Skeleton watches seemed to take center stage at this year’s Watches and Wonders, with no fewer than three brands unveiling new models, along with a few twists and turns. These new models aren’t just about displaying their inner workings — the show-and-tell approach — but about finding a more specific role for various parts of the watch, thus signaling a shift in the flashy skeleton watch sector.

The skeleton approach has always been about showing off the workings and details, the second-to-second physicality, of a high-end mechanical watch; think of the cogs in a giant clock being brought to life, as in the dystopia of the 1927 film “Metropolis.” Now, new technology is allowing luxury brands not usually associated with skeleton watches to join the parade.

Once the preserve of more traditional brands such as Blancpain and Breguet, the traditional skeleton technique has been seized by brands like Richard Mille and Hublot and turned on its head, as contemporary finishes and materials are used to create more modern timepieces.

Hermès, Piaget and Panerai have also joined the party, unveiling their new skeleton watches in Geneva on April 14.

Hermès

Hermès redesigned its H08 to make the skeleton an integral part of the design, creating an entirely new movement out of titanium (the H1978 S) with the manufacturer Vaucher, adding touches of diamond-like carbon coating and ceramic.