Round-UpThe Beauty Of Transparent Timekeeping: 10 Outstanding Skeleton Watches

The concept of skeleton dial watches dates to the 1760s, when French watchmaker André-Charles Caron stripped off every inch of the dial and certain non-essential components on a pocket watch to give pride of place to the inner mechanism. It took another 200 years for skeleton watches to become part of mainstream watchmaking, when the Swiss watchmaking industry was on the brink of collapse due to the quartz revolution. To justify the use of mechanical movements—expensive and less accurate than their quartz counterparts—Swiss watchmakers produced skeleton watches that showcased the technical essence of handmade mechanical movements. Soon, brands such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Jaeger-LeCoultre made skeleton watches their sole focus of production. Audemars Piguet even created a whole skeletonisation department within their company.  Today, several prestigious watchmakers produce open-worked timepieces with handcrafted finesse and technical prowess. Listed below are few examples of impressive open-worked timepieces.

Arnold & Son Nebula

With several timepieces in their repertoire that strike a perfect visual balance, Arnold & Son have become synonymous with symmetry and order, through their near-perfect symmetry in its dial—both vertically and horizontally. The Arnold & Son Nebula is powered by the in-house movement A&S5101 from the ground-up to be skeletonised, unlike other watchmakers who just remove unnecessary parts to expose the calibre. The movement features two mainspring barrels that combine to provide an impressive 90-hour power reserve. Beating at 21,600vph, the A&S5101 powers the small seconds indicator at seven o’clock and the central hour and minute hands. The timepiece is presented in a 41.5mm case—available in red gold and stainless steel—and has a slim profile with classical proportions, making it extremely comfortable to wear in a formal setting.

Arnold & Son Nebula

₹25,80,000

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Bell & Ross BR 05 Urban Gold Skeleton

One of the recent editions of the BR 05 edition is the skeletonised Urban Gold version. The 40mm cushion-shape case, integrated bracelet, and rest of the features stay the same, barring the material choice—18-karat rose gold—that lends a gorgeous monochromatic look. While the functions of hours, minutes, and seconds, minus the date, stay the same, the golden dial is stripped in parts to reveal the rose gold-plated movement underneath. The numerals are replaced by hour indexes, applied with Super-LumiNova like the central hour and minute hands. The indexes appear to be just about touching the flange, while the movement sits underneath this arrangement.

Bell & Ross Urban

₹35,90,000

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Corum Golden Bridge 

The Corum Golden Bridge skeleton watches became the ultimate gamechanger when it was unveiled in 1980, with parts of the movement stacked one above the other like a ‘baguette’ over, which sits a decorative bridge and the watch hands. This arrangement is bang centre from a spring barrel at six o’clock to the escapement placed at 12 o’clock. A 21.30mm diamond-studded rose gold tonneau case and a protective sapphire crystal frames the golden bridge, resulting in a see-through transparent dial. On the technical side, the timepiece is equipped with CO113 manual-winding calibre that beats at 28,800vph and provides a 40-hour power reserve. It is attached to a supple brown alligator leather strap ending in a nice butterfly folding buckle featuring the Corum logo.

H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon

The H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton has a 42.8mm stainless steel case to house the 34mm skeletonised movement that powers a one-minute flying tourbillon with cylindrical hairspring situated at six o’clock. This dramatic, sculptural piece can be worn daily thanks to its balanced proportions and water-resistance up to 120m. The Pioneer case was a conscious choice for this timekeeper due to its contemporary, sports watch aesthetic despite its robust measurements. It forms the perfect structure to house and showcase the unique HMC 811 three-dimensional cylindrical tourbillon movement. Composed of 171 components, 28 jewels and beating at a frequency of 21,600vph, this automatic in-house movement offers a power reserve of 74 hours. The HMC 811 is further enhanced under a slightly domed sapphire crystal.

