Favre Leuba Leaves Nothing to the Imagination

Favre Leuba’s Chief Skeleton is the brand’s first fully skeletonised timepiece, and it lands with the composed assurance of a maison that knows its voice.

Instead of chasing spectacle, the watch invites light into the movement, letting proportion, finishing, and the familiar Chief silhouette do the talking.

The case sets the tone. At 40 millimetres across and 11.76 millimetres in thickness, it balances brushed and polished planes under a curved sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating.

A sapphire back continues the honesty, while the crown’s embossed monogram adds a discreet tactile flourish. Water resistance is a practical 10 ATM, which means this is a companion for daily life rather than an ornament for the safe.

On the wrist, the figures add up. A lug-to-lug measurement of 47.59 millimetres and a 22 millimetre strap width give the watch a poised stance that slips under a cuff and remains comfortable throughout long days.

The Chief Skeleton comes in two clear moods. In steel, a warm gold finished movement sits against minute tracks in green, blue or black. The darker character pairs a black chrome DLC-coated steel case with an anthracite finished movement and a fourth track in ice blue.

Each version arrives on an integrated FKM rubber strap that matches the track colour, and the quick-change system turns a swap into an easy ritual.

The palette changes the watch’s temperature without diluting its identity, which is exactly what collectors want from a design with a strong house signature.

The movement is where the concept becomes persuasive. Skeletonisation here is about structure and air rather than excess.

Bridges are opened to create clean sight lines, finishes move from snailing to satin and sandblasted textures, and the result is depth without clutter.

A semi-exposed barrel at twelve and the balance at six establish a calm visual rhythm, anchored by a brushed horizontal balance bridge that reads as distinctly Favre Leuba.

The rotor is skeletonised and engraved, and in the anthracite version, it receives a black chrome treatment that keeps the composition coherent.

Substance underpins the show. The exclusive self-winding calibre, developed in collaboration with AMT, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, holds about 41 hours of power and uses 27 jewels.

Indications are kept to hours and minutes. Rhodium-plated hands and applied indexes carry a high-grade luminous compound for legibility after dark.

The decision to edit the function set is not an omission. It is a statement of intent that places attention on proportion, finishing and the way light moves through the open architecture.

Wearability often separates a clever idea from a watch you actually reach for. Here, the Chief Skeleton earns its place.

The profile sits low, the strap is comfortable on flights and commutes, and the finishing has enough sparkle for an evening without overstepping.

As daylight shifts, the movement rewards unhurried glances with small moments of theatre, from the pulse of the balance to the play of shadow along a brushed edge. It is engaging without being needy, which is rarer than it sounds.

Context matters. This piece adds a new voice to a line that has become the modern face of Favre Leuba. It follows the recent push into higher horology with the Chief Tourbillon, yet it keeps the language of the case intact and lets the brand’s geometry remain front and centre.

In a market crowded with open-worked designs that could belong to anyone, this watch feels like Favre Leuba. That sense of authorship is what turns a novelty into a keeper.

Pricing reflects a confident reading of the category. The steel case with the gold-finished movement is set at CHF 3,450. The black chrome DLC case with the anthracite movement is CHF 3,550.

For that outlay, you are buying a proprietary open-worked calibre, careful finishing, everyday robustness and a lineage that has been tended for centuries.

It is valued by design rather than a race to the bottom, which will appeal to readers who prefer quiet conviction over noise.