Full Circle

Master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen is charting an ambitious new course for Urban Jürgensen.

- Words: Paige Reddinger

IF IT WEREN'T for the presence of one of the world's greatest living horologists, Urban Jürgensen's high-profile Los Angeles relaunch party could have been mistaken for a Hollywood film premiere. The star-studded June event, which followed a discreet preview in Geneva in April, marked a bold new chapter for the 252-year-old house, which is now under the direction of Kari Voutilainen. But it's not just a business venture for the master watchmaker. It's a homecoming.

Urban Jürgensen, after all, is where Voutilainen cut his teeth nearly 30 years ago, near the beginning of his career. “I knew (the previous owner, Peter Baumberger) for a long time, so that's one of the reasons I took this on,” Voutilainen tells Robb Report. “Also, I like the history.”