Girard-Perregaux turns the mechanical watch into a work of art for Baselworld 2016

Ahead of the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair, which runs March 17-24 in Basel, Switzerland, the Swiss watchmaker has presented the "1966 Squelette," a timepiece that gives pride of place to the mechanics of its internal movement.

Celebrating its 225th anniversary this year, Girard-Perregaux is continuing the expertise and quest for sophistication started by Jean-François Bautte in the 18th century with a new watch for 2016. The originality of the "1966 Squelette" resides in its cutaway design, showcasing its automatic movement thanks to meticulously skeletonized components, all decorated by hand.

Thanks to the skeleton structure of the self-winding mechanical movement -- based on the GP 1800 caliber -- fans of impressive mechanics can admire the bridges, plates, cogs, weights, wheels, and other intricate parts usually hidden away.

The watch has a 38mm rose gold case, accompanied by a hand-stitched black alligator strap with a rose gold pin buckle.

The watch has hours, minutes and small seconds functions. The second hand can be seen in a subdial at 10 o'clock, driven by the second-counting wheel. The "1966 Squelette" has a power reserve of over 54 hours and is water-resistant to 30 meters.