Breguet Reine de Naples Mother of Pearl Dial 18kt Yellow Gold Diamond Ladies Watch 8918BA58J39D00D

Why is the escapement found within the manually wound movement of this watch is such a breakthrough? Its style of escapement is about 250 years old and had its heyday in John Harrison's era with the progressive development of accurate escapement technology. The detent escapement is a form of the chronometer escapement, and the pivoted detent yet another. Historically, these were the most precise escapements available, but they had one drawback: when the timepiece they were housed in was subjected to shock, they would begin to beat out of rhythm - known as "galloping" or "tripping" - which seriously detracted from their accuracy. They performed best in large, stationary timepieces.

Needless to say, due to its inherent characteristics, this type of escapement would not usually be the best choice for a wristwatch - which is precisely what makes this astonishing movement characterized by a free-sprung balance spring and beating at 21,600 vph conceived by Jean-François Mojon, Kari Voutilainen and the late Derek Pratt so…well…wondrous.
Certifiable
During the month I had the pleasure to wear the P8 by Urban Jurgensen, messages often reached me with regard to my beautiful wrist candy. Some of this correspondence concerned the functionality of the escapement. I can assure you that the escapement worked without a hitch and kept perfect time for the entire period I wore it. Perhaps such vicious talk stems from jealousy that another watchmaker discovered the secret? Either way, rest assured that it works, a fact that is certified by both Chronofiable and the C.O.S.C.
 

If you like to wear an extremely high-quality watch, but don't necessarily want to always be reminded that you are wearing it, then you will be right at home with Urban Jurgensen. This brand has flown under the radar for many years now, and after wearing the beautiful P8 for a month, I understand why: I even felt comfortable enough to take it with me to Kathmandu. This 42 mm timepiece, which comes in platinum, rose gold and yellow gold, is light and its case is comfortable, most likely because of its ultra-beautiful teardrop-shaped lugs.
Perhaps the only fly in the comfort ointment, and this is a strictly personal opinion, is that the crown is too small. For me, winding this watch was not a super comfortable experience. But on the flip side, I can report that men (even watch-specialized men) I allowed to wind the piece say it is comfortable to them and they do not see this as a detraction at all. It was purely my subjective emotion.
With regard to the winding, I have to say that the double spring barrels providing 88 hours of power reserve wound very quickly and easily despite the crown. The second hand also hacks, which enables precise, to-the-second hand-setting.

Eye of the beholder
The wristwatch I had the pleasure of wearing was a prototype, so it came as no surprise that the dial had a visible error. Since it was created entirely by hand-applied guilloche, this was actually a given. Hand-created guilloche is very expensive and time-consuming, and one of the reasons that it is so desirable is that the dial is much livelier than a stamped dial. The main problem with it, though, is if the graver tool slips, there is no fixing it and the dial must be thrown away. There is no need for a perfect dial on a prototype, and, actually, I was glad to have seen the small mistake - it proved beyond doubt that Urban Jurgensen's dials are created by hand.
I found the dial design particularly appealing, but then I absolutely adore uber-classic dial looks a la Breguet, Chronoswiss and various past masters such as the Jurgensens. The only detail on the dial that I am not enamored of is the printed words "detent" and "escapement" - much like the words "automatic" or "tourbillon", I find them superfluous on the dial and less than discreet. The low-key, fly-under-the-radar look of this dial really otherwise appealed to me in its entirety - particularly reinforced by a brand name that is not widely known.

As with the dial, the movement of "my" Urban Jurgensen P8 was also a prototype. Though it functioned perfectly, the beautiful finish found on this particular movement is not that which is applied to the serial pieces, which is chiefly characterized by rhodium plating. The movement in the watch I wore was dominated by a red gold frosted finish (known in French as "grainage"), which is very typical of Kari Voutilainen's style - as is the extreme and detailed care with which it is applied.
All in all, this aesthetic timepiece should greatly appeal to collectors as well as people who simply enjoy the finer things in life - even if they don't fully get all the historic and technical implications of it.