The H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton has a 42.8mm stainless steel case to house the 34mm skeletonised movement that powers a one-minute flying tourbillon with cylindrical hairspring situated at six o’clock

₹87,00,000

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Composed of 171 components, 28 jewels and beating at a frequency of 21,600vph, this automatic in-house movement offers a 74-hour power reserve

₹87,00,000

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The HMC 811 calibre is further enhanced under a slightly domed sapphire crystal

₹87,00,000

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01

Jacob & Co. Epic X

Jacob & Co unveiled their Epic X collection in 2015, which can be classified as monocoque (French for ‘single shell’, implying chassis). They strip off the brand’s usual ‘decorative shenanigans’ plus chunks from the case and caseback, to only retain and expose the parts that run the wristwatch—the movement and internals. Without the refuge of dials, sub-dials, hour markers, and casebacks, even the tiny imperfections in the exposed movement and internals—now directly beneath the sapphire crystal—appear magnified. One can easily spot the movement’s various parts such as the bridges, balance spring and wheels, and mainspring barrel. There’s the barrel at 12 o’clock and barrel wheel at six o’clock. Even the metal screws and purple-hued 21 jewels are visible. The models run on JCAM02, a manual-winding skeleton calibre made from an impressive 158 parts. It functions at 28,800 vph and offers 48-hour power reserve.

Jacob & Co unveiled their Epic X collection in 2015, which can be classified as monocoque (French for ‘single shell’, implying chassis)

₹22,70,000

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This particular model is stripped off the brand’s usual ‘decorative shenanigans’ plus chunks from the case and caseback, to only retain and expose the parts that run the wristwatch—the movement and internals

₹22,70,000

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Without the refuge of dials, sub-dials, hour markers, and casebacks, even the tiny imperfections in the exposed movement and internals—now directly beneath the sapphire crystal—appear magnified

₹22,70,000

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Even the metal screws and purple-hued 21 jewels are visible. The models run on JCAM02, a manual-winding skeleton calibre made from an impressive 158 parts

₹22,70,000

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01

Louis Moinet Memoris & Memoris Superlight Skeleton Watches

The Louis Moinet Memoris and Memoris Superlight skeleton watches are made from 18-karat rose gold and lightweight titanium and come in different hues. The versions are inbuilt with running seconds and 30-minute chronograph counter at nine and three o’clock, allowing an unimpeded view of the mesmerising chronograph function below. The above features are powered by the self-winding calibre LM79—Louis Moinet developed it in collaboration with movement manufacturer Concepto—that has a 48-hour power reserve. Although the chronograph mechanism steals the show on the dial, the opposite side of the movement, visible through the exhibition caseback, is also a feast for your eyes with the gold-coloured guilloche-finished rotor attached to it. The Memoris Superlight has a 46mm case made from Grade 5 titanium that displays a combination of polished and satin-brushed surfaces. The side profile of the timepiece reveals the crown that has an engraving of the brand’s Fleur de Lys logo in addition to the single chronograph push-piece.

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Norqain Independence 22 Skeleton

Norqain launched their first skeletonised sports watch in 2021. The Independence 22 Skeleton 42mm is crafted entirely from 316L polished, satined, sandblasted stainless steel. The movement’s open-worked structure is based on the architecture principles of beam construction, where each support point is held by at least two arms. The indexes as well as the skeletonised hour, minute, and seconds hands are filled with X1 Super-LumiNova, which is 60 percent stronger than standard Super-LumiNova. The 42mm black version comes with a polished and sandblasted case in DLC coating, powered by the chronometer-certified calibre NN08S and visible through the sapphire caseback. The watch comes attached to an integrated DLC-coated stainless-steel with on-the-fly micro-adjustment or an integrated, animal cruelty-free, black rubber strap with Milanese structure.

