Because the concept behind a skeleton watch is to strip away as much metal as possible in the caliber, without compromising its strength or integrity, these are among the more time-consuming types of watch to create. The beauty of these see-through skeleton watches typically lies in the intricacy of the movement parts — with engravings and finishing – that are often incomparable.

Also trending are watches that are not necessarily see-through, but that are finely finished with exposed movements viewable on the dial side.  Typically, in these watches, the mainplate with all of the gears and wheels are visible instead of being hidden behind a dial.  Each of these types of timepieces is pure art and technology, often requiring engravers and watchmakers to spend hundreds of hours chiseling away the metal, finely finishing each tiny component and assembling it in all its glory.  Fortunately for watch lovers, there are brands that love to indulge in this beauty.

At this year’s Baselworld, Corum is a leader with its stunning Golden Bridge watches. Of particular note is the Golden Bridge Rectangle.  The Golden Bridge was first developed by watchmaker extraordinaire, Vincent Calabrese, 40 years ago. The patented linear watch movement with all gears, wheels and parts arranged in a row caught the attention of Corum Watch Company owner at the time, Jean Renee Bannwart, who purchased the patent from Calabrese and unveiled the Corum Golden Bridge watches in 1980.

Similarly, Kerbedanz unveils a stunning new skeletonized watch in rose gold with amazing black accents. Aptly named the Black Squama, the Tourbillon timepiece is cased in gold with a black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating.   The 41-piece limited edition watch features a mechanical hand-wound, tourbillon KRB-02 caliber that is crafted and decorated by Kerbedanz and Concepto. Most of the 168 components including 80 for the tourbillon carriage are visible through the sapphire crystal and caseback. The deft blend of rose gold and shimmering black, of guilloche’ finishes and hand decorated motifs makes the watch a stunning art form.

Similarly, Kerbedanz unveils a stunning new skeletonized watch in rose gold with amazing black accents. Aptly named the Black Squama, the Tourbillon timepiece is cased in gold with a black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating.   The 41-piece limited edition watch features a mechanical hand-wound, tourbillon KRB-02 caliber that is crafted and decorated by Kerbedanz and Concepto. Most of the 168 components including 80 for the tourbillon carriage are visible through the sapphire crystal and caseback. The deft blend of rose gold and shimmering black, of guilloche’ finishes and hand decorated motifs makes the watch a stunning art form.

Independent watch brand Armin Strom also specializes in skeletonization and this year puts emphasis on the Mirrored Force Resonance watch with patented Caliber ARF 15 movement – whose mainplate and components are visible via the sapphire crystal atop the watch.  In fact, the movement features dual regulators developed for maximum precision — and displayed in all its mechanical beauty on what would be the dial side if a dial existed.

Armin Strom’s resonant Caliber ARF15 is a classically constructed manually wound movement that was conceived, manufactured, assembled, and regulated in-house. It beats at a 3.5-Hertz (25,200 vph) frequency, allowing the observer to really appreciate the patented, resonant regulators in action. The two connected oscillators make their revolutions in opposite directions, which is eminently visible on the dial side of the watch, one rotating clockwise and the other counterclockwise, and the animated elements look much like they are performing a beautifully orchestrated dance.  The 43.4 mm watch features a transparent caseback for viewing the rest of the  meticulously finished movement.

The Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle case steps 29.5mm wide by 42.2mm tall and a mere 9.3mm thick. The detailed execution of this 18-karat gold Roman numeral structures and rivets that surround the movement are extremely cool to look at it – it feels like something King Midas would approve of.The rhodium-plated, baton-shaped hands offer a wonderful contrast with the gold constructions, and also to keep things simple, the movement simply indicates the time with hours and minutes. There’s a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective cure within the skeletonized dial along with a screw-in sapphire case-back that can help keep the watch water-resistance of 30 meters. The crown itself is a distinctive touch and something I will love for the sake of symmetry and balance. On account of the movement’s orientation, it is located at 6 o’clock and includes deep grooves for easy operation.The Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle is a wristwatch that will be catering to a very specific pair of watch enthusiasts, to say the least. When there are surely a great deal of options in the way of timepieces in its budget, the Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle watch provides something unique with its spacious dial and linear movement display. In ways, it reveals the brand’s commitment to continuing the Golden Bridge heritage while exercising restraint that’s both tasteful and progressive. The first Corum Bubble watch came out in 2000, but for that reason, it was finally discontinued. And today, it’s one of their more important collections, so much so that they decided to make a unique piece working with the iconic Bubble layout. This really is the Corum Bubble 47 Flying Tourbillon watch, featuring not just a tourbillon however a menacing skull to get a dial.