J.M. Fleury's Openwork chronograph is busy in a way I can get behind

I like the J.M. Fleury Chronograph Openwork, although I would absolutely need a minute to learn where everything is. The red chronograph hands help, the case looks restrained and the mechanism gives me plenty to stare at. It gets 101 out of 120 bezel clicks. I find this much more interesting than an open dial whose only purpose is to expose a balance wheel through a random hole.

This is a reported first look based primarily on SJX's November 6, 2026 article. That is a dated coverage source, not a verified first announcement day. Fleury's current site confirms the manufacturer, but I haven't found an exact current Openwork product page that independently settles all the details. SJX's photographs and handling impressions belong to that publication; I haven't worn or operated this watch.

A chronograph with a lot to follow

The reported case is 40 mm across and 12.8 mm thick, made from grade 23 titanium. I like that the outside is relatively conventional when the dial has this much exposed machinery. The broad polished bezel gives the mechanism a clear boundary, and the short, rectangular pushers don't stick out like enormous round buttons.

The openworked plate, sapphire dial elements and overlapping indications make legibility the obvious concern. In the pictures, the red chronograph hands stand out, but the ordinary time display has more competition from the background. That would be the first thing I'd check in person. A watch can be fascinating to study and still take too long to read when you're doing something else.

The date sits at six, accompanied by a day/night indication, and the case has a date corrector at eight. I appreciate keeping the date low in the display, although I would need to study the corrector instructions before touching it. A photograph of an interesting mechanism doesn't establish how pleasant or forgiving it is to use.

A movement worth turning the watch over for

SJX describes the hand-wound FM04 Openwork as a 3 Hz chronograph with a 65-hour reserve. Its construction draws inspiration from the Lemania 2310, but that doesn't make it a stock Lemania movement. The report describes anthracite-treated German-silver plates, black-polished steel parts and a free-sprung balance. Those are reported construction and finishing details, not work I've examined under a loupe.

I like that the movement has enough of its own architecture to justify showing it from the front. At the same time, I would want to understand servicing, parts support and regulation before treating a small independent maker's chronograph as an uncomplicated ownership proposition. Reported water resistance is 30 meters.

The November 6 coverage quotes CHF 59,000 excluding taxes and says production isn't a numbered limited edition. A current US dollar price and order availability remain unverified, so this watch stays off the dollar-price chart. I would want a proper look at the hand contrast and pusher action before deciding how much I liked it beyond these photographs.