Franck Muller Reveals The Ultimate Dainty Skeleton Watch With Jewellery Flair
Franck Muller's Round Skeleton Baguette 31 combines exceptional craftsmanship with stunning baguette-cut gemstones in a high jewellery watch that showcases delicate beauty and intricate mechanics.
2024 is shaping up to be the year of the high jewellery watch. With stars like Anya Taylor-Joy and Rosamund Pike dazzling on the red carpet, watchmakers are responding to the growing demand for timepieces that combine haute horlogerie with haute joaillerie. One standout design this year is the Round Skeleton Baguette 31, an exclusive creation for the Asia Pacific market from the renowned Swiss watch brand Franck Muller.
The concept of a high jewellery watch can take many directions, from bold and unconventional to classically beautiful—and the Round Skeleton Baguette 31 embraces the latter. Unlike Franck Muller’s signature tonneau-shaped cases, this timepiece features a delicate round case, and the skeletonized movement and dial offer a stunning view of the watch’s exceptional horological workings, making it just as much about the craftsmanship as the jewels.
The highlight of the Round Skeleton Baguette 31 is its breathtaking gemstone bezel. As the name suggests, the watch is adorned with baguette-cut gemstones, available in six variations. The options include 18K white or rose gold cases, set with either a rainbow of colorful gemstones or classic diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
But the fine details don’t stop there. The lugs and strap buckle are also set with matching gemstones, and the edges of the case and bezel are decorated with two rows of pavé diamonds. These exclusive details are only available in the Asia Pacific region, and each watch is hand-set with 60 baguette-cut gemstones, totaling about 4.61 carats, and 156 round brilliant diamonds weighing around 0.88 carats.
Franck Muller also paid special attention to the straps. The red, green, and blue straps match the ruby, emerald, and blue sapphire models, while the rainbow and full-diamond variations feature more neutral white and black alligator straps. At 31mm, the Round Skeleton Baguette is the smallest in Franck Muller’s collection of Round Skeleton watches, with larger sizes of 39mm and 42mm available.
The watch is powered by Franck Muller’s smallest in-house open-worked movement, the MVT FM 1540-RS, which offers a four-day power reserve. The meticulous craftsmanship of the movement includes techniques like mirror polishing, bevelling, diamond polishing, and satin brushing—details that ensure the mechanics are just as stunning as the gemstones adorning the timepiece.
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