Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Urwerk UR-150 Blue Scorpion
Like the lightning speed of a scorpion’s sting, the velocity of the retrograde jump along an arc of 240° never ceases to stun.
A dangerous menagerie of beasts, with models like the T-Rex and the Cobra, lurks in Urwerk’s collections of avant-garde, mechanically complex timepieces. The indie brand, founded by Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner in 1997, interprets time in a radical, futuristic key through original ways of displaying the passing hours. Wandering satellites bearing the hours combined with lightning-fast retrograde minutes are one of Urwerk’s characteristic displays and featured on board the UR-150 Scorpion, returning with a blue sting in its tail in time for Geneva Watch Days.
Introduced last year, the sloping steel case middle of the UR-150 Scorpion is sandblasted but now features a series of concentric grooves, similar to the streamlined speed lines applied to the UR-105. The case is secured by four blue screws that attach to the titanium caseback. With a diameter of 42.5mm, a length of 51mm and a height of 14.8mm (including the domed sapphire crystal), the case definitely has wrist presence.
The pronounced domed sapphire crystal provides an exceptional view of the mechanical spectacle unfolding on the dial. With its new makeover, the three aluminium domed hour satellites, mounted on the rotating flying carousel, are now treated with a blue ALD colour treatment. The active satellite, indicating the current hour, is framed by a blue openworked retrograde hand with a neon yellow tip. Advancing along the 240° arc of the blue grooved minutes track, when the retrograde hand hits 60, it whips back at lightning speed to 0 while the three blue satellites pivot on their axes, simultaneously rotating 270°.
The scorpion sting analogy is fitting and describes the almost imperceptible moment that the retrograde system kicks in, allowing the blue aluminium hand to pounce on the new hour satellite and disarm in a flash. Governed by a rack and cam configuration with a speed governor, the perfectly synchronised sequence is precise to the nearest hundredth of a second. The UR-50.01 automatic calibre is based on a Vaucher movement beating at 4Hz with a power reserve of 43 hours.
The UR-150 Blue Scorpion is paired with a supple blue rubber strap and folding clasp. It is a limited edition of 50 pieces and retails for CHF 90,000. More information at urwerk.com.
