5 Skeleton Dial Watches
We like to see how things work: it’s a very human characteristic. You see a magic trick, the first thing you want to know is how it was done. You hear the roar of an engine, you want to pop the hood immediately and take a look at what’s making all that noise. Timepieces are the same. The appeal of a mechanical instrument is in the intricate engine powering it. Traditional watches often have beautiful movements, and more and more brands are showing them off. Timepieces that offer a full view of the movement through the face are said to have “open, skeletonized views.” Luxury watches take this concept a step further by “skeletonizing” their movements, carefully cutting away at the delicate mechanism until only the most essential bits remain – all for your viewing pleasure.
Big Bang Tourbillon Power Reserve 5-Days Indicator
Perhaps no company other than Hublot better epitomizes the modern luxury sports watch. An aggressive case, and a crisp industrial look frame a highly complex movement with enough power for five days between windings and a high-end tourbillon regulation system.
$121,000
Academy Georges Favre-Jacot
A glowing example of traditional fine watchmaking at work, Zenith offers a partially skeletonized dial on this Academy collection model with a view of a tiny chain that slowly pulls energy from the mainspring to the rest of the mechanical movement.
$82,700
Carrera Heuer 01
This year TAG Heuer reinvents the Carrera. The technically inspired openworked dial adds a youthful appeal to the historic chronograph watch family that contains an in-house made movement at a fan-friendly price.
$6,350
BR-X1 Carbone Forgè
After launching the BR-X1 version last year, Bell & Ross updated it in forged carbon, just in time for Baselworld. The update has made this already rare (only 250 pieces available), lightweight watch extremely durable: the 45mm square case is protected by a fifth grade titanium and high-tech ceramic surrounded by rubber inserts. The skeletonized bridges showcase the intricate 56-jewel automatic movement.
$27,820
Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton
Traditional movement skeletonization is married to contemporary design in Cartier’s Skeleton rendition of their Astrotourbillon. The movement’s balance wheel and escapement also happen to double as the watch’s seconds hand.
Price upon request