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Rado True Square Automatic Open Heart

The True Square Automatic Open Heart is a classic Rado timepiece. It features all the three elements for which the Swiss watchmakers are best known—square shape, rounded edges, and ceramic construction. However, what makes this timepiece a truly modern timekeeping device is its monobloc case made from injection-moulding technology. The 38mm True Square Open Heart weighs as light as a titanium watch and offers exceptional durability and hypoallergenic properties, thanks to its ceramic-built case and integrated bracelet. Exemplifying Rado’s obsession with paying attention to the tiniest details is the flawlessly executed open-worked dial of the timepiece. Unlike several other skeleton watches available in the market, the dial of True Square Open Heart is painstakingly constructed to celebrate the architecture of the movement, and it doesn’t appear like an afterthought. It features a large circular aperture housing the balance wheel at 12 o’clock, and a smaller round aperture at seven o’clock, along with a minute track at the periphery of the dial. Meanwhile, the gold indices and hands add a sense of luxury to the timepiece. The True Square Open Heart comes equipped with the automatic calibre C07 that is based on ETA 2824-2. It includes 25 jewels, and offers an impressive power reserve of 80 hours. The titanium watch is decorated with a combination of perlage and Côtes de Genève detailing, and is viewable through an exhibition caseback. 

The True Square Open Heart features all the three elements for which Rado are best known—the square shape, rounded edges, and ceramic construction

₹2,41,900

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What makes this timepiece a truly modern timekeeping device is its monobloc case made from injection-moulding technology

₹2,41,900

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Exemplifying Rado's obsession with paying attention to the tiniest details is the flawlessly executed open-worked dial of the timepiece

₹2,41,900

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The timepiece weighs as light as a titanium-built watch and offers exceptional durability and hypoallergenic properties, thanks to its ceramic-built case and integrated bracelet

₹2,41,900

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Unlike several other skeleton watches available in the market, the dial of True Square Open Heart is painstakingly constructed to celebrate the architecture of the movement

₹2,41,900

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The watch comes equipped with the automatic calibre C07, which is based on ETA 2824-2. It includes 25 jewels, and offers an impressive minimum power reserve of 80 hours

₹2,41,900

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01

Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212

A year after Raymond Weil built their first in-house movement RW1212 in 2017 with Swiss movement manufacturer, Sellita, the brand introduced their exclusive skeletonised version of the Freelancer Calibre RW1212 that filled the void for accessible open-worked timepieces. The pictured model exudes a brown colour palette, featuring a 42mm stainless steel case with bronze bezel showcasing a patina lustre. The skeleton movement comes with an attractive perlage decoration and perfectly executed finishing. The most distinguishing feature is its exposed balance wheel on the dial with a bridge over it at six o’clock that resembles a tourbillon. The barrel-shaped central minute and hour hands are powered by the self-winding RW1212 movement that beats at 28,800vph and offers a 38-hour power reserve. The Freelancer Calibre RW1212 is fashioned with an aged brown leather strap with a stainless steel folding clasp that has a double-push security system.

The most distinguishing feature of the Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212 is its exposed balance wheel on the dial with a bridge over it at six o’clock that resembles a tourbillon

This model exudes a brown colour palette, featuring a 42mm stainless steel case with bronze bezel showcasing a patina lustre

Raymond Weil Freelancer

₹3,27,000

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Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton 

With an open-worked dial, and perfectly sized for petite wrists, the lightweight, and comfortable-to-wear Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton is a great choice for anyone who desires a skeleton timepiece with a distinctive appeal. Launched in 2018, Zenith introduced this timepiece as an entry-level model in the Defy range. Although it doesn’t feature the brand’s iconic El Primero 21 movement, the Defy Classic is by no means lesser than its bigger siblings in the line-up. With a 41mm titanium-built case, the timepiece resists the temptation of falling into the category of bulky luxury sports watches and doesn’t feel overwhelming on the wrist. Zenith’s high craftsmanship and ingenious engineering are laid bare by the watch’s open-worked dial. Featuring a star motif, inspired indirectly by the brand’s star logo, the dial is perfect, down to the tiniest details. Despite the central three-hand timekeeping system, lume-filled hour markers, a date aperture at six o’clock, and a blue chapter ring, the timepiece remains legible without looking cluttered. The exposed movement Zenith Elite 670 is visible from both sides and has slim proportions. Thanks to its silicon pallet lever and escape wheel, the movement offers a respectable 50-hour power reserve.

Zenith Defy

₹10,90,000

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