Field research in the late 1960s uncovered remains of a refinery for separating unadulterated electrum between the metals on the site of Sardis, capital of Lydia. But they did not know how their ability to divide up electrum between silver and gold came later.
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Had the Lydians known how to separate the raw electrum between gold and silver, they might well have done so.
When Lydia decided to coin, money was already widely present in the form of gold and silver in its trading region for centuries. As a corollary, the subsequent coinage in silver in Greece, beginning about 80 years later, requires a separate explanation. Interestingly, it is the very uncertainty of the value of electrum that is the key to the benefit of its coinage. But more recently, the logic of the Lydian choice has emerged. Therefore, the metal would seem to be a particularly poor choice for coinage, and it was widely considered so until recent decades. Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver that varies in its natural state between 65% and 85% gold, and neither weighing nor the touchstone can tell the percentage in between with any precision. The satellite indicating the exact time moves from 0 to 60 along the minutes track.Coinage began in Lydia, in the interior of West Anatolia, in the form of electrum in the second half of the 7th century B.C., around 630. It anchors us to a precise time and longitude, while at the same time testifying to the fleeting nature of that position.”īeating beneath the dome of the UR-100 is URWERK Calibre 12.01 with its three-satellite time display. Martin Frei, designer and co-founder of URWERK, fought hard to have this indication appear on the dials of the UR-100 “In my view, a watch is both a physical and abstract reproduction of our situation on Earth. Its distinctive feature is that instead of counting off the hours, it indicates the distance travelled by the Earth at the Equator. It is a clock made by Gustave Sandoz for the 1893 World’s Fair. These units are illuminated in incandescent green for the hours and in blazing white for the kilometres.įelix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK, said: “This creation was inspired by a gift from my father, Geri Baumgartner, a renowned restorer of antique clocks. On the face of the UR-100 Electrum, hours and kilometres thus share the same status, the same scale of value. Earth’s revolution around the sun – corresponding to 35,740 kilometres per 20 minutes – is displayed exactly opposite.
This in fact corresponds to the Earth’s average speed of rotation calculated at the Equator. Once the 60 th minute has passed, the minutes hand vanishes and reappears as a kilometre counter illustrating the 555 kilometres travelled every 20 minutes by every inhabitant of the Earth. In addition to the satellite-type hours and minutes display, the UR-100 Electrum provides a new item of information.
The rhythm and rhyme of time are played out in the centre of this golden arena. I see the tiers of an ancient Greek theatre, the subtle pleats of an Iris van Herpen dress, a piece of raw earth hollowed out by the imprints of time, the Seigaiha motif of a traditional kimono… This creation is an invitation to embark on a temporal and sensory journey.” Everyone can project their own universe into this design. “The case of the UR-100 Electrum is covered with grooves. This highly distinctive aesthetic is based on the numerous aesthetic references of Martin Frei, co-founder of URWERK. In addition to its sunny yellow color, it features a structured, pleated and undulating surface. This 25-piece edition has a case made of an organic gold and palladium alloy. The UR-100 Electrum is the new edition of URWERK’s 100 collection. URWERK recreates this magic in the UR-100 Electrum which proudly proclaims ‘here comes the sun’ as the Beatles famously sang. While the first coins were minted from this metal, the noble, flamboyant, luminous material gradually fell into oblivion… while awaiting a much-deserved new lease on life. This gold and silver alloy was indeed much coveted among Ancient Greeks, Amerindian civilizations and Ancient Egyptians. Geneva, August 30 th 2021 – Electrum is one of the original precious materials, regarded by the ancients as a veritable treasure. ‘Here comes the sun’ with the UR-100 Electrum by URWERK
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