cean navigation was big business at the time, so there was a high demand for precision timepieces. Word soon spread about Urban’s ability to craft accurate marine chronometers. His company quickly became famous, and the business expanded rapidly.

This commercial success led to an invitation to join the Royal Danish Academy of Science in 1815 – a highly prestigious position for an artist and craftsman, which brought him even more work and business.

Urban was also a visionary. He began trading in pre-owned marine chronometers and pocket chronometers. As well as buying other watchmakers’ creations, he also bought back his own works. He repaired the movements and occasionally created new cases and dials for these pieces before selling them on to new customers.

Urban Jürgensen & Sönner – Compteur (stopwatch) un-numbered. Dial: Matte silver with black Arabic numerals. “Foudroyante” dial with 1/5 seconds at 6 o’clock. Blued steel hands. Dial signed Urban Jürgensen & Sönner Kjöbenhavn. The second hand completes one revolution in one second.

Louis Urban Jürgensen – no. 64 (1840s). Dial: White enamel with bold black Roman numerals. Separate seconds dial with Arabic numerals at 6 o’clock. Blued Breguet hands. The dial is signed “Louis Urban Jürgensen Kiöbenhavn”. This watch features an early stop-second function: on opening the bezel, a small lever is revealed. When turned to the stop position, a thin steel wire stops the balance (and thus the watch). This is a very useful feature for making observations and for setting the watch to the exact second.

Urban Jürgensen died in 1830, having produced 700 watches and bimetallic thermometers, 45 chronometers and 6 regulator clocks between 1800 and 1830.

Urban’s two sons, Louis Urban and Jules Frederik, both studied watchmaking. Born in 1806, Louis Urban Jürgensen followed in his father’s footsteps, studying in France, England, and Geneva. During his travels, he learned new techniques that helped him carry on his father’s legacy.

Bimetallic balance wheel with Earnshaw-type chronometer escapement. Solid gold escapement wheel. Beautiful spherical hairspring in steel. The timing function is operated by turning two timing screws.

Working in Copenhagen, Louis Urban continued to develop precision watches and chronometers throughout his life. He made advances in chronometer escapements, precision thermometers and stopwatches. Over his lifetime he created 150 pocket watches and chronometers, 110 marine chronometers and 9 astronomical regulators between the years of 1830 and 1867.

Louis Urban’s brother, Jules Frederik, moved to Switzerland, settling in Le Locle in 1835.

Case: Heavy 18K gold case with fluted edge and smooth caseback. The inside of the caseback is stamped “2838”, “18 K” and “9”. Brass dust cover bears the following engraving: Chronometer-Gang, Compensations-Uro, 10 Steenhuller, 2 Steenlöftninger og 1 Steenhvilde, No 64, Louis Urban Jürgensen, Kiöbenhavn (Chronometer escapement, compensation balance, 10 jewels, 2 lifting jewels and 1 jewel rest). Small opening in the dust cover for winding the watch. Movement: 22.5 lignes movement with Earnshaw-type chronometer escapement. The ébauche was made by J. F. Houriet. Spherical balance spring in steel. Split temperature compensated balance with two wedge-shaped weights and two “time screws”. Ruby end stone. Dust pipe surrounding the winding square.