Introducing Urwerk's Very Limited EMC SR-71 Uses Pieces Of A Real 'Blackbird'

In 1970, one of the most famed, feared, and phenomenal aircraft in history – the SR-71 Blackbird – had a catastrophic incident. The plane, number 61-7970, went down 20 miles east of El Paso, Texas, after a collision with the KC-135Q (59-1474) refueling tanker. The pilot and his RSO (Reconnaissance Systems Officer) ejected relatively safely, but obviously, the SR-71 was lost. Since then, pieces of the fuselage – a futuristic titanium alloy mixed with metals such as vanadium and iron – have appeared for sale on occasion. Now, they're a part of a watch, specifically the crank handle and screw-down bezel on Urwerk's new EMC SR-71.

The idea originated when two entrepreneurs, Jason Sarkoyan and Dr. Roman Sperl, showed up at the Urwerk Headquarters in December 2020. Sarkoyan is a watch collector and designer and was wearing the EMC Black. Dr. Sperl, on the other hand, is an aeronautical engineer and a specialist in the field of the SR-71 Blackbird. They had founded a company called Dreamland, which, according to the press release, is a "lifestyle brand dedicated to developing products that not only cater to the needs of space exploration but also bring the thrill of America's aerospace achievements into everyday life." I can't find any other info about their project, but at the very least, this watch caught my eye.

If you've followed Urwerk, you know their EMC – Electro-Mechanical Control – which has been out since 2013. The core feature is an optical sensor (linked to a control board) that checks the balance wheel's 4 Hz beat rate against a 16,000,000 Hz electronic oscillator benchmark. An integrated circuit has a calculator capable of determining the differential, and with a press of a button at about 8 o'clock on the case, you can get the readout of the chronometric precision of the watch on the 10 o'clock subdial. There's also a power reserve, running seconds (with an SR-71 on the tip of the hand), and of course, the hours and minutes.

In addition to the parts of the Blackbird, the case is made out of blacked-out titanium and steel and is rated to 30m. At 47.55mm wide, 49.57mm long, and 17.58mm thick, it's not a small watch. Inside is the in-house EMC manually-wound movement with 80 hours of power reserve. The watch will be limited to 10 pieces and has a price tag of 150,000 CHF.

If you haven't read the "SR-71 Ground Speed Check" story, I feel like it's obligatory for me to share it. It's a simple, fun story that shows why the SR-71 is legendary. Well, if you're already on the ground and need to do a "watch speed check" or beat-rate check, the EMC is the watch for you. This watch came out in the same era (and year) as the F.P.Journe élégante, where the combination of electrical and mechanical started to come into its own in high-end watchmaking. The EMC won the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève's "Mechanical Exception" and "Innovation" awards in 2014. This watch is largely the same, but including a part of the Blackbird fuselage in the watch (even a small part) is cool enough to me that I had to shout it out.

I'm a fan of Urwerk. They're the best example of pure hyper-futuristic high-end watchmaking on the market today, in my humble opinion. Despite wanting to be a vintage guy at heart, I look at Urwerks releases and just think, "Maybe that's more my speed." I don't want to front-run myself, however. I hope to go hands-on with the watch in a few weeks when I head to Geneva. So until then – as the aviators say – keep the blue side up.

Brand: Urwerk
Model: EMC SR-71
Reference Number:

Diameter: 47.55 mm
Thickness: 17.58 mm
Case Material: Titanium and steel with parts of an SR-71 Blackbird fuselage used for the winding handle and bezel
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Printed
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: NATO strap (nylon, leather) inspired by aeronautical safety straps. Velcro fastening.

Caliber: UR-EMC
Functions: Hours; minutes; seconds; δ performance indicator (patented); power reserve; timing adjustment screw.
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Manual-winding Maxon® generator
Frequency: 4 Hz
Additional Details: Optical sensor linked to the mechanical balance; 16,000,000 Hz electronic oscillator

Price: 150,000 CHF
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 10 pieces

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