Stung By The New Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion!
We’ve kept our collective lips zipped about the new Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion after seeing it during Geneva Watch Days 2024. Now it’s ready to debut in a choice of two case finishes. The UR-150 Scorpion hosts a new movement and an enhanced complication. As always with Urwerk, it’s a feast for the eyes!
During our visit to Urwerk during Geneva Watch Days 2024, we saw the EMC SR-71 and spent time with a watch we couldn’t discuss. That watch was the UR-150 Scorpion, an updated take on the brand’s hallmark hour satellites and retrograde minutes. It has a new movement and a more expansive retrograde arc than previous models.
The UR-150 Scorpion Dark and Titan
Dave Sergeant and I had ample time with one of the two UR-150 Scorpions, called Dark. This watch has a media-blasted titanium and PVD-coated steel case. Its minute scale is also coated and features concentric graining. The black-coated aluminum hand features a red tip, with the current hour shown in its hollow center. Grippy, ridged edges are on both sides of the case, which also has four round titanium fasteners in the corners. The fastener on the lower right contains the Urwerk signature. A countersunk screw-down crown sits at the top of the watch case.
The second version of the UR-150 Scoprion is called Titan. The case also has a media-blasted finish but lacks any coating. Here, the dial is also lighter, and instead of red, the hand has a green tip. Both watches use a rubber strap designed by Kiska and have a 30m water resistance rating.
An enhanced retrograde display
The UR-150 Scorpion effectively doubles the retrograde arc from prior models. Previously, the retrograde display covered a 120° segment. The new models expand this to an impressive 240°. We had the chance to try this, and the combination of the hand snapping to zero and the satellite hours rotating 270° within 1/100th of a second never gets old. It’s also incredibly smooth, without any friction or backlash. Best of all, the movement can be set forward or in reverse, hence the two-ended arrow on the dial below the crown.
The new UR-50.01 movement
The power behind this updated complication is the UR-50.01 automatic movement. Twin turbines on the rotor govern its speed while also offering shock protection. Is this overkill? Perhaps, but that’s why we love checking out a new Urwerk. The movement has a frequency of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 43 hours.
Wicked on the wrist
The 42.49mm by 52.31mm UR-150 Scorpion isn’t a wallflower on the wrist, but it isn’t overly garish. It’s also comfortable. The curved strap and case design contribute to an unlikely level of wearability, although it belongs on a larger wrist than mine. Urwerk has fitted the watch with a curved sapphire crystal that continues the case curve. You’ll also find the same curve on the watch’s hands. Overall, it’s an organic-looking form and, therefore, deserving of a name from the animal kingdom like Scorpion.
A limited number of each version
Urwerk will produce 50 of each UR-150 Scorpion model. The PVD-coated Dark costs CHF 89,000, and the Titan is available for CHF 88,000. Unsurprisingly, these are expensive watches, but they’re creative and continue to challenge how we view watches as a whole. Seeing them in person helped me appreciate the design and the movement innovation.
What do you think of the Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion’s aesthetic and mechanical approach? Would you wear a watch like this if money were no object? Let me know in the comments.
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