Not long ago, Swiss watchmaker Speake-Marin introduced the Ripples Skeleton. I personally got a chance to see the new Ripples Skeleton with Speake-Marin in Geneva and was quite impressed. I think the easiest fact to miss about this watch is that isn’t just a skeletonized-movement version of the standard Speake-Marin Ripples, but it’s also significantly thinner. The standard solid-dial version of the Speake-Marin Ripples has a 40.3mm wide case that is 9.2mm thick. The Speake-Marin Ripples Skeleton is also 40.3mm wide, but just 6.3mm thick. That is a nearly 3mm difference and makes a huge impact on the wrist. It also puts the Ripples Skeleton in the “thin watch” category, and, in my opinion, makes this watch far more elegant and classy than sporty.

I have two complaints about most skeletonized watch dials that actually don’t apply here. The first complaint is that most skeletonized watch dials are difficult to read because the hands don’t visually pop out given the many other details on the dial competing for your eyes’ attention. The second complaint is that many skeletonized watch dials are ugly, offering a lack of artistic cohesion or something prettier than a dial. They seem to simply be skeletonized because someone in marketing asked for such a product, without too much thought into the composition itself. Again, this is not an issue here, as I find the architecture of the underlying caliber SMA07 movement quite nice.

Legibility on the dial is protected thanks to the contrasting blued hour and minute hands, as well as the scale on the periphery of the dial. Speake-Marin decided to retain a full dial for the subsidiary seconds, which enhances the “instrument nature” of what a timepiece should be. You also see an impressive level of decoration such as the engraving work on the 3/4-sized automatic rotor as seen from both sides of the case. More on the movement inside this watch in a bit.

The steel case of the Ripples Skeleton (the overall shape is called the “La City” case actually) is not the same steel as the standard Ripples. Rather, Speake-Marin chose 904L steel for the Ripples Skeleton which allows for polishing that is a bit more lustrous. Accordingly, the Speake-Marin Ripples Skeleton case has a combination of attractive polished and brushed surfaces that pop just a bit more than they might on standard 316L steel. The case is sandwiched with sapphire crystals and is water-resistant to 50 meters with a screw-down crown. There is a micro-adjust system in the bracelet which allows for either end of the deployant to be opened up a bit for a more comfortable or tight fit depending on the current needs of the wearer. The thin case profile mixed with the integrated bracelet design and unique rounded square case shape makes for a distinctive, comfortable, and fun wearing experience.

Let’s talk a bit more about the movement because it has some features that are easy to miss. Speake-Marin was able to make it so thin yet high-performance because of its relatively wide size. The in-house caliber SMA07 is made up of 185 parts and is just 3.25mm thick. Nevertheless, it operates at a high-beat 5Hz frequency, has 52 hours of power reserve, and features automatic winding. Note that the standard Speake-Marin Ripples watches have the SMA03-T movement which operates at 4Hz. The three-quarter-sized rotor of the SMA07 is produced from tungsten, which means it is heavy enough to offer very high winding efficiency. In summary, you get a high-performance movement that is thin, practical, and actually quite pretty to look at. Also, when comparing this product to much of the competition, it doesn’t actually feel wildly priced but is a rather decent value.

The Speake-Marin Ripples Skeleton has a lot going for it and is an underdog winner, in my opinion. The combination of horological interest, comfort, and unique style make it a solid choice for those seeking something different but effective. Not everyone will like the style of the case or other aesthetic elements, but that is really just a matter of taste. Otherwise, Speake-Marin has a great watch on its hands that, in many ways, is totally different from the standard Ripples because of the movement and the case thickness. Price for the Speake-Marin Ripples Skeleton (Reference 604020150) watch is 29,900 Swiss Francs. Learn more at the Speake-Marin website.