URWERK UR-150 Blue Scorpion:
Precision with a Sting
Geneva, September 2025.
URWERK has never followed the rules and always played by its own. This time, it sharpens its edge with the launch of the UR-150 “Blue Scorpion”: a machine that stings as much as it dazzles.
At the heart of the UR-150, a mechanical drama unfolds on a hundredth-of-a-second scale as a flying carousel places the three pivoting hour satellites into orbit, while a tautly poised retrograde hand sweeps across a 240° arc on the dial at each change of hour. All this in a mechanical effort on the brink of chaos, yet perfectly controlled…
With the UR-150, URWERK invents a new satellite complication, showcasing a new kinetic art.
A breathtaking mechanical show
Beneath a sapphire dome stretched like a bow, a mechanical creature comes to life: three hours’ satellites are mounted on a constantly rotating flying carousel. The active satellite – that which indicates the current time – is highlighted by a retrograde hand that accompanies it from minute 0 to 60. At the 60th minute, this retrograde hand performs a lightning-fast 240° return, while the three satellites each pivot on their axis and simultaneously rotate 270°.
This perfectly synchronized double sequence serves to accurately reposition the next active hour to the nearest hundredth of a second. Too fast for the eye, yet impossible to ignore: “All the cards in the hours game are shuffled and redealt in a hundredth of a second”, as URWERK’s artistic director and co-founder Martin Frei explains. “The dial transforms before our eyes – so fast that it is barely perceptible to the naked eye. Just beneath the domed glass, the mechanism seems almost within reach – and the Scorpion’s sting lurks silently. The satellites nonetheless pivot and regroup at each new hour, escaping our perception by their sheer speed. Each time, there is a brief moment of uncertainty, a slight unease, a silent tension that whispers: perhaps this time, the right number will not appear… And yet the magic happens, instilling a fresh sense of wonder.”
This perilous ballet is made possible by two synchronized systems: a cam and rack mechanism inspired by the world of automatons, coupled with a speed governor. Together, they manage power, balance forces and harness energy. As master watchmaker and URWERK co-founder Felix Baumgartner explains: “We have pushed mechanical complexity to its limits in pursuit of a single goal: clarity. Each satellite is tilted at 10° to face the wearer. While this complicates everything, the clarity and legibility of the time display deserve this level of precision”.
Mechanical alchemy
The retrograde hand does not simply indicate the time — it literally frames the active hour satellite, from the 0 to 60-minute mark. Once it reaches 60, the retrograde system kicks in, allowing the hand to pounce on the new hour satellite and “disarm” in a flash. This articulated arm, a high-precision precision metal skeleton, is powered by a rack and cam performing three functions: defining its trajectory, synchronizing the jumps and multiplying the energy available to power the satellites’ rotation. Says Felix Baumgartner: “Here, the real complexity doesn’t lie in the number of components, but rather in the precision of their interaction. Everything must work in perfect harmony: power, inertia, fluidity. We have designed every spring and every gear train to maximize energy efficiency.”
A bold aesthetic statement
Despite its striking name, the UR-150 “Blue Scorpion” is an object of elegance and contrast. Its lines are smooth, organic and continuous. The sapphire crystal follows the shape of the case, which extends seamlessly into a supple rubber strap. The result is an ergonomic timepiece, sculpted for the wrist yet featuring a heart beating with restrained power.
UR-150 “Blue Scorpion” – Technical specifications
Movement
Caliber: UR-50.01 with automatic winding system governed by a double turbine
Jewels: 38
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 43 hours
Materials: Hours satellite in aluminum with brass flying carousel
– Retrograde aluminum hand
– Liga wheels
Finishes: Satin brushing, sandblasting, shot-blasting, circular graining
Mirror-polished screw heads; hours and minutes markers; flying carousel, hand-painted oscillating weight enhanced with Super-LumiNova®
Indications: Satellite hours, retrograde minutes (240°)
Case
Materials: Beadblasted steel and sandblasted titanium
Dimensions: 42.50mm (width) × 51.00mm (length) × 14.80mm (thickness)
Glass: Domed sapphire crystal
Water resistance: Pressure-tested at 5ATM (50m)
Strap
High-performance hybrid rubber, adjustable, with folding clasp
50-piece limited edition
URWERK
“We don’t iterate. We invent,” says Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of the Swiss brand. “Every URWERK creation is born from scratch — each one a unique machine with a singular purpose: to redefine how time is experienced.” The original styling of each URWERK model is signed by chief designer Martin Frei, the company’s other co-founder, who shares: “I come from a background where creativeness has no limits. I am in no way prisoner of the traditional constraints of watchmaking and I can therefore be freely inspired by my cultural heritage.”
Although URWERK is a young company established in 1997, it is recognized as a pioneer among independent watchmakers. Producing just 150 watches a year, URWERK sees itself as a laboratory’s studio where traditional expertise coexists with avantgarde styling. The company crafts modern and complex watches that are unprecedented and in keeping with the most demanding criteria in fine watchmaking: independent design and research, advanced materials and handcrafted finishes.
The name URWERK is more than a label. « UR » refers to the ancient city of Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia, founded nearly 6,000 years ago where the Sumerian inhabitants first established units of time based on the shadows cast by its monuments. « Ur » in the German language also means primeval or original and « werk » means creation or mechanism in German. Together, they stand for original movement — a mission to rewrite the rules of fine watchmaking and honor the origins of time itself.
