Some years, there is one watch that debuts to deafening cheers – or jeers, actually, because the nature of the reception is not important. What makes a difference is how big and loud the splash was when the watch dropped. One could make the case for this with last year’s Rolex Land-Dweller but not this year. One might even say the echo of the Land-Dweller lived on in the Palexpo during Watches and Wonders this year but this is a different matter. No, without one watch dominating the discourse and perhaps upending various commercial realities, the specialist world is left to ponder broader questions…
Of course, this Vision is meant to be very broad indeed, covering not only – not even primarily – new watches from the fairs so far, but also releases from the recent past. For Vision and Legacy, we free ourselves from the tyranny of novelty and see what the future might hold for horology. One question that came to mind very prominently was what brands will do to address the soaring price of precious metals (well, gold really but platinum has issues too, by extension). We have gone down this road many times before but one solution that we did not consider very strongly is the skeletonised or openworked watch. Well, thanks to a shock of releases, lurking ominously above the assembled press, retailers, tradespeople and executives like a murder of crows, we had this unexpected answer.
Given the precarious state of the globalised economy <we are opting for a top line description because all potential threats are multifaceted and will involve more than one principal actor – Ed>, makers of consumer goods must find stability and continuity in production where they can. Watches are part of this group, however loudly the investment crowd might crow, and a sensitive one at that. As many observers at the recently concluded fairs noted, nobody needs a watch, although you might desperately crave one to time your Sunday six-minute eggs with <Read our interview with A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid for some context here.>
One way watch brands can address pricing pressures <or margin pressures, if you wish to view it like this> is to introduce skeletonised or openworked gold movement parts. The advantage is two-fold: savings on raw materials and added value in terms of skills used. Neither of these should be underestimated, and may have applications beyond the ultra-expensive. Put such a movement in a titanium or composite case and any given brand might be sauntering confidently towards a winning proposition.
To be clear, this works with steel too, but we imagine that brands will likely want some outward premium signal or other, especially if such materials are not in the relevant collection. We use the TAG Heuer Evergraph as an example in another story, because that collection does not include any full gold cases; the brand could, theoretically, position the new watch as the equivalent of the gold option, pricewise, because no such gold model exists to compare against. The goal is to get as close to the gold price, without going with the usual all-gold case or even the bimetallic option.
Different case materials aside, openworking also gets value upside going in traditional materials, and most certainly achieves it anything contemporary. See Richard Mille, Audemars Piguet, Hublot, among many others for the proof there. The key is exactly how this price game is played. Many have tried the Richard Mille path but only one has succeeded. The current crop of watches seen first at the start of this year offers a variety of possibilities as far as accessibility goes. The effect might be far reaching indeed, given the example of the watch we are opening with. Patek Philippe is certainly no stranger to the openworked game but all its previous offerings in this area were in the style of baroque traditional skeleton; see Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers piece for a visual reference for this because our current story only focuses on the modern skeleton.
Transparent Appeal
For our first editorial effort of the year exploring this subject, we wanted to first set the stage by bringing a degree of transparency to the skeletonised or openworked watch. For example, is there a difference between these two terms? With the help of our trusty AI assistant, we scoured all the available literature to date to offer some definitions. Unfortunately, there are no official definitions, or even semi-official ones, with the Dictionary of Horology (the digital version of G.-A. Berner’s publication, known colloquially as the Berner Dictionary) not even bothering to try. Happily, Horopedia – a not-for-profit group who had a space at Watches and Wonders Geneva this year – does try.
“Skeletonisation and openwork are two decorative techniques applied to watch movements to create an airy, refined, and lightweight appearance. Whether performed by hand or with industrial methods, the processes for openwork and skeletonisation are identical. The distinction between the two lies in the final aesthetic and the overall result.”
