Face-off: Watches Without Dials Conquer the Market

Watches-without-dial trend has appeared because of the watch companies desire to accentuate marvelous and complicated beauty of the watch mechanism, to open the secrecy of processes that are usually hidden, to draw attention to the timepiece and its owner. The idea is great but not easy to realize because watch mechanisms are initially not destined to be visible that is why they need a very serious “make-up”. Anyway final results are striking.

IWC Portuguese F.A. Jones Squelette

A watch with sceletonized mechanism has always represented a number of different opportunities and manufacture's craftsmanship. IWC is one of a few companies to use mechanisms that are protected by platinum from both sides. It is not just a tradition but first of all a concern for consumers. Additional platinum serves as a very reliable protection to fragile details of the mechanism. Those sheets did not disappear but are made of sapphire crystals. Sceleton is launched in 43 mm case made of pink gold (limited edition of 100 pieces) and platinum (limited edition of 50 pieces).

Vacheron Constantin Malte Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date Openface

They say Vacheron Constantin craftsmen were inspired to create such a watch by the design of Ferrari F430 Spider with transparent capote over 8 cylinders engine.

The motor of this watch is automatic Caliber 1226 QPR with frequency of 28 800 vph and power reserve of 38 hours. It is perfectly hand decorated. The timepiece in 38,5 mm platinum case is really unique.

Corum Classical Billionaire Tourbillon

The owner and the main ideas provider of the Corum company Severin Wunderman adores playing not just with death but devil. One more target for jokes and sarcasm is wealth.

Corum was the first to present a watch for 1 million Euros – the watch for multimillionaires. The materials for such a timepiece are corresponding: sapphires, diamonds and white gold.

The dial, black plate and the biggest part of the mechanism are made of transparent sapphire crystal – not to divert from the king of complications – tourbillon and light play of almost 900 precious stones.

46 mm case made of white gold has a tourbillon of Caliber CO-372 hand wound and power reserve of 90 hours. The edition is limited to 10 pieces. It comes with a blue strap made of alligator leather with a white gold buckle.

There are some other great watches of this kind such as Custos QP-S, Gerald Charles Carree Tourbillon Maestro, Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 012.