This discussion of the Best Skeleton Watches is going, to begin with, an unlikely timepiece. A. Lange & Söhne was brought back to life by Walter Lange after the Berlin Wall came crashing down. This brand utterly disappeared after the Soviet occupation at the end of WWII. Housed in the village of Glashütte, A. Lange has brought about some of the finest timepieces and has led the German watchmaking revolution since its reincarnation in 1990.
This spectacular timepiece is only partially a skeleton design with a peep-through dial on the front and a completely skeletal view from the back side of this timepiece. It has a Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite” movement with a 950 Platinum case and a solid silver in argenté dial. The case is 43 mm and has a 16.6 mm height. The hands are made of rhodium gold, blued steel, and gold-plated steel. This model was introduced in 2017. Limited to only 50 timepieces, the Reference 706.025 is a stunningly rare timepiece. The timepiece goes for nearly $600,000.
Best Skeleton Watches – Panerai
Panerai has entered the skeleton watch game with several entries. However, we love this Luminor Tourbillon Moon Phases Equation Of Time GMT – 50mm L’Astronomo reference PAM00920. This model came out in 2018 and sells for over $200,000. The Astronomy – Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phases Equation of Time GMT is the first of Officine Panerai’s creations to have Moon Phase indication and an innovative system using polarised crystals to indicate the date. A remarkable new made-to-order timepiece that can be personalized, enhancing the series dedicated to the genius of Galileo Galilei.
The Panerai skeleton timepiece has a 50mm brushed titanium case and is water-resistant to 300 feet. It is powered by a hand-wound mechanical caliber P.2005/GLS created by Panerai. It has 451 components, 15¼ lines, 43 jewels, a Glucydur® balance, and an Incabloc® anti-shock device. It has a 4-day power reserve. Besides the hour, minutes, and small seconds hands, it has a date and months indicators, a second-time zone with 24h indicators, a sunset and sunrise indicator, an equation of time, tourbillon, and moon phases. It comes with a black alligator strap.
Best Skeleton Watches – Audemars Piguet
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon reference 26228OR.SS.D314CR.01 is a gorgeous timepiece invisibly set with 208 baguette-cut blue sapphires and a matching blue strap. This is a breathtaking watch with an 18-carat pink gold case. This is a new timepiece set in 2022 and it has a 38.5 mm case and is 11.6 mm thick. It has a translucent caseback and sapphire glareproofed crystal on both sides. The water resistance is very low at only 60 feet. So, this is not something you would want to take swimming.
The 26228OR.SS.D314CR.01 is powered by a caliber 2951 which is hand-wound and has a power reserve of 77 hours. It beats at a frequency of 3 Hz / 21,600 vph and is made with 17 jewels and 225 parts. The price of this beauty is probably in the hundreds of thousands. However, it is a rare find because of its unique qualities.
Best Skeleton Watches – Vacheron Constantin
This new 2020 Vacheron Constantin reference 4300V/120R-B547 Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton is a unique gem introduced at SIHH 2016. It is 41.5 mm in width and 8.1 mm in thickness and has 18K Pink gold throughout the case and watch band. It has an Ardillon buckle on the clasp of the bracelet.
It is powered by a self-winding caliber 1120 QPSQ made from 276 parts and 36 jewels. It beats at a frequency of 2.75 Hz / 19800 vph and has a 40-hour power reserve. Besides the hours and minutes hands, it has a moon phase perpetual calendar and a dial for the day of the week, weekday, and 48-month counter with a leap year indication. It is waterproof to 150 feet and comes with a 2-year warranty. The complications used in making this hand-crafted masterpiece are outstanding and elevate the price to around $250,000.
Best Skeleton Watches – Roger Dubuis
Roger Dubuis is one of the biggest secrets in the industry, quietly making some of the most daring and stunning masterpieces in the watchmaking world. Its supercar-inspired timepieces and exclusive agreements with Pirelli tires have made some of the most unique and rare timepieces around.
This reference RDDBEX0367 Quatuor timepiece is an amazing hand-wound stunner. It uses a one-of-a-kind 90-degree angle in its caliber RD101 to create gravity compensation. It allows for no disturbances between the functioning of each of the 4 sprung balances. It created 3 patents and took 7 years of research to come up with this concept timepiece which was subsequently certified by the Poinçon de Genève.
The movement has a power reserve of 40 hours and is made with 590 pieces, 113 rubies, and beats at an amazing 115200 vph which is tremendously fast compared to 99% of all timepieces made. The main plate and bridges are NAC coated and decorated throughout. It supports 90 feet of waterproofness. The case is a 48mm pink gold case and it comes with an alligator strap. There are only 88 pieces made and it comes at a price of $477,500.
Best Skeleton Watches – Patek Philippe
This Patek Philippe grand complication reference 5304 is exquisite with its 80 baguette-cut diamonds amounting to 6.22 carats. It uses a unique retrograde perpetual calendar display system with sapphire disks and features a “leaf” motif engraving on the white gold disks. The rose gold mini rotor is visible through the transparent case back. The 43mm case is also in rose gold and features sapphire crystal on both the front and back.
The Caliber R 27 PS QR LU has a minute repeater with classic-sounding gongs. It is made with 517 parts including 41 jewels and has a 38-hour power reserve. It beats at 3 Hz / 21600 vpm and has a Spiromax balance spring. The day, month, and leap year are provided along with small seconds and moon phases. The black alligator leather strap has a diamond set fold-over clasp.
Best Skeleton Watches – Rolex
Although it is rare to find a skeleton watch made by Rolex, this Rolex Artisans De Genève – Juan Pablo Montoya Platinum Challenge 116506 timepiece made in 2020 doesn’t disappoint. Of course, it is a Rolex Daytona inspired by Montoya’s greatest victories. Imagined by Juan Pablo, this is forged in carbon black and the dial includes the red, yellow, and blue of his Colombian flag. It is powered by a caliber 4130 and has a platinum bracelet. At a price of $250,000, it is awesome that it fits in the company of such incredible masterpieces particularly because it is a Rolex and also a one-of-a-kind Daytona.
Rubber B makes watchbands for all types of watches and sizes. Made from 100% vulcanized rubber, it will withstand water-based activities such as swimming, diving, and most athletics. It is strongly recommended to replace the alligator or leather band with a Swiss Made band from Rubber B in order to preserve your investment. However, many people prefer the feel of pure rubber over metal bracelets especially since rubber does not conduct heat like metal when out in the sunlight. For more information on the growing collection of Rubber B bracelets visit our page here.