That says a lot, without giving much away. What we can add here is that there are several distinct design approaches, and aesthetics is everything. While all approaches aim to reveal the movement, they differ fundamentally in how much of the “time machine” is exposed and how much structural modification is required. Structural modification though might mean that any given maker will choose not to call its creations skeletonised or open-worked, and on that note…
Skeletonized vs. Openworked: The Technical Distinction
While often used as synonyms, purists and high-end manufactures (Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe) maintain a subtle but important distinction based on the extent of material removal. Again, this is informal because one could consider ebauches (raw parts) produced in openworked form to be no different to manually shaping the relevant parts. Consider the debate between silicon hairsprings and metal ones for some context.
| Feature | Skeletonized | Openworked |
| Primary Goal | To create a “skeleton” by removing as much non-essential metal as possible. | To reveal the movement, often through artistic cutouts in both the dial and the movement plates and bridges. |
| Movement Impact | Structural and visual. The plates and bridges themselves are sawn, filed, and hollowed out. This might also apply to the gears, and other parts. | Visual. Focuses on removing the dial or specific sections of the aforementioned plates and bridges. |
| Complexity | High. Requires recalculating the structural integrity of the movement and a strong aesthetic sense in choosing traditional decorative arts such as engraving, enamelling or even gem-setting. | Moderate on the part of the watchmakers. Often uses a movement designed for structural strength and maximum visibility from the start. Decorative elements can be added later, and many types can be chosen, including traditional ones. |
| Method | Hand-sawing and engraving existing movements. | Often pre-designed via CNC to have that “airy” architecture. |
Bare Bones Philosophy
In a true skeleton watch, by which we mean all watches made prior to the adoption of contemporary industrial processes, the watchmakers take a solid brass or gold plate and remove up to 70-80 percent of the material. This is laborious and requires great skill with hand-held tools. The challenge is ensuring the remaining “skeletons” are strong enough to hold the gears in perfect alignment under the tension of the mainspring. If too much is removed, the movement will flex, causing the watch to lose time or stop. Obviously, the aesthetic challenge is tied to being able to shape the metal in line with the desired result.
Equally obviously, there is a production challenge because of all that labour, which would be done by one watchmaker – that is a necessity. This is because, as explained to us by watchmakers independent and with brands, no two watchmakers will share the same approach and it will be inefficient for one watchmaker to start on a plate, then pass off the partly finished piece to a second watchmaker, who continues based on instructions from the first.
Openworking is a broader term that takes into account all manner of creativity, including what might be called peekaboo dials. While it clearly includes movement skeletonization too, it also refers to movements designed from the ground up with an open architecture. Instead of “carving” a standard movement, the bridges are engineered as thin, aesthetic branches. Brands such as Richard Mille or Roger Dubuis use “openworked” to describe modern, industrial-looking calibres that never had a solid version. These might be called contemporary skeletons, when they are distinguished from their traditional baroque cousins.
Related to this, primarily in the 21st century, are those movements that are purpose built in distinctive shapes. Think of the Corum’s Bridge watches or even Girard-Perregaux’s Three Golden Bridges, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak and Diver [Air], and any old kinetic sculpture you like from MB&F. Indeed, these watches might be rightly called kinetic sculptures, even if they resemble openworked watches, to varying degrees. To use a specific example that we are not featuring in our list, there is the Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Flying Bridges watch. It looks very much like an openworked piece, and much more so than some watches in said list. The brand does not use the words “skeletonised” or “openworked” in the name of the watch, nor its headline description. In any case, to our minds, these sorts of watches deserve their own territory. We include an image here since we did not include it in our complications story this issue.
Finally, it is sometimes noted that there is a price to the choice between traditional and contemporary skeletons. This notion is quaint and misguided – brands are not only pricing watches by how much work goes into making them. It may take more effort to make a traditional skeleton watch but that does not mean the makers can price said watch appropriately. Besides, traditional skeletons typically share a look, and it is some version of that word we used a couple times now: baroque.
Collectors and enthusiasts have decisions to make here, depending on their own values and aesthetic preferences. An aesthetically appealing watch might only have its specific character as a result of CNC machining. Plates and bridges might still be hand-bevelled and polished, after all. The exception that might elicit broad agreement is where traditional-looking skeletons are the result of contemporary CNC machining. That is easily recognised as a bit of a cheat.
