent escapement has a counterweight balanced against the pallet jewel on the other end of the lever, and features a failsafe against strong impacts, by integrating a safety roller that limits the movement of the detent. The movement proved so stable that it passed the notoriously difficult Chronofiable test, which certified its precision and reliability. The finishing seen across the movement is truly superlative, with the Geneva stripes arranged in a radiating pattern, with the center being the large balance wheel. Meanwhile, the bridges and screws feature sharp anglage throughout.
