Pocket watch · Detent escapement tourbillon oval pocket watch

Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen Oval Pocket Watch

Partially verified

The Derek Pratt Oval Pocket Watch was conceived and handmade by English watchmaker Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen & Sønner. Begun in 1982 and completed around 2005, the source reports that the piece is officially titled the Detent Escapement Tourbillon with Remontoire in an oval case. It features a gilt oval movement fitted with a one-minute flying tourbillon, an Earnshaw-style spring-detent escapement, and a remontoire integrated directly into the carriage. Its solid silver engine-turned dial displays hours, minutes, overlapping subsidiary seconds, a moon phase aperture at 12 o'clock, a power reserve indicator, and a thermometer. The piece is housed in a platinum case with final movement finishing executed by Kari Voutilainen.

Dial view of the Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen Oval Pocket Watch — Phillips. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source: www.phillips.com
Category: Pocket watch · Detent escapement tourbillon oval pocket watch
Maker / attribution: Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen
Reference: Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier: 40
Source-reported date: Circa 1982–2005
Country: Switzerland

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Movement Architecture and Complications

The timepiece features a gilt, oval-shaped movement that incorporates a one-minute flying tourbillon. A defining technical attribute is the integration of a remontoire directly into the tourbillon carriage, an innovation Pratt indicated was unique at the time of its development.

The escapement is an Earnshaw-style spring-detent, utilized to improve chronometric precision by reducing friction. The movement also contains a flying mainspring barrel and a central minute-wheel bridge.

Evidence for this section

“The gilt, oval movement within the watch is a compendium of technical mastery. It boasts a central minute-wheel bridge, a flying mainspring barrel, a one-minute tourbillon with a flying cage, and the notable remontoire constant-force mechanism, paired with an Earnshaw-style spring-detent escapement.”
“many remontoire mechanisms have been made over the last 300 hundred years or so, but, as far as I know, this watch is the first to have a remontoire incorporated in the carriage of a tourbillon and is, therefore, something new or innovative.”

Dial Construction and Aesthetics

The dial is fabricated from solid silver and organized into three distinct sections, all hand-engraved and engine-turned. The display includes a moon phase aperture at 12 o'clock, an hour chapter ring, and a large, overlapping seconds counter situated at the 6 o'clock position.

Additional functional displays include a power reserve indicator and a thermometer. The dial layout is complemented by handmade gold Breguet-style hands.

Evidence for this section

“Divided into three distinct sections, the dial is made entirely of solid silver, each section hand-engraved and engine-turned.”
“features a moon phase at 12 o'clock, a precise hour chapter ring, and a large, overlapping seconds counter at 6 o'clock”

Construction History and Finishing

The watch underwent a development period spanning approximately 1982 to 2005. While Pratt initially constructed a hand-made silver case, the watch was later recased in a platinum housing produced by Bruno Affolter between 2005 and 2006.

The final decorative finishing of the movement, including the underdial, was executed by Kari Voutilainen, a former colleague of Pratt at Urban Jürgensen. This contribution occurred without the direct consultation of Derek Pratt.

Evidence for this section

“Pratt initially made a silver case entirely by hand, later followed by platinum and red gold cases produced by Bruno Affolter between 2005 and 2006.”
“Voutilainen, then a former colleague from Urban Jürgensen, applied the final decorative touches to the movement, including the underdial. While his work was done to the highest level, the circumstances surrounding that decision were deeply upsetting to Pratt”

Open research questions

What are the precise documented dimensions of the oval case?
Are there records detailing the specific components of the underdial finished by Kari Voutilainen?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen Oval Pocket Watch
Field	Source-reported value	Source quotation
Official Model Designation	Detent Escapement Tourbillon with Remontoire in an oval case	“officially the Detent Escapement Tourbillon with Remontoire in an oval case”
Escapement and Complications	One-minute tourbillon with flying carriage, remontoire, and Earnshaw-style spring-detent escapement	“a one-minute tourbillon with a flying cage, and the notable remontoire constant-force mechanism, paired with an Earnshaw-style spring-detent escapement”
Dial Displays	Moon phase, chapter ring, sub-seconds, power reserve, and thermometer	“features a moon phase at 12 o'clock, a precise hour chapter ring, and a large, overlapping seconds counter at 6 o'clock”
Final Movement Finishing	Applied by Kari Voutilainen	“Voutilainen, then a former colleague from Urban Jürgensen, applied the final decorative touches to the movement”
Case Metal	Platinum	“it is the platinum case that houses the watch today.”
Project Duration	Over 23 years	“Pratt dedicated over 23 years to perfecting this timepiece”
First Public Exhibition	Basel Fair 1993	“the Oval Pocket Watch first appearing in its unfinished form at the Basel Fair in 1993.”

Visible details

Oval case made of polished white metal with a top-mounted oval bow and pendant.
Engine-turned solid silver dial featuring multiple contrasting guilloché patterns.
Aperture displaying a moon phase with star accents positioned at the upper 12 o'clock sector.
Off-center Roman numeral hour ring intersected by a subsidiary seconds track at 6 o'clock.
Yellow-toned Breguet-style hands with circular hollow tips.

Research qualifications

Source notes the watch was previously housed in an initial silver case before being recased in platinum made by Bruno Affolter.
Final movement finishing was applied by Kari Voutilainen without Derek Pratt's direct consultation.
Serial numbers and precise movement dimensions are not specified in the source text.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Inside Derek Pratt’s Oval Pocket Watch

Reviewed 2026-10-25 · Record 21f08d3d60

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.