Hermès H08 Squelette
The Hermès H08 Squelette represents the first openworked execution for the H08 line, leaning into a rugged, industrial aesthetic. Yes, the watch is literally called a skeleton, but it is more properly an openworked watch, going by our established definition. Framed by a 39mm black DLC-coated titanium case and a radially brushed ceramic bezel, the watch houses the manufacture H1978S calibre, developed by Vaucher as usual. Notably, the mainplate and bridges of this automatic movement are machined from titanium—a rare and technically difficult feat—and are arranged in a bold, asymmetrical X-shaped structure. The design is punctuated by solid blocks of SuperLuminova for the hour markers, which appear to float freely, while the skeletonized rotor and second hand counterweight echo the cushion shape of the case. In particular, that rotor has come in for a world of praise, given that its shape implies that it would not spin freely, but it manages quite nicely thank you. We note here that Vaucher has some expertise in creating movements in special materials, as seen in its work for Richard Mille and TAG Heuer, to name just two examples.
Cartier Crash Squelette
For the 10th edition of Cartier Privé, the Parisian watchmaker and jeweller reimagined the legendary asymmetrical Crash case, originally created in 1967, in a skeletonized form. While it has been done before, this execution is notable for how the manufacture 1967 MC manual-winding movement was designed to harmonize perfectly with the watch’s distorted lines. Its bridges are sculpted into the shape of Roman numerals, which are hand-hammered using traditional decorative techniques to enhance the ‘warped time’ visual effect; the nature of the bridges also echoes previous contemporary skeletons from Cartier, and is a signature of the brand. This patented construction ensures that the technical components become one with the aesthetic identity of the watch, staying true to Cartier’s philosophy of technique serving design.
Panerai Luminor 31 Giorni (PAM01631)
As the name implies, PAM01631 is a technical powerhouse that celebrates Panerai’s history of extended power reserves, taking it to extremes with 31 days here. Recall before moving forward here that openworked movements have to struggle against the torque of the mainspring and consider how much power is evident here. Housed in a 44mm Panerai Goldtech
case, the manual-winding P.2031/S is openworked to a high degree, but in keeping with the Panerai style. The groundbreaking calibre provides a month-long (31-day) power reserve through a system of four barrels housing an unbelievable 3.3 metres of mainsprings. Unfortunately, Panerai’s Neuchatel manufacture did not tell us what the torque numbers are for this calibre but you can imagine that they are impressive. Beyond imagination, the openworked architecture allows for a multi-dimensional view of the mechanics, complemented by a patented polarized date disc at 3 o’clock and a linear power reserve indicator. Interestingly, there is a Torque Limiter system that ensures the movement operates within its most precise 31-day window, cutting off the top and bottom of the power delivery to ensure consistent chronometry. We wonder if it also helps regulate the available torque so that nothing breaks… A more in-depth look is called for, and we may yet answer this call.
Norqain Wild One Skeleton Chrono
Unveiled this year in Geneva, the Wild One Skeleton Chrono is, nevertheless, still in the vein of the base Wild One Skeleton that we discuss with Managing Director Tobias Kuffer elsewhere in this issue. It is a high-performance sports watch, because that is what the brand’s founders are all about, and it is powered by a high-spec calibre, because that is where rubber-meets-road as far as their ambitions go. The Norqain 8K Manufacture Calibre is an automatic flyback column-wheel chronograph that stretches the use of the word ‘skeleton.’ It is certainly the least openworked of all the watches here but it does demonstrate how dial cut-outs can enhance the aesthetics of the engine within. While the movement is not openworked, the watch features Norqain’s signature ultra-light construction, involving a Norteq® carbon fibre frame (or a gold one) and a rubber shock absorber. To maximize transparency and lightness, the design team replaced traditional hands with openworked ones and subdials with wafer-thin floating transparent discs. This allows for an unobstructed view through to parts of the movement, creating a sense of spectacular visual depth that openworking often aims for.
