The skeletonizing of this stunning piece, the Moritz Grossmann ATUM Skelett, was done in a small workshop in Switzerland’s Siberia, Le Brévine–the workplace of one of the acknowledged masters of this discipline, Christophe Schaffo.

In his atelier, Schaffo creates incredible skeletonized watches entirely by hand–the work so intense, he only does about 10 watches per year. Schaffo combines technology, craftsmanship and artistic creativity, and the results are spellbinding.

The starting point of this unique piece is the Moritz Grossmann caliber 100.1, from which Schaffo removes as much material as he can, enhancing the artistic creativity of the watch while at the same time leaving enough material to ensure its reliability. It’s a delicate dance, one to which Schaffo is supremely suited.

“When Moritz Grossmann put their trust in me and gave me carte blanche to create a skeleton watch from their magnificent movement, I immediately found the inspiration and the ideas to highlight the unique and specific character of the movement (with mainplate and barrel bridges supported by small posts),” says Schaffo. “I tried to get back to the basics of traditional skeletonization, carried out completely by hand, as in the past by master watchmakers such as Fritz Robert-Charrue, who once held the record for creating the smallest tourbillon in the world, as well as the pieces made by my father.”

Due to the amount of handwork, this piece is a true pièce unique, and the timepiece is signed by Schaffo himself.