Renaud Tixier Monday Skeleton: What the Open Dial Lets Collectors Judge

A skeleton watch should earn its transparency. Renaud Tixier’s new Monday Skeleton is interesting because opening the dial exposes a mechanical proposition worth understanding: an unusual automatic winding system, rather than simply a collection of moving parts. Introduced this October in green and petrol blue, it turns the small independent maker’s first watch into a more demanding object for the eye. The collecting question is whether that extra visibility reveals enough substance to justify choosing it over the original Monday.

Featured photograph: the petrol-blue Monday Skeleton on the wrist. Image: Renaud Tixier / Fratello.

Follow the energy before counting the angles

The Monday began in 2024 with a reconsideration of the micro-rotor. A compact winding weight leaves more of a movement visible, but the appeal here lies in what occupies its centre. Inside the platinum micro-rotor, Renaud Tixier places a flywheel coupled to a propulsion spring, nicknamed the dancer. The spring system gathers and releases energy from small motions; a declutching mechanism is intended to protect the movement during a shock.

The Skeleton retains that principle in the automatic RVI2025. It runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour and has a stated minimum reserve of 72 hours. Those specifications establish the intended operating envelope. They do not tell us how quickly a particular owner’s daily activity will replenish the reserve, and we have not tested winding efficiency. A useful demonstration would show the auxiliary mechanism moving, then explain how it contributes to winding under different inputs.

That distinction matters when innovation becomes the principal attraction. A collector can appreciate an ingenious solution without accepting every performance implication on faith. Ask the maker to separate the mechanism’s observable behaviour from its measured results. The most persuasive explanation should survive after the promotional language is set aside.

Finishing needs more than a large number

The movement contains 262 components and the maker specifies 238 inward angles. Those numbers give a sense of the workload, but they are a starting point for inspection. Under magnification, look for consistent bevel width, clean transitions and sharply resolved corners. Then step back: the arrangement should remain coherent when it is viewed as a whole, rather than as a sequence of impressive close-ups.

Openworking increases the number of edges competing for attention. The Monday Skeleton balances them with coloured hands, a peripheral chapter ring and a separate small-seconds track. In the photographs, those coloured elements provide the eye with a route back to timekeeping. Whether that route is clear enough against a moving wrist and changing background is something to assess in person; transparency can make a watch fascinating while making a quick reading less immediate.

Two colours, with detail on both sides

Green is reference RVI2025MONSK1; petrol blue is RVI2025MONSK2. Each is limited to 15 pieces. The colour continues from the display to the alligator strap and to the engraved, grand feu enamel decoration over the barrel ratchet on the reverse. It is worth comparing both sides before choosing: the enamel introduces a different texture from the polished metal and open spaces around it.

Neither colour changes the underlying movement proposition. Our priority would be the visibility of the hands in the lighting where the watch will actually be used. A preference formed from a bright studio photograph may change when the watch is tilted away from a light source. The quieter colour is not automatically the more legible one.

The case is part of the workmanship

The case is 18-carat grey gold, measuring 40.8mm across and 12.6mm high, with a domed sapphire crystal. Hand engraving textures the flanks and the spaces between the lugs, while polished surfaces define the outline. That treatment gives the exterior its own interest; the case should not be overlooked simply because the movement is more visually elaborate.

Water resistance is 30 metres. The matching hand-stitched alligator strap is 21mm wide and closes with a grey-gold pin buckle. Treat this as a carefully finished watch for ordinary dry wear, with handling and maintenance advice obtained directly from the maker. Before purchase, clarify service arrangements, expected lead times and how decorative surfaces would be preserved during any future intervention.

Buy the execution, not the promise

The official product pages list the price upon request. Obtain a current written quotation, including the applicable taxes and delivery terms, rather than treating a reported launch figure as a confirmed offer or evidence of resale value. A 15-piece limitation says how many examples are planned; it does not establish present availability.

The strongest case for the Monday Skeleton is the opportunity to follow a specific mechanical idea through a visibly laborious execution. It rewards a collector who wants to study how energy is collected and how metal is shaped around it. We would make the purchase decision after a clear mechanical demonstration and a close examination of the finishing. The open dial supplies the invitation; the quality of what it reveals must supply the reason to stay.