Haute Watch Of The Week: Franck Muller Round Skeleton
Franck Muller is best known for its complicated watches, often fitted with tonneau-shaped cases. So what happens when the brand opts for the most common case shape in the world of watches and fits it with manual wind movement? Then you get the Franck Muller Round Skeleton!
Because Franck Muller is almost synonymous with a tonneau-shaped case, it is rather surprising to see that this Round Skeleton cannot be mistaken for any other brand than a Franck Muller. The case is rather straightforward in its design, yet the rounded bezel and the distinctly visible screws in the lugs of this watch give it a classic feel.
The case sets, in fact, the stage for the main attraction of this watch, its skeletonized movement. There are several different ways to skeletonize a movement, and Franck Muller opts for one of the most traditional, which is by no means the easiest. They only leave the outline of the bridges and main plate intact, which creates a very elegant, thin, web of metal, which holds the gears, balance wheel, mainspring barrel, and other parts of this movement in place.
When you skeletonize a movement like this, there is really no place to hide any mediocre craftsmanship, so the finish has to be exquisite. That is most certainly the case with the Round Skeleton, where all the bridges feature chamfered edges, and each part it meticulously finished.
The distinct shape of the hands adds to the classic character of this watch. It is even fitted with a sub-seconds hand, located at six o’clock, which has to fight for attention above the stunning movement. Franck Muller did equip the Round Skeleton with a ring around the movement, indicating the hours and minutes. This makes the watch easier to read, and doesn’t let its function suffer by the beauty of its form.
