Bone structure
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal
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Open Gallery
Cartier Grand Complication Skeleton pocket watch, calibre 9436 MC © Cartier / Laziz Hamani
Open Gallery
Audemars Piguet Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon 40th Anniversary limited edition © Audemars Piguet
Alongside the complicated mechanisms and métiers d’art that inhabit the upper echelons of watchmaking, skeleton-work is an art in itself. So as to reveal the mechanism inside the watch, the dial is removed, mainplate and bridges are carved, and other parts cut away to show the bare bones of the movement structure whose every surface, now the focus of attention, must be decorated with the utmost care. This is, of course, a perilous exercise which requires consummate expertise.
The 22nd Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie lived up to its reputation as a precursor of trends, as many of the companies exhibiting this year came with exquisitely crafted skeleton movements. First Piaget, whose extra-thin skeleton Altiplano is driven by the 1200S movement. In a world-first, a mechanism measuring 2.4mm thick is housed inside a case just 5.34mm high. “It took more than three years of research and development to fine-tune the Piaget Calibre 1200S. Compared with the Piaget 1200P movement from which it is derived, the new Calibre 1200S comprises a number of innovations. In addition to the micro-rotor in 950 platinum, the balance-bridge features a harmonious and symmetrical new aesthetic. The hour-wheel bridge has been slimmed down to a minimum wall thickness of just 0.11 mm to ensure the extreme thinness of this movement that explores uncharted territory in terms of proportions.”
Tight corners
No less astonishing is Richard Mille’s Tourbillon RM 052 Skull whose plate and bridges compose a titanium skull, an integral part of the movement which is joined to the case by the cross-bone bridges. Further exceptional skeleton-work was evidenced by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Minute Repeater, and by Cartier’s Grande Complication Skeleton Pocket Watch.
As part of its Pulsion collection, one of the four worlds that henceforth define the brand, Roger Dubuis unveiled a Flying Tourbillon Skeleton in titanium with a Poinçon de Genève movement, a concentration of the brand’s three areas of expertise in a timepiece that confirms its ambition to cover the entire horological spectrum. This list would not be complete without the Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon by Audemars Piguet, which is celebrating the legendary watch’s 40th anniversary. “The entirely hand-crafted openworking of this ultra-thin movement (4.46mm) calls for exceptional expertise and proven experience. Over 110 interior angles – which can only be crafted by hand – reveal the added value embodied in this anniversary model.” The anatomy of time never ceases to fascinate!
