UJ and the Rosenfield Family today announce that Timothée Chalamet will join Urban Jürgensen, the watchmaking house founded in 1773, as a partner with a minority equity stake in the family-owned company alongside a small number of strategic external investors who together own a small portion of the company. He will also work as a creative advisor to the house on a number of projects and initiatives.

This marks the first time that Chalamet has taken a partnership role in a company. The connection between UJ and Chalamet began organically and grew through a natural alignment of values. Chalamet, who has gained attention for his interest in independent watchmaking, first approached UJ as a collector.

“When we first met, we were struck by Timothée’s curiosity and interest in independent watchmaking,” said Alex Rosenfield, UJ CEO. “He is a deeply passionate creative person who cares about craft and excellence. That’s the reason people respond to him, and it aligns closely with how we approach what we do. UJ’s philosophy is expressed through the quality of the work, the preservation of traditional techniques, and a focus on doing things properly at every stage. It was this way of thinking that first resonated with Timothée and that will define the partnership. We want to work together to advance our mission of bringing a contemporary perspective to the world of independent watchmaking while remaining grounded in what has always defined it. There is a certain magic in wearing a handmade watch that carries the spirit of its maker and the genius of the artisans who work on it. Timothée felt this magic when he first tried on a UJ watch and we want more people to experience that. We are happy to welcome Timothée to the UJ family.”

UJ is one of the oldest and most storied names in watchmaking. Founded in Copenhagen by the Jürgensen family, UJ served as watchmaker to the Danish Royal Court and clockmaker to the Danish Navy. Known for its distinctive combination of Danish design and Swiss engineering, the company entered a new generation in June 2025, returning once again to family ownership.

Under the stewardship of the Rosenfield family, the maison is focused on celebrating the best of independent handmade watchmaking with a mission of holding the company within the family and growing it slowly and thoughtfully for the next 250 plus years. Urban Jürgensen is defined by innovative engineering, a devotion to traditional processes, and a commitment to doing things to the highest standard which it achieves by working with leading watchmakers, including industry legend Kari Voutilainen, who designed the first three watches of this chapter. Over the past year, the company has earned industry recognition, including receiving three GPHG nominations and winning the Men’s Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

Timothée Chalamet said, “A couple of years ago, a film director I admire deeply piqued my interest in artisanal watchmaking — not the flashy kind, but the kind that demands years of discipline, patience, and ultimately, mastery. I started to see it as a sibling to filmmaking — a precise expression, just on a different scale. One lives on an IMAX screen, the other within 48 by 40 by 10 millimeters, but both have the ability to hold entire worlds within them. When Andy and Alex Rosenfield introduced me to Urban Jürgensen, what drew me in was how clearly the focus was on the watches themselves — on craft, on process, on getting it right. It also felt like something different than the typical arrangement — more of a creative collaboration than a traditional endorsement. I’m excited to be involved and to continue exploring this world alongside them.”