Watches | Feb 15, 2024 00:00
Today, reality has become like science fiction, but there are certain numbers that no one will dispute, including 299,792.458 kilometers per second – this number represents the speed of light, and science fiction fans who are familiar with the classical mechanics theory of physics or Azimov should be well aware of it. The speed of light refers to the speed of light in vacuum. It is a physical constant, denoted by the symbol c.
Text/Allen Source/URWERK
When people think of the speed of light, they may think of Einstein’s theory of relativity, or the determination of the Jedi Knights in “Star Wars” or the spaceship captains in “Star Trek” to explore distant galaxies. Being able to control the speed of light, just like the Goa’uld mothership strategist in the science fiction movie “Stargate” and the Spacing Guild navigator in “Dune”, can travel through multiple spaces in hyperspace without being limited by the laws of physics.
The UR-100V LightSpeed makes this dream come true, integrating time, space and the speed of light into one timepiece. Martin Frei, founder and artistic director of URWERK, said: “Wearing the UR-100V LightSpeed is like putting the universe on your wrist and experiencing the concept of a mini universe from a human perspective.” The UR-100V LightSpeed watch is equipped with a three-dimensional planetarium to display the solar system. Eight major planets are among them. Martin Frei explained: “We use the sun as the starting point to calculate and display the time it takes for the sun’s rays to reach each planet: it takes 8.3 minutes to reach the earth and 43.2 minutes to reach Jupiter… It is really amazing to use light as the medium to travel through time and space.” In addition, Felix Baumgartner, one of the founders and chief watchmaker, added: “We have been familiar with this story since childhood, recognizing our place on Earth, the vastness of the universe and man’s relationship with time: When the light of a star reaches When the Earth is here, the star may have stopped shining long ago, and what we see actually no longer exists, and the certain time we recognize is actually a past that no longer exists.”
The sun’s rays take a specific amount of time to reach each planet, reminding us of the concept of distance in the solar system and the mystery of the fleeting time. The light we see now comes from the past, and that specific moment of time was frozen in the universe. In the human time and space structure, it takes 3.2 minutes for sunlight to reach Mercury, 6 minutes for Venus, 8.3 minutes for the Earth, 12.6 minutes for Mars, 43.2 minutes for Jupiter, 79.3 minutes for Saturn, 159.6 minutes for Uranus, and 4.1 hours for Neptune. The UR-100V LightSpeed watch displays the time when sunlight reaches each planet. The shape of the winding rotor with a see-through back is also inspired by the sun.
Martin Frei concluded: “Light is the medium that connects humans and the universe, representing the smallest unit of energy transmission. Visible light is the electromagnetic wave that humans can see, which can be analyzed and deduced to construct humans’ understanding of the world. Whether looking at the stars in the distance or Observing the stars through a telescope, the data transmitted by light shapes people’s perception of reality and continues to expand people’s knowledge and deepen their understanding of the vast universe.”
In addition to the concept of the solar system, the UR-100V LightSpeed also has a basic time display function: URWERK’s first roaming satellite time display, combined with a pointerless hour rotor and an arc-shaped minute scale. When the hour rotor slides to the 60-minute position, the next The hour digits will appear at the 0 minute position. The UR-100 series is inspired by an ancient pendulum clock from the 17th century. URWERK used extraordinary creativity to transform it into a timepiece that displays time and space.
