I love skeleton watches that show the inner clockwork and those with unique takes on timekeeping. Here is another eclectic batch, from L to R:
1) The white Omega x Swatch Moonshine Gold. It is the first and only watch that shows the phases of Earth as seen by an astronaut on the moon (soon to be relevant again). The Earth goes through phases, in reverse of the moon phases. So, when you have a new Moon, you have a “full Earth” as seen on the watch face here. And for an observer at Moon Base Alpha, the Earth will always be in roughly the same spot in the sky, neither rising nor setting… and the dark part of Earth will have the faint illumination of Moonshine (just as the dark part of the moon gets a bit of Earthshine making it visible during a new moon phase). The watch is made of a light bioceramic with an homage to Apollo 10’s Snoopy, and each watch has a unique moon “snowflake” design.
2) Martin Braun EOS: A unique design that shows the time of sunrise and sunset. For a mechanical watch, this is particularly tricky, using two crossed titanium hands on cams customized for the latitude of the owner (the googly eyes at the bottom). The sunset/sunrise dial range also varies by latitude (with little change at the equator), and the feature will not be accurate for travel from home.
3) Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort. Various assemblages, like the flying constant force tourbillon and power reserve indicator float like islands on the face, connected by a hidden gear train below. Like several of their watches, the design required the use of MEMS silicon escapement. It is serial #2 of 50, and the first sold in America. Made of Maillechort, a rare copper alloy, white gold and a sapphire glass box (which looks very cool from the sides).
4) Ulysse Nardin Freak. It was my first love in unique complicated watches. The watch mechanism is built into the minute hand which drives a small gear at the tip of the hand that runs along the inner circumference of the dial, rotating it around and driving the hour hand below. Sleek design with no crowns protruding from the side. It was my 20th anniversary gift at DFJ. Serial #13.
5) Breguet Tradition Chronograph, a skeleton with a symmetric design front and back for the watch + stopwatch. Founded in 1775, Breuget invented the self-winding watch and was a favorite of Marie Antoinette and Napoleon, who had four and brought them into battle.
Next Row:
6) BVLGARI Octo Finissimo, super thin skeleton in titanium. It’s probably my lightest watch. I bought it with a friend while travelling overseas… Watches can serve as memorable mementos in time.
7) Carl F. Bucherer. My first skeleton, also thin, purchased in the late 80’s and I remember negotiating a discount from the store in the Stanford Shopping Center. Back then, skeleton watches with the inner mechanism visible, were a response to the “quartz crisis” of the day. Bucherer AG was acquired by Rolex in 2023.
8) Vacheron Constantin Régulateur Chronometer, my first from them. I have always admired the elegance of their design. The minute hand is central, hours on top, and the dual-time face (left) is easily adjustable by the push-button for travel to different time zones.
9) TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph. I like the pink flair in this edition, and it also serves as a travel memory. It’s a skeleton watch, but with black-on-black titanium, it does not show well in the photo.
10) Harry Winston Perpetual Calendar. It has a moon phase and retrograde calendar that adjusts month and day for leap years. I am not sure about the art deco design though.
More in the comments below.
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