It’s that time of year again! In the scary spirit of Halloween, we’ve gathered some of best skeleton watches you can buy in 2026.
The calendar has landed once again on October 31st, and the spooky season has come around! Even if you don’t celebrate Halloween, this one’s bound to be a big one. The last time the year’s most underrated holiday landed on a Saturday was all the way back in 2020, and we all know how that went.
Every year, though, I take the time to commemorate the occasion with a guide to some of the most fitting watches to wear for Halloween. 2024 was the first, focusing mostly on Halloween-themed aesthetics. In 2025, I elected to focus on lumed watches for those who might need a night light to keep the monsters at bay. Now, for 2026, I’ve decided to look at one of the most prevalent commonalities between horology and horror: skeletons!
Though the prospect of a skeleton in the Halloween context can be rather frightening, skeletonisation is far from it. A beautiful and highly technical skill in watchmaking, it makes the mechanics of a watch part of the picture. So, on the one day of the year when showing your insides is societally fashionable, here are eight of the best you can find in 2026.
CIGA Design Hunter Skeleton Tourbillon
Though skeletonisation is a delicate, and often high-luxury, art form, several brands have worked to make the intricate design more accessible. In that regard, Chinese watchmaking reigns supreme, offering a perfect blend of industrialised craftsmanship and affordability. Among the best in show from the region is CIGA Design, a GPHG award-winning brand founded in Shenzhen in 2016.
In mid-2025, the brand added the Hunter Skeleton collection to its roster, which had already garnered considerable acclaim for its take on dial layout. This year, however, CIGA Design ventured into tourbillon territory, releasing three new references that feature and skeletonise one of horology’s most complex mechanisms.
Housed in a 41.5mm geometric tonneau case, the in-house Cal. CD-011 is both aesthetically pleasing and technically impressive, offering stability, plenty of see-through detail and a practical 72-hour power reserve. If you’re after a futuristic, cyberpunk-inspired watch but don’t want to splash the cash on a Bianchet, CVSTOS or Richard Mille, you might want to consider picking one of these up.
Reference: CIGA Design Hunter Skeleton Tourbillon
Price: US$1,999
For more information: CIGADesign.com
Tissot PRX Skeleton Damian Lillard Special Edition
Though I just covered this in its own article, the fact that a skeletonised PRX now exists was too cool not to highlight again! Sure, not everyone watches the NBA, but I’m sure you can appreciate the watch in its entirety when you look past the basketball association. For those unfamiliar, this latest iteration of the iconic PRX is the second collaboration between the NBA’s official timekeeper and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard.
A nine-time NBA All-Star, Olympic gold medallist, and rapper, Lillard teamed up with Tissot to devise an entirely new interpretation of the integrated-bracelet sports watch. Celebrating his return to the Trail Blazers after a two-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 44mm PRX Skeleton sports an openworked dial with red accents that reference his team’s colours.
The small seconds subdial has also been redesigned to feature his Dame D.O.L.L.A rap logo, while the movement of choice is the same ETA Unitas 6497 calibre last seen in the Tissot T-Complication Skeleton. More than just a superfluous ambassador team-up, this PRX sets the stage for what might be possible with the model line’s future and is nothing short of a horological slam dunk.
Reference: T137.405.17.371.00
Price: AU$3,100
For more information: TissotWatches.com
Hamilton Ventura Elvis80 Skeleton Auto
When it came time to pick something from Hamilton’s roster, the Swiss-American brand certainly wasn’t short on options. In fact, it arguably has one of the most accessible and versatile ranges of skeletonised watches in the entire industry. But while I could have sprung for something from its more conservative Jazzmaster series, I decided to take things in a funkier direction.
The Hamilton Ventura is one of the most unconventional and singular watch designs in the world. Perhaps that’s why it caught the eye of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley, who was spotted wearing the watch on innumerable occasions. But the Ventura Elvis80 collection, which debuted in 2015 as a tribute to what would have been Presley’s 80th birthday, has since taken on a life of its own.
Leaning heavily into the rebellious nature of its namesake, this 42mm version is coated in gold PVD and features several openworked bridges inspired by electronic waves. It’s about as ostentatious as a watch can get without breaking the bank, and would look pretty good alongside a pair of blue suede shoes.
Reference: H24525331
Price: AU$3,475
For more information: HamiltonWatch.com
Raymond Weil Freelancer Skeleton
Yet another watch we’ve only just covered the release of, Raymond Weil continues its crusade back into the spotlight with a new iteration of its Freelancer Skeleton line. At first glance, not much has changed. While the case size has been reduced to 40mm, the watch is still built around the same Sellita-made Cal. RW1212 as the rest of its peers. But unlike the high-contrast design that came before, this version feels distinctly more considered and architectural.
You see, given the complexity of the dial and movement layout, brands often fall into the trap of making everything look as flashy and prominent as possible. Yet the mere presence of skeletonisation draws the eye inwards, regardless of any additional details.
