Thoughts on skeletons?

Skeleton dials should be reserved for the most superfluously finished movements. It is an opportunity to see the finest craftsmanship on full display. I don’t believe these exist in the sub $5000 range. 

Yes I am afraid it may look "Seagull"-ish 😂

I’ll disagree, only because I‘d skeletonize almost everything in my life that had moving parts if I could. I know my clothes dryer doesn't have a constant force tourbillon inside, but I still just like seeing the moving parts. Of course, watch dials are themselves beautiful, which is why not all my watches are skeletons (although I wish they all had exhibition casebacks), but to me just the movements of parts is beautiful.

Movements should only be seen if they are exceptionally pretty, and then only through the case back as the good Lord intended. 

No issue with this take. 

Seagulls look nice from the case back. A skeletonized dial, however, sacrifices SOOO much legibility. 

Skeletons, like GMTs, just don't do anything for me.

I would like to own at least one skeleton watch, but it would have to be a really high quality piece. 
I bought a zenith defy skeleton but had to return it as it just wore too big. Loved looking at it tho..

Not sure if it’s frowned upon here but lots of Seiko modifiers offer skeleton watches. Way under 8 bills.

Cartier makes some of the best open works dial in the market. The supporting bridges are symmetric and visually stunning.

I owned a Zenith Defy and to be honest (Im old) I counld not read the time in alot of instances..It pretty much made the watch useless to me..JMO

I’m not a fan of any watch face that is so busy that it inhibits my ability to read it easily or in some cases at all. For me, skeleton watches fall in that category. I would not buy a skeleton watch, nor would I wear one if it was given to me. Another example of to each his own concerning watch aesthetics and functionality.

I credit this guy for my feeling this way:

It can look good on more expensive pieces but it's so misused on many cheap watches with to make it look more expensive while having an unfinished movement behind that i pretty mcuh associate it with low quality watches now a days, i know there are very expensive watches that looks amzing when it's used properly and it think it should be reserved only for those, you either go the full way or put a proper dial.

I am not a huge fan of skeletonized watches only because I feel they are hard to read. However, if they have a bit of a translucent dial I think they are more acceptable. All skeletonized designs should be simple IMHO. RM's are the pinnacle of something I would never wear (not that I can afford one anyways 🤣).

If you just like the look of a skeletonized movement you can find many available for well under $1000 that use the NH72 movement. In fact, if you are brave I suggest you just build one. I made one for a friend using AliExpress parts all for under $200:

Hey there, I am also from Hong Kong, so I must say I am also pretty interested in that release! After all there aren’t that many made-in-HK watches nowadays. Where did you see the watch in the flesh? Do you think the watch is well built and worth the money?

https://www.agelocershop.com/products/agelocer-tourbillon-male-series-manual-mechanical-watches?spm=..index.shoplazza%3A%2F%2Fapps%2Fpublic%2Fblocks%2Fproducts_grid%2F56125487021326335_1.1

^ I'm contemplating buying it this year.

Keep doing your research and, if you wear it for a couple of weeks, share the details please. I love a good review. There are certainly cheaper, nice, reliable, ubiquitous mechanical skeleton watches, but also the locality and/or this style is not necessarily all that matter to you here.

Wow nice to neet you!

They placed two demo in the Mills in Tuen Wan. Unfortunately it seems that every one played with the watches winded them fully so that I did not try the winding function 😂.

I own a tissot skeleton watch as well which is in this price range. 

Amazing engineering, but not my jam. I go more for sterile dial pilot with solid case back.

That is precisely why I keep my bits and pieces tucked away in a Fruit of the Loom.

Hopefully without an exhibition caseback!

I think they're pretty but I'd never wear one. It's too hard to tell the time on them.

Oh Lawd that is funny!

That "Hong Kong in-house movement" is not an in-house movement at all. It's a skeletonized ETA 2801/Sellita SW210 clone. Perhaps most parts of that clone are made in Hong Kong, but that manufacturer did not design it.

At the start of my watch journey, I really liked the look of skeletonized watches off my wrist.  However, I came to realize that I didn't like wearing them. So as artistic pieces, especially on watches with beautiful movements, I like them in my watch case.  They just aren't going to get the wrist time.

I'm not a huge fan of skeleton dials. Not because they look bad, but I have a hard time reading them and I'm more of a function over form guy

Nice! I’ll probably go check it out