Skeleton Armure

Mauron Musy is an independent manufacture whose distinctive achievement is to have made the timepiece surround a complication in its own right. It has done so by devising a patented, fully waterproof system that requires no seal of any sort – one century after the invention of the O-ring. 

With this in mind, creating the most ‘minimalist’ model possible was a real challenge – one that Mauron Musy wisely chose not to attempt until it had got 15 years’ worth of practice, expertise, patents, and innovations under its belt. The MU05 Armure Squelette is the result of an exceptional and especially audacious approach. 

To remain true to its modern, architecturally-themed DNA, Mauron Musy has developed a design built around several multiple levels. Light penetrates each of these, illuminating the barrel and the escapement with a gleam here, a sparkle there. The MU05 Armure Squelette doesn’t reveal all – at least not at first glance. In this unusual piece, materiality takes centre stage – accentuating just how much material has been pared away. Each level of the dial features its own distinctive finish: polished, satin, grained, sun-brushed, or fine-lined. 

The etching that embodies the manufacture’s DNA is all relief engraving, as close scrutiny will reveal. Each engraving is housed in its own cartridge – an additional difficulty in terms of both design and machining, particularly appreciated by collectors. At first, it may appear that the timepiece is entirely in a single shade of grey; closer inspection reveals that the MU05 Armure Squelette comprises an infinite variety of hues, from the darkest matt tones to the lightest and glossiest. The Skeleton Armure MU05 features four successive levels, formed by a bezel, a flange, and two levels of dial coated with different treatments: one in NAC platinum alloy, the other in titanium. 

The sculptural MU05 Armure Squelette is unashamedly sober – and readable. The piece is powered by its very own movement, made entirely in Switzerland. The MM01-SK caliber, Mauron Musy’s first manufacture movement, is automatic wind, designed by the manufacture, and made in-house by La Joux-Perret. Fitted with 167 components and just 6.55 millimetres thick, it beats at a frequency of 4Hz and boasts a 55-hour power reserve. And watches don’t get much more local in origin than this: the movement powers an MU05 Armure Squelette made in its entirety within a 60-kilometre radius of the brand’s workshops. This ‘ultra Swissness’ comes in a 44-millimetre titanium case. The piece is a demonstration of Mauron Musy’s desire to offer a skeleton watch with a difference, whilst also responding to collectors’ expectations. It has hit the mark, too: when the very first version of the MU05 Armure Squelette came out a few short months ago, 11 of the initial 13 pieces were snatched up within just a few days.