Leaving Little To The Imagination — Hands-On With The All-Exposing BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton
This is the answer to the not-yet-answered question, but that was going to pop up anyway: The BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton is both an open-worked and a skeletonized watch. You get optimal full-frontal horological nudity in a chic sporty package for a great price. This watch might tick all your boxes. Find out as I go hands-on with it.
To clarify the answer. The BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton features the Swiss-made Soprod P024-SQ as its beating “heart.” This is an automatic movement featuring laser-cut, intricately decorated bridges and plates that showcase the mechanical components in action. The watch’s dial is open-worked; there is a dial, but there’s just not a lot of it. All that boils down to the BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton. This watch, featuring an anti-reflective-coated flat sapphire crystal, offers a full-frontal dose of horological in a chic-sporty package at an attractive price point. This creation from BA111OD, the independent watch brand based in Neuchâtel, might be without equal.
Hands-on with the all-exposing BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton
I’ve looked around and asked my fellow Fratelli, but nobody could point me to a skeletonized and/or open-worked (in case you’re still confused by the terminology, please click here for clarity) chic-sport watch with an integrated bracelet for around CHF 1,000. There are the Mido Multifort Skeleton Vertigo and the Certina DS-1 Skeleton, as well as the four skeletonized watches Tissot offers, but none of them are in the same style category.
Watches and Wonders revealed that 2026 is turning out to be a big year for skeletonized and open-worked watches. That’s especially good news for BA111OD, as this watch is not just skeletonized but also falls into the category that continues to be at the center of people’s attention: the sport-chic watch with an integrated bracelet. Well, it might be in a class of its own, but it still needs to be determined if the Chapter 7 Skeleton is a class act.
Grail to grab
The Chapter 7 is a watch that debuted in 2023. This airy version is a newcomer and a great addition to the closed-dial versions. A watch with an integrated bracelet makes a statement. With the Nautilus and Royal Oak being the absolute leaders, more affordable kindred watches sprouted like beans in a greenhouse. A skeletonized version of an integrated bracelet watch is a niche within a niche, and most of the time (I’m thinking of skeletonized versions of the Royal Oak and the Laureato from Girard-Perregaux, as well as the Czapek Antarctique Révélation), they are unobtainable grail watches. The BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton has your grail up for grabs.
And when you grab it, you will be amazed by the quality. At 40mm across, the Chapter 7’s 316L stainless steel tonneau-shaped case feels well-finished. The case and the decagonal fixed bezel feature a vertically brushed finish with polished facets. The watch also has enough substance to deliver that unmistakable integrated-sports-watch character without feeling oversized. And it has the numbers to back up this sensation. A 47mm lug-to-lug length keeps the proportions in check, while the slim 10.5mm profile helps it sit low and comfortably on the wrist.
The crown, tucked away at 4 o’clock, is a visual quirk that tells you and onlookers this is a watch with a familiar design language, just with a different accent, so to speak. Overall, the BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton is a comfortable, ergonomically sound timepiece that wears just as you would expect and want from an integrated-bracelet watch.
Rubber or steel?
Since the BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton has an integrated steel bracelet, and this H-link bracelet is a large part of the watch’s appeal, I would be remiss not to address it. The bracelet feels every bit as substantial as the watch itself. It gradually narrows with a restrained yet effective taper. The finishing mirrors that of the case, combining fine brushed surfaces with polished bevels to create just the right amount of contrast. More importantly, the bracelet wears well, wrapping naturally around the wrist without feeling bulky. BA111OD has also paid attention to the details that matter in daily use. The folding clasp operates via twin push buttons and incorporates a tool-free micro-adjustment system. A feature especially handy during heat waves and hot vacations, since it makes it easy to fine-tune the fit as temperatures change throughout the day.
But sometimes you want a different look. Especially since the second strap we shipped to Fratello HQ is a frost-blue rubber strap. On the bracelet, the watch costs CHF 955; on a rubber strap with a double folding clasp, the price is CHF 895.
Since the watch uses conventional spring bars without a quick-release system, switching from steel to rubber is slightly more fiddly than it might otherwise be. Something worth keeping in mind if you appreciate frequent strap swaps. Fratello Top Tip: Buy the version with the steel bracelet and order a rubber strap of your choice for CHF 70 while you’re at it. Second Fratello Top Tip: The forest green one is nice for the autumn and winter.
Wearing the BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton
Although I’m not the biggest fan of skeletonized and/or open-worked watches (our colleague, Dave, is the biggest skeleton aficionado, and he has the Laureato to prove it), the Chapter 7 Skeleton put a smile on my face. BA111OD has made a lot of effort to create an open-worked dial with enough detail to stand out, and it both reveals enough of the skeletonized movement beneath and remains legible. The open-worked dial reveals the layered bridges and exposed wheels, offering plenty of transparency.
When you hold the watch in front of you, your eyes go straight through the front and back sapphire crystals, but when you want to read the time, that’s also possible. It’s no small feat to achieve that balance. The BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton is a well-balanced mix of horological exhibition and everyday usefulness, which is a way less flashy attribute. If so inclined, you can take this skeletonized timepiece diving, with a 100-meter water resistance rating. Once there, you can find out how well you can tell time with all the colorful tropical fish in the background.
Final thoughts
There’s not a lot to hold against the BA111OD Chapter 7 Skeleton. The watch is pretty much in a league of its own. You don’t want to compare the level of skeletonizing to that of a Royal Oak just because you pay a fraction of that watch’s price. But if full-frontal horological exposure is your thing, the Chapter 7 Skeleton might tick all your boxes. It’s exhibitionist, but not in an overly flashy way; it’s well-built and quite affordable. Does it punch above its weight? I would say so, but as it also has no direct rivals, so it punches the air in front of it. How appropriate for such an airy watch. Check out the official BA111OD website for more info.
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