Benzinger “3/4 Skelett”

Collecting · · by Christian Bissener


Benzinger 3/4 Skelett, front view of the skeletonised dial with rose-gold finished wheels, on a black leather case

Compared with the Vollskelett, the 3/4 Skelett is the more discreet Benzinger. Its dial is hand-guilloché and hand-skeletonised, in the original Breguet frost finish. Through it one sees the finished main plate, the hours and minutes wheels, the initials in the lever jumper and the barrel, which can serve as a power reserve indication. All engraving, guilloché and skeletonisation is done by hand.

Benzinger 3/4 Skelett seen from the front, skeletonised dial with rose-gold wheels
The dial side: guilloché, skeletonised, with the barrel visible

The movement

Turned over, the watch shows its hand-finished detail. The main plate is skeletonised less than on the Vollskelett and is hand-guilloché and rhodium finished. The barrel bridge, the going-train bridge and the cock are all hand-engraved, then hand-skeletonised, and finished in rose gold.

Benzinger 3/4 Skelett caseback view with hand-engraved bridges and sub-dials
The movement side: engraved and skeletonised bridges in rose gold

Benzinger 3/4 Skelett lying on its side, showing the case and the caseback
The 3/4 Skelett, case and caseback

Like every Benzinger, the watch can be personalised. How such a custom timepiece is made is described in this article on Benzinger’s custom-made timepieces.