Skeletonized dials are tricky to pull off. Brands too often design dial architecture that competes with the movement beneath it, creating a tangled mess.
The trick is to follow the lines and curves of the skeletonized movement within the case like a roadmap, creating a cohesive arrangement with a clear view straight through the sapphire caseback. Baillod (stylized as BA111OD) nailed the assignment with the Chapter 7 Skeleton, and a new update strips the design down to its steel bones.
Baillod’s Chapter 7 was already a hidden gem in the overcrowded integrated sports watch market, offering in-house construction and a COSC-certified automatic movement for well under $1,000. But the Chapter 7 Skeleton Anthracite, introduced in 2025, stood out from the crowd with a perfectly executed skeletonized dial and movement.
As the name suggests, it was finished with an anthracite PVD coating covering the entire case, dial, bracelet and movement bridges. The effect was a charcoal monochromatic look, like a watch Batman would wear.
That muted tone is contrasted by the new Chapter 7 Skeleton, which strips away the anthracite for a dazzling metallic shine. According to the brand, it is inspired by the “summer light of Neuchâtel,” the brand’s hometown in the Swiss Alps.
The faceted 40mm stainless steel case is finished with vertical satin brushing across the flat surfaces and mirror polishing along the chamfered edges, including the 10-sided fixed steel bezel.
