Swiss luxury watchmaker Franc Vila believes in bold and instantly recognizable designs, married to excellence in mechanical functionality. The FVa Nº 6 Tourbillon Planétaire Skeleton SuperLigero Concept, which debuted at BaselWorld 2008, was built not merely to look pretty but also to have good mechanical strength – a difficult proposition given the very nature of skeleton watches.

Like Richard Mille, Zenith, Ulysse Nardin and Jaeger-LeCoultre, Franc Vila moved forward with this piece by exploring a new material – Lightnium (an allow of lithium and aluminium). This material boasts high rigidity and low density, and marks yet another milestone for pioneering independent watchmaking.