140 � squaremeal.co.uk
T
he top-selling lot at a recent auction of fine watches staged
by Antiquorum in Geneva carried a dial name that might
be unfamiliar to those who don't regard themselves as
students of horology.
�at name is Urban Jürgensen, and the lot in question was
�e Krusenstern chronometer, an exquisite rose gold pocket
watch commissioned by King Frederick VI of Denmark in 1812
and presented to Commander Adam Johann von Krusenstern for
becoming the first person from Russia to sail around the world.
Predicted to fetch around £35,000, the piece eventually sold for
a remarkable £520,000, after a protracted bidding battle between
four would-be buyers.
�e watch was the star of one of the most significant private
collections of Urban Jürgensen watches ever to be offered for
sale, a collection comprising around 30 examples, which realised
a total of £750,000 between them.
FAMILY BUSINESS
�e reason the collection was so hotly contested is that, to those
in the know, the Urban Jürgensen name is one of the most revered
in the history of watchmaking. Its story began in 1745 with the
birth of Jürgen Jürgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jürgensen
went on to found a watchmaking dynasty that thrived for more
than 160 years - largely due to the efforts of his son, Urban,
a new dawnWith a long and complicated
history dating back to the 18th
century, Urban Jürgensen is
one of the most revered
and coveted names in
watchmaking. And now
it's back where it
belongs, as a major
player in the world of
high-end horology