Automatic skeleton watches

Open heart and skeleton do not mean the same thing. The open heart opens a small window in the dial, usually at 12 o'clock, to reveal the balance wheel oscillating: the dial stays legible and the watch keeps its dressy side. The skeleton removes far more material and shows the gears: it is spectacular, but reading the time takes a little more attention. In both cases the point is the same: to make visible the one thing a battery watch will never show, a living mechanism wound by the movement of your wrist. It is the model that prompts the most questions around a table.

12 models in this selection, from CHF 299.-, all on a genuine Seiko automatic movement with sapphire crystal and 316L steel. To go further, read our buying guides.