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WATCH YOUR TIME |
Cartier’s contribution, with Carole Forestier-Kasapi
at the helm of the then new Fine Watchmaking Division,
was to subvert the internal architecture of the watch
movement in service of the maison’s existing aesthetic,
designing watches such as the 2009 Santos 100 that used
the distinctive Roman numerals as bridges from which
the movement components are suspended.
Skeleton watches in the style of those 1980s models
from Audemars Piguet and Blancpain have all but dis-
appeared, but the idea lives on as a standard tool in the
watch designer’s box. Sometimes it’s a particular part of
the watch on show, as with Ulysse Nardin’s Freak which
suspends the gear train above the dial, its single bridge
functioning as the hour hand, or Chopard’s Strike One
which shows off its strike mechanism, and sometimes
it’s an integral part of the design as with Jean-Francois
Mojon’s avant-garde creations for Cyrus. However, per-
haps the ultimate modern skeleton watch was barely
noticed at the time of its launch and rarely gets the
attention it deserves. Back in 1980, Corum launched
the Golden Bridge with its Vincent Calabrese-designed
baguette movement suspended in a sapphire case: a
watch almost as radical now as it was then.
Crystal-clear
The transparent sapphire walls of the Golden Bridge’s
rectangular case were curved on the inside, facetted on
the outside, and held together by a slim metal frame. This
was a considerable exploit, given the technology then
available for machining a material as hard as sapphire
and it would be another thirty years before full sapphire
cases as we know them, starting with the Richard Mille
RM 056, in 2012.
Thanks to advances in technology, sapphire could
now be given unprecedented shapes and volumes. This
was particularly in evidence at MB&F. Early on, the inven-
tor of the Horological Machine was opening windows
onto its mechanisms and blazed a trail with cases formed
from dramatically curved sapphire panes. The difficulty
of achieving the desired form was compounded by the
difficulty of obtaining complete transparency — for a
clear, undistorted view of the components, the crys-
tal must be of perfectly uniform thickness. In 2025 this
same expertise has been applied to the Bvlgari x MB&F
Serpenti whose curved case, assembled from five sap-
phire crystals, reveals the eyes (rotating hour and min-
ute domes) and brain (balance and balance spring) of
this impressive mechanical serpent.
When it comes to full sapphire cases, Richard Mille
has inspired both younger and more established brands,
but rare are those who, like Mille, regularly renew the
genre, in particular by introducing colour.
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1. ZENITH Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton. In a skele-
tonised version, the El Primero 3600 calibre, which measures
1/10th of a second, is revealed through a geometric dial inspired
by Zenith’s “double Z” logo from the 1960s. The steel case, meas-
uring 42 mm with a sapphire caseback, is available with either
a blue or black dial.
2. ROGER DUBUIS Excalibur Grande Complication. Celebrat-
ing its 30th anniversary, Roger Dubuis honours the spirit of its
founder with an exceptional automatic grande complication fea-
turing retrograde hands. It combines a perpetual calendar, a min-
ute repeater and a tourbillon within a 45 mm rose gold case with
a sapphire caseback.
3. LOUIS VUITTON Tambour Taiko Spin Time Flying Tourbil-
lon. Among watches reinterpreting the Spin Time display (rotat-
ing cubes), the most sophisticated incorporates a central flying
tourbillon, whose cage is shaped like the iconic Monogram Flower.
Hours and minutes are displayed within a 42.5 mm white gold
case featuring a sapphire caseback.
4. FREDERIQUE CONSTANT Classic Tourbillon Manufacture.
Frederique Constant gives its tourbillon a distinctive look. The
blue-grey mother-of-pearl dial sits in a 39 mm white gold case
with a sapphire caseback, matched with an alligator strap. Lim-
ited edition of 36 pieces.
5. DIOR Chiffre Rouge Tourbillon Grey Ultramatte. This watch,
featuring a crown ringed in red, the signature of the Chiffre Rouge
collection, offers a flying tourbillon whimsically embellished with
a ‘cannage’ pattern, subtly echoing the dial design every 15 sec-
onds. The 41 mm model in black PVD-treated steel and rose gold
is limited to 20 pieces.
6. HUBLOT Big Bang Unico Water Blue Sapphire. A pioneer in
creating translucent sapphire cases, Hublot expands its palette
with Water Blue, evoking tropical seas. This 44 mm watch, pow-
ered by the automatic Unico chronograph movement visible from
both sides, is a limited edition of 50 pieces.
TECH