Urban Jürgensen, a Scandinavian watch brand with a history dating back more than 250 years, is now being revived thanks to a partnership between an American-based finance family and independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Its first three watches were officially launched today in Los Angeles—the result of three-and-a-half years of research and development. The timepieces range in price from about $125,000 to more than $400,000 and are marketed under the slogan, “Time well spent.” 

“We are bringing expert Swiss watchmaking and exquisite craftsmanship together with the Scandinavian heritage of the brand so people can appreciate it all in a modern way,” says Alex Rosenfield, who co-owns the brand with his father, Andy, and Voutilainen. Alex’s background is in fashion and beauty marketing, and Andy is a philanthropist and the president of the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners LLC.

The three timepieces represent the revival of a brand that traces its roots to 1773, when Danish watchmaker Jorgen Jürgensen started creating his own pocket watches—far away from the watchmaking heartlands of Switzerland and France. Later, his son Urban took over the helm. A master of mechanics and crafts, Urban built some of the finest pocket watches of the time. The company was handed down from generation to generation until the early 1900s, when it was sold and, in the ensuing years under several different owners, its popularity declined.

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