Intricate, artful and almost delicate in appearance, skeleton watches are the ultimate way for a manufacture to show off its tricks. Not only are the dials difficult to machine and perfect, but their open nature also reveals what’s underneath—providing a wholly different view of the mechanism than what you’d get looking through a transparent caseback.
This might be why watchmakers like Hermès, Panerai and Ferdinand Berthoud have each recently debuted refreshing takes on the wrist-bound wonders, all three of which represent a first for their respective makers. Hermès’ new Slim D’Hermès Squelette Lune is the first time the brand has designed a skeleton dial in-house, and Panerai’s Luminor Tourbillon GMT Goldtech reveals its first gold tourbillon through an aperture between 10 and 11 o’clock. Ferdinand Berthoud, meanwhile, offers its first-ever skeleton watch with the limited-edition Régulateur Squelette. Take a closer look at each of the new timepieces below.