Franck Muller Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton
A masterclass in architectural watchmaking, the Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton is transparency personified. Again, this is a contemporary skeleton and it demonstrates all the pros and cons of the openworked style – the revelatory nature looks great in close-ups and stylised shots but this effect is mitigated on the wrist. Let us unpack that for you here. The rose gold case is open on all four sides, functioning more as a frame than a case for the movement and its triple axis tourbillon. The in-house manual-winding calibre MVT FM 2031-SMR-VS-NR is mounted directly to the caseback, featuring blackened openworked bridges that make the entire package like a kinetic sculpture. We trust that this revelation makes sense here, because of all the light that makes it into the case. You do not need much of an imagination to consider what happens on the wrist, with one plane no longer transparent. Both skeletonised and openworked watches sometimes include a tinted sapphire caseback to get around this problem, and mask all that unsightly hair, pores and other flaws in the skin.
Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5840P-001
Marking the first official ‘Grand Complication’ in the Cubitus collection, Reference 5840P-001 features a square-shaped perpetual calendar skeleton movement. We opened with this watch for this story because it is the first contemporary skeleton from Patek Philippe, and the first form movement in a Cubitus case. There is a lot of surprise value here, because the brand signalled no intention to make even simple form movements for the Cubitus – President Thierry Stern even said as much. Thus, Ref. 5840 arrives as a major moment for the Genevan brand. The 45mm platinum case houses the calibre 28-28 Q SQU, which Patek Philippe says was specifically developed to follow the contours of the square case rather than being a round movement in a square frame. The sunburst blue dial features laser-cut horizontal “louvers” that mimic the collection’s embossed motif, creating a depth effect while maintaining legibility for the day, date, month, and moon phase indicators. This styling also follows the grille form of the plates caseback side, and is yet another source of overt contemporary watch styling, which Patek Philippe has never really experimented with. Crucially, there is a practical benefit here, in terms of preventing the owner’s wrist from interfering with the watch’s beauty.
Chanel J12 X-Ray Coco Game
Every year in recent times, Chanel has brought a capsule collection to Watches and Wonders Geneva, alongside its new additions to regular catalogue. We were always going to include a J12 X-Ray in this selection but its inclusion as part of the “Coco Game” thematic collection was fortuitous. Here, the J12 X-Ray demonstrates how high-jewellery techniques can enter the openworking picture, almost seamlessly. The vision is clearly very different to what a traditional skeleton would look like when fully gem-set. The case and bracelet links are crafted from sapphire crystal – requiring 1600 hours of machining – to demonstrate Chanel’s own ideas about openworking. The manufacture Caliber 3.1 is pure Chanel and one either loves it, or not; maintaining a neutral stance is impossible. The movement components, including the timing bridge and gear-train bridge, are also made of sapphire, giving the impression that not only are the mechanics apparently floating in mid-air, they might also be made of air! The watch is accented by blackened gold borders and a very clever central line of baguette-cut diamonds on the bracelet, emphasizing the graphic black-and-white code of the maison. The cleverness we like here is that baguette-cut diamonds are very traditional, and the cut is demanding.
Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition
A successful debut for Hublot at the LVMH Watch Week earlier this year, the clearly visible “racquet string” inspired mainplate made the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition a shoe-in for this list. At first, we thought perhaps Hublot had actually incorporated actual tennis strings in some kind of funky composite but the watchmakers told us that this would have been impossible, but we will come back to this. Regardless, the tribute to tennis great Djokovic is unique in sporting this look, despite the many tennis tribute watches over the years. With its complex latticework mainplate – with each string being just 0.55mm thick – the MHUB6035 calibre is doing a lot of heavy lifting, technique wise but also emotionally. The lattice is created via a laser-engraving process so it is as far removed from tradition as possible. The eagle-eyed might even spot certain irregularities here, because the strings are meant to resemble those of a match-worn racquet. About that composite material, the 44mm case is infused with recycled Lacoste polos and Head racquets used by Djokovic. Verily, this is peak contemporary skeleton, and those seeking extreme value of all sorts will find some version of it here.
This story was first seen as part of the WOW #84 Vision 2026 issue.
For more on the latest in luxury watch reads, click here.
The post How Openworked Craft Is Defining Modern Horology appeared first on LUXUO.
