There is a genre of watch, which I personally have a love-hate relationship with and that is the “Skeletonised” watch. In my opinion it is one of the most difficult watches to get right in terms of symbiosis of design versus functionality. So if you read about a watch (before we even get to the materials used), which is a true Skeleton entirely in shades of black and grey, bar the dark purple indices. I would forgive you for thinking this wouldn’t work, not only does it work but it is truly resplendent. I am of course talking about the new limited edition of 88 pieces Formex Essence Ceramica Skeleton Cosc 41 Stradale Viola (A name fit for a Game of Thrones Character).

Formex have created something unique on the market in celebration of their 25th Anniversary and revolutionised how Ceramic can be used going forward. For the first time in the history of watchmaking, they have successfully managed to engineer and create an on-the-fly micro adjustment clasp entirely made of ceramic. I don’t say this lightly. This is a big deal. But before I continue gushing over this frankly badass watch in more detail, we need to go back and understand how they could achieve such a feat.

Dexel, which is owned by the same family as Formex, are a leading manufacturer of luxury

components for some of the most prestigious watchmakers, with a special expertise in Ceramic. This family connection allows Formex to truly innovate for their own brand and in turn pass the saving directly to the consumer as by any other name it’s ‘in house’ or as I’ll call it ‘in the house next door’.

Impressive Specs

So let’s talk about the watch. It’s 41mm diameter, 11.2mm height, but with a neat 46.4mm lug-to-lug. So even on my tiny 13.5cm/ 5.3inch wrist it fits comfortably yet has a hell of a wrist presence. The full ceramic bracelet has been vertically brushed and diamond polished on the chamfers creating a glorious glistening effect when moving the wrist. Incredibly it has a ceramic quick release mechanism as well as the full ceramic patented on-the-fly adjustment system. Something I am particularly impressed with is the finesse of the clasp itself. Most on the fly micro adjustment systems are cumbersome and take up so much real estate on the back of my wrist that I’d rather do without it, but this sits neatly as well as being beautifully finished and designed.

Not all ceramic is built the same. It takes an extreme amount of trial, error and expertise to

achieve a ceramic, which is not only scratch resistant, but also resistant to cracks, which cheaper ceramic watches often suffer from. This ceramic is made using Zirconium Oxide, by harnessing an extremely high-temperature sintering process, which drastically shrinks the ceramic by 30% to create an ultra-dense, yet extremely durable mold. Only diamond tooling can manipulate this in its final form and finish. Resulting in a Vickers hardness of 1200—nearly 8× harder than steel (155 Vickers). So impressive.

I know there are watch snobs out there who wouldn’t deem a Cosc certified Selita Sw200-1

automatic movement worthy of skeletonisation. But before you turn your nose up, please

understand that this is a work of art. A painstakingly designed openwork dial in house by

Cadranor delicately integrating the beautiful movement with an open work design all of their own. It’s special. I particularly enjoy how the rubies are used like the little jewels they are, perfectly showcasing form and function. If you turn the watch over you are treated to another bespoke feature, the skeleton rotor. Once you see the movement from the back you can appreciate the beautifully placed heat blued screws and enjoy the gorgeous open work design as the light shines through the watch. 

Your eyes are instantly drawn to the Glucydur balance wheel, which can be truly enjoyed thanks to its skeleton design.But this watch isn’t just beautiful to look at. This is a sports watch. Screw down crown, Sapphire crystal with AR coating, 100 metres of water resistance and BGW9 Superluminova on the Skelton hands and the applied indices. The latter of which really surprised me how good it was considering its dark purple tone, but it shines in bright blue (road tested at the cinema for your viewing pleasure). It boasts a patented shock absorber system, which is a signature feature amongst their watches. This means you can pretty much go anywhere and do anything in this stealthy yet robust beauty.

As you can see from the pictures I really did.

All of this for a staggering 3,970 CHF.

My experience with the Stradale Viola

If I am able, I like to really live with a watch and get as much wrist time as possible whilst I’m

reviewing so I can give an accurate account of my experience with it. As often it’s not easy to get hands-on yourself (dear reader). So I know it’s a valuable component of why you are even reading my review in the first place. After spending a month with this watch and taking it up a mountain, to the playground, the cinema and even volcano-watching I can safely say this is amongst the most comfortable watches I’ve ever worn. It weighs only 117 grams (on the bracelet sized for my 13.5cm wrist) and the case is beautifully curved to fit any wrist. 

I felt like a super hero wearing it and didn’t feel precious about chasing after my kids on the climbing frame.

There is one major problem though. Whenever I went to check the time I completely forgot as I just kept getting distracted by the movement and the beautiful craftsmanship. It really is that mesmerising. Buyers be warned! The micro adjustment truly is a useful tool in a watch like this, especially whilst I was in Sicily where it hit 25 degrees (celcius) and my wrist always expands there (I blame the heat and not the vast amounts of pasta I always consume). This is by no means a small watch, but it definitely doesn’t wear as large as the 41mm might suggest. It has a fantastic wrist presence for any sized wrist.

Style

As the Stradale Viola is very much a stealthy yet sporty design, I found myself leaning into the black-on-black look of the watch with my style choices. Johnny Cash eat your heart out. I also really enjoyed wearing a glamorous dress with this more masculine watch design and I felt powerful every time I put it on, even with just a simple jeans and t-shirt. The purple is subdued and not in your face, so even if you aren’t complimenting your outfit with purple accents it really works.

This watch is crying out for a black leather jacket and ripped jeans look. You can be the

undercover super hero in your own story! I wanted to show the hairy armed readers amongst us how awesome this watch can look too. Styled here with a miss mash of double denim, white t-shirt and bracelets stacked giving a casual rock star vibe.

Final Thoughts

I was floored when I tried this watch on for the first time. Formex are well known for great value offerings on the market, but this goes one step further. They have created a masterpiece, pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved with ceramic and I imagine this will be a smash hit they will continue to roll out for other Essence watches in Ceramic going forward. Perhaps in different colours and a closed dial. Time will tell, but to launch with a selection of incredible limited edition skeleton watches for their 25th anniversary was inspired and anyone who is lucky enough to buy one of these will definitely be left with a smile on their face. It’s a 10/10 from me.