Moritz Grossmann recruited Swiss independent watchmaker Christophe Schaffo to give its Atum wristwatch an ornate facelift, starkly contrasted with the simplified, entry-level Atum introduced in 2016. Ordinarily a somewhat serious looking timepiece, the Atum Skelett has been completely open worked, with nary a dial over the movement.

The calibre 100.5 inside has been skeletonised and then covered with elaborate hand-engraving on the bridges, all the way down to the pallet fork bridge beneath the balance wheel. Schaffo is the son of Kurt Schaffo, an independent watchmaker who specialises in skeleton timepieces who has done work for brands like Corum, Zenith and Ulysse Nardin.

Mechanically the movement remains identical to the standard version, hand-wound and boasting a clever stop-seconds mechanism for precise time-setting. And it’s impressively constructed, being inspired by vintage Grossmann pocket watch. The bridges are German silver, complete with chatons for the jewels, while the balance is an adjustable mass, in-house creation fitted to an overcoil hairspring. (For a more detailed explanation of the Grossmann calibre, check out our in-depth look at the Benu Power Reserve.)

Available in rose or white gold, the Atum Skelett is 41mm in diameter like the standard model.

Price and availability 

The Atum Skelett is available from authorised retailers and priced €87,100.