Raymond Weil has therefore decided to go in the opposite direction, finishing the exposed bridges in anthracite grey. Providing a subtle contrast against the steel case and bracelet, this treatment complements the design, making the watch feel as though it were carved from a single piece of metal. At its price point, its an incredibly compelling piece that strengthens Raymond Weil’s renewed purpose as a force within the middle market.
Reference: 2786-ST-60000
Price: AU$6,500
For more information: Raymond-Weil.com
TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton
As mentioned, skeletonised, or in this case, openworked, dials are often found at luxury price points. With that in mind, why not kick off the luxe section of this list with one of the most versatile brands in the industry? Though TAG Heuer is primarily known for its racing pedigree, sporting partnerships and watches worn by the likes of Patrick Dempsey and Ryan Gosling, the Swiss brand is also known to dabble in the avant-garde. For those familiar with the brand, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s in the name, after all: Techniques d’Avant-Garde/Heuer.
That being said, TAG Heuer has often experimented with its most rebellious model, the Monaco. One of the world’s first true square watches, it’s the perfect canvas for the brand to push the limits of horological form and function. The Pink Monaco Chronograph Skeleton is a result of such creative exploration, originally debuting alongside the 2024 Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix.
If the 39mm black DLC-coated titanium frame wasn’t enough, the vibrant pink backdrop almost makes you forget about the stripped-back dial configuration, which exposes the date wheel and movement. Yet the disruptive layout and bold colours play off each other perfectly, coming together to create a watch that’s as impressive on the outside as the Cal. TH20-00 is on the inside.
Reference: CBL218B.FT6236
Price: AU$17,600
For more information: TAGHeuer.com
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton
Speaking of pushing the limits of horological form and function, perhaps TAG Heuer’s LVMH sibling, Bvlgari, has something to say about it. The Italo-Swiss jeweller-watchmaker has become one of the biggest players in watchmaking’s upper echelons, backed by a slew of awards and world record-breaking timepieces. Though each of its collections has found success in its own right, it’s the Octo Finissimo that has truly established Bvlgari as one of the industry’s giants.
Creating an ultra-thin watch with the Octo Finissimo is an achievement in itself, but managing to do so while actively stripping away the structural integrity of the watch is bordering on madness. Yet that’s exactly what Bvlgari has done with the aptly named Octo Finissimo Skeleton.
Leveraging its 40mm frame, the blasted titanium case and sharp, angular silhouette compounds the dial as a monumental expression of brutalist Roman watchmaking principles. But not only does it look good and wear lightly, the Cal. BVL 199SK is a mechanical marvel. It’s hard to believe that it supplies the watch with an eight-day power reserve, despite the entire piece measuring just 5.95mm thick.
Reference: 103610
Price: AU$46,100
For more information: Bvlgari.com
Cartier Santos Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor Steel
Even before joining Watch Advice, the Cartier Santos-Dumont fascinated me with its minimalist yet iconic approach to the dress watch aesthetic. But as interesting as I found it, minimalism can only get you so far, especially when there’s so much creative potential to explore! Cartier must have agreed, as at Watches & Wonders 2023, the brand unveiled a series of Santos-Dumont models unlike any that had come before.
An ornate celebration of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s legacy, the Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor series was an exercise in pushing whatever boundaries Cartier had left to explore. Though we’ve seen stripped-back versions of other Cartier models, including the Santos de Cartier Skeleton, this was perhaps the most audacious of them all.
Housed in a 33mm square case available in gold or, as seen here, steel, every facet and characteristic of the Cal. 9629 MC was visible from the front and back. However, as beautiful as the finishing on the bridges and movement structure was, one feature stood out above the rest: a stylised micro-rotor depicting the Demoiselle, Alberto Santos-Dumont’s iconic aircraft.
Reference: CRWHSA0032
Price: AU$54,000
For more information: Cartier.com
Speake Marin Ripples Skeleton
We round off the list with one of Watch Advice’s favourite independent brands. Speake Marin, an Anglo-Swiss watchmaker, specialises in merging modern metropolitan design cues with a twist of traditional, storied watchmaking.
To celebrate its 22nd anniversary, the brand introduced the Ripples Skeleton at Geneva Watch Days 2024, a new interpretation of its distinctive integrated-bracelet design. Not quite a square, circle or even a cushion, the 40.3mm La City case envelops the wrist, while its slim 6.3mm profile ensures it can slip beneath almost any cuff or sleeve.
This remarkably thin stature is attributed to the watch’s movement, the in-house Cal. SMA07. Though the skeletonised layout removes much of the ripple finishing that gives the watch its name, it more than compensates with a series of double bridges that perfectly frame the movement’s inner workings.
That’s not to say the ripple effect is entirely absent. The abstract small seconds subdial at 1:30 still retains a sliver of the finish, anchoring the design to its origin. Complete with a set of blued heart-shaped and assegai-shaped hands, the Ripples Skeleton presents itself as one of the most compelling upscale options in this design niche.
