Urwerk’s latest UR-150 Scorpion is reinventing its iconic satellite hours complication. Inspired by a scorpion’s menacing tail, the UR-150 showcases a retrograde minutes hand that mirrors the deadly curve of a scorpion poised to strike. 

Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of Urwerk, describes the UR-150 as deceptively serene. “It’s very Urwerk,” Baumgartner explains. “The aggressive symbolism belies the reality of the watch’s cool, calm personality. We choose to inhabit an extreme world because we are anything but ordinary.” 

As each hour passes, the hand arcs across the expansive 240-degree minutes sector, a dramatic leap marking the end of each hour. In just one-hundredth of a second, the hand darts back to zero, resetting the stage for the next hour, while the hour satellites rotate in perfect unison. 

The UR-150 is equipped with a completely new satellite complication, and reportedly the most ambitious in Urwerk’s history. The entire system is orchestrated by a cam and rack, replacing the brand’s traditional Maltese cross system. This breakthrough allows the watch to maintain perfect isochronism while driving the hour satellites and managing the retrograde leap in flawless harmony. 

Energy management is paramount here, and the UR-150’s flywheel incorporates a speed regulator, a mechanism typically reserved for minute repeaters, to ensure the smooth return of the retrograde hand. The sheer weight of the system’s components — the heaviest ever used by Urwerk — demands precision control to achieve the lightning-fast transitions that give the watch its scorpion-inspired sting.

On the design front, Urwerk co-founder and creative director Martin Frei has taken the brand’s design philosophy into new territory. The UR-150 adopts an organic shape, with lines that embrace the wrist ergonomically. Viewed from the side, the sapphire crystal flows in perfect curvature from the case to the bracelet. “We like to play with lines,” said Frei, “juxtaposing gentle curves with acute angles. The tension between the contours and the forceful motion of the mechanism gives the UR-150 its energy.”

The UR-150 Scorpion will be available in two iterations: the Titan and the Dark, each limited to 50 pieces. The Titan version features a brushed steel finish that highlights the watch’s sleek curves, while the Dark version adds a stealthy, black-coated allure. 

Tech Specs: Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion

Movement: Automatic-winding caliber UR 50-01; 43-hour power reserve
Functions: Satellite hours; minutes
Case: 42.49mm × 52.31mm (14.79mm thick); sandblasted and shot-blasted titanium and steel (Titan) or anthracite PVD-treated steel for the (Dark); water-resistant to 50m
Strap: KISKA rubber strap
Availability: 50 pieces each
Price: CHF 88,000 (excl. tax) Titan; CHF 89,000 (excl. tax) Dark