A spiffy Star Wars-inspired timepiece and money raised in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — what’s not to like? That’s the nuts-and-bolts of the Urwerk UR-100 Gold Edition “FIGHT-C19” One look at its gilded case goes to show why its nicknamed C-3PO after a certain know-it-all droid from a galaxy-far-far-away.
The piece debuted on May the 4th — the unofficial Star Wars-themed holiday — and in addition to the C-3PO angle, it boasts an octagonal shape partly inspired by that Han Solo and Wookie-piloted starship the Millennium Falcon. The green dial and satellite-geared hour and minute indicators ground you very much in the here-and-now of our solar system. Meanwhile, upon clearing 60 seconds, the red minute pointers log distance covered on Planet Earth in the 9 o’clock subdial and the Earth’s own mileage around the Sun at 3 o’clock.
Rendered from a block of 2N yellow gold, this watch is being produced in a limited run of only 25. The first was auctioned off this past week for close to $100,000 USD. The winner was able to choose the Covid-related charity that the proceeds would go to, and picked the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the U.K. One small step in the battle against COVID-19, the Urwerk UR-100 Gold Edition is an exclusive, sci-fi-inflected wristwatch lending some major perspective — much appreciated in these strange and uncertain times.