Watch family · Style & purpose
Skeleton Watches
VerifiedWatches with the movement plates and bridges cut away and often decoratively engraved, so the going train and escapement are visible from the dial side, back, or both.
Movement & mechanism
- Movement bridges reduced to the minimum structurally necessary and often hand-engraved
- Sapphire crystal front and back (in modern examples) to display the mechanism from both sides
- No conventional dial, or only a minimal chapter ring, so the wheel train and escapement can be seen
Identification
- Visibly pierced, skeletonised plates and bridges
- Often accompanied by hand-applied decorative finishing (anglage, perlage) visible because the movement is exposed
Terminology
- Skeletonisation — the process of cutting away non-essential movement material
- Anglage — hand-bevelled and polished edges on movement components
Known variations
- Fully skeletonised movement
- Partially open-worked ('semi-skeleton') movement
Pocket-watch ancestry
Skeletonised movements were an established decorative pocket-watch and clock tradition before being applied to wristwatch calibres, continuing the same engraving and piercing techniques on a smaller scale.
Collecting notes
Valued for the quality of hand-finishing and engraving rather than for any additional timekeeping function; a well-executed skeleton movement is considered a display of watchmaking skill.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Daniels, G., Watchmaking
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.