Classic Design Meets Contemporary Watchmaking in Urwerk’s New Golden Scorpion

By Victoria Gomelsky | September 09, 2026

Few watch brands look and feel more contemporary than Urwerk. Founded in 1997 by the master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner and designer Martin Frei, the Geneva-based independent label is beloved by fans of high horology for its bold and unconventional approach to timekeeping, made evident by its signature satellite-based time display.

At last week’s Geneva Watch Days, the brand paid homage to classic watchmaking—and architecture—with a new 18k gold iteration of its UR-150 model, appropriately nicknamed “Golden Scorpion.”

Housed in a yellow gold case that features distinctive concentric grooves, the model—limited to 25 pieces, at $140,000 each—embodies Frei’s conviction that modern-day watchmakers can quote the past but mustn’t copy it.

“If you have a watch that looks like it was made 100 years ago, that doesn’t really make sense to us,” Frei told JCK during a watchmaking event last month in Las Vegas. “We can, of course, look back and use concepts or shapes from the past. But you have to quote them. It’s not that you just copy them. You have to make a comment about the moment and the times we’re living in. You have to be inspired by the now.”

Urwerk UR-150 Golden Scorpion — *The concentric grooves on the Golden Scorpion’s 18k gold case are a nod to classic Greek architecture.*

The sculptural nature of the case, not to mention the preciousness of its material, evoke a sense of timelessness that stands in unexpected opposition to Urwerk’s highly technical, even futuristic, orbital display. The contrast is, according to Frei, the very point.

“These grooves are a ‘quote’ of the Greek columns,” he said. “You see the classicistic element of these grooves that were in Greek times. They had to have these grooves because rain had to go down. Because of that, it looks classic. But it’s also a place where you touch the watch. It’s haptic.”

In a follow-up statement, Frei elaborated on why gold was the perfect material to use on the brand’s latest boundary-pushing wristwatch.

Urwerk UR-150 Golden Scorpion caseback — *The caseback of the UR-150 Golden Scorpion features Grade 5 titanium that’s been sandblasted, microbead-blasted, and diamond satin-finished.*

“On the Golden Scorpion, yellow gold behaves almost like an optical material,” he said. “It reveals certain lines, makes others disappear, and constantly renews the perception of the watch. Depending on how it is viewed, it can appear compact, fluid, or almost organic. That visual instability is what interests me: The object remains the same, yet it never presents itself in quite the same way.”

Top: UR-150 Golden Scorpion in 18k yellow gold case, $140,000; Urwerk