CIGA design Vector Review: A Racing-Inspired Skeleton Automatic

CIGA design keeps doing the thing nobody expects from a Chinese watchmaker: building watches that turn heads, then pricing them where normal people can actually buy them. I became a fan of them after I saw the Blue Planet, that feeling confirmed after I got the chance to play with their watches. CIGA design Vector comes to bring us a skeleton watch with automotive inspiration.

The Vector is their 2026 debut and their first racing-inspired skeleton automatic. It is not a luxury watch and it is not trying to be one. What it is, though, is one of the more interesting affordable skeleton automatics you can buy right now. It targets watch fans who want mechanical drama on the wrist without spending four figures. Think open movement, motorsport structure, a self-developed caliber, and three case material options starting at $699 for the Steel Case, $899 for Titanium which we review today and $1099 for the carbon fiber one.

The brand describes it this way: less about outright speed, more about the moment before speed is released. Composure under pressure. That framing shapes everything from the movement architecture to the bezel layout.

Design and Aesthetics

Case

CIGA design Vector comes in three case executions: 316L stainless steel at $699, Grade 2 titanium at $899, and heat-forged CNC-carved carbon fiber at $1,099. Each material changes the character of the watch noticeably. Carbon fiber is the most dynamic, with a natural cloud-vein texture that motorsport engineers have relied on for decades for its combination of low weight and high strength. Titanium feels cooler and more technical on the wrist. Steel delivers the most solid, grounded presence of the three.

The case measures 44.5mm across and 12.7mm thick with the crystal, dropping to 9.4mm without. That is thin for a skeleton watch with this much mechanical content inside. Integrated lugs, seamless curves, and a 6.5mm CNC-grooved crown keep the silhouette coherent rather than bolted-together. The watch is bold, but the proportions show clear attention to wearability.

Dial

There is no traditional dial here. CIGA design Vector is open-worked front to back, with more than 50% of the watch cut away. You see gears, bridges, and the balance wheel doing their work in real time. Plates, bridges, hands, and negative space are arranged to show time in motion, rather than turning skeletonization into visual noise.

The bezel pulls design language from a speedometer. Four bold numerals anchor the layout with selected minute scales filling the gaps. The racing influence stays graphic rather than functional. Raised numerals and coarse indices act as visual punctuation. Polished highlights contrast with matte recessed surfaces treated with micro-sandblasting and a fingerprint-resistant membrane. The steel and titanium versions stay unplated, preserving the natural material tone against the machined details.

The green Super-LumiNova on the skeletonized hour and minute hands glows with real intensity in low light. During the day, the green outline reads cleanly against the mechanical backdrop. And you can clearly see the fact that they used Super-Luminova, it shines brighter than the other models like Blue Planet II.

I also like the fact that the seconds hand follows the curvature of the sapphire crystal and the tip of the hand is curved. A nice touch I would say, it always makes me look at the tip when I check time. 

Strap

The black fluororubber strap uses a woven surface pattern that ties the design back to its motorsport theme. It tapers from 22mm at the case to 20mm at the buckle. Fluororubber resists oils, sweat, and temperature changes better than standard rubber, making it the right choice for a watch that is going to see daily use. The push-button hidden clasp in 316L steel keeps the underside of the wrist clean.

Really easy to wear, but I wished, and this is a personal opinion, that on the inside of the rubber strap to have a smooth pattern, not woven one. Sometimes you feel it. 

Overall Style of CIGA design Vector

This is a sport watch with structured design intentions. You would not wear it to a black-tie dinner, but it works across a wide range of casual and smart-casual contexts. The carbon fiber version edges toward the most visually aggressive. Steel keeps it straightforward. Titanium sits between the two.

Build Quality and Durability

The case materials are genuine rather than cosmetic choices. 316L stainless steel is surgical grade. Grade 2 titanium offers a better strength-to-weight ratio than steel. Forged carbon fiber is the same material category used in high-performance vehicles and aerospace applications.

The glass is domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment. Sapphire handles daily scratches that would mark mineral glass, and the dome adds visual depth to the movement view below. Water resistance is rated at 5 ATM, covering rain, splashes, and swimming without qualifying as a dive watch. Same as Time Cipher, a watch with wandering hours.  

The finishing work stands out for the price. Micro-sandblasted surfaces on the plate and bridges diffuse light evenly. Chamfered edges catch highlights. Polished rims create contrast against the matte surfaces. Stepped planes add layering that you typically see at significantly higher price points.

Movement and Functionality

The CD-02X is CIGA design’s self-developed automatic caliber, making its debut inside the Vector. It beats at 28,800 vph (4Hz), uses 25 jewels, and delivers a 38-hour power reserve. Which is low to my standard.

Accuracy is rated at -10 to +20 seconds per day, which is an honest spec for an affordable in-house movement.

The caliber uses a Nivarox-type balance spring. A transparent synthetic support holds the movement within the case, producing a floating effect that clears sightlines and lets the full gear train perform without visual obstruction.

The circular base plate carries 60 gear-shaped teeth around its rim. These teeth simultaneously mark minute and second positions and reinforce the mechanical theme throughout the design. Micro-sandblasted surfaces on the plate and bridges diffuse light, while chamfers and polished rims add contrast and definition.

The rotor uses what CIGA calls a KE-efficient design. It cuts the standard rotor footprint by 50%, concentrates mass in a 120-degree arc, and improves winding efficiency while reducing bulk. The practical result: more of the movement stays visible through the caseback, and the rotor’s motion is more visible as it spins with wrist movement.

Functions are hours and minutes only. No date, no chronograph. For a watch built around showing the movement, that is the right call. Every extra complication is another element competing with the mechanical view.

Comfort and Wearability

A 44.5mm case wears large for the majority of people. Not for me though. That is a fact to check against your wrist before buying. The integrated lug design and the slim actual thickness of the case help more than the numbers suggest, but there is no version of the Vector that disappears on a smaller wrist.

The titanium and carbon fiber versions are noticeably lighter than the steel, which makes the larger size easier to live with across a full day. The fluororubber strap is comfortable from the first wear, flexible in cold weather, and does not trap heat the way a metal bracelet can. The push-button clasp makes daily adjustment quick.

People notice this watch. The open movement is the kind of thing that stops a conversation. Non-watch people ask about it. Watch people recognize what they are looking at. If you wear it in a room with other watches on the table, it is going to get time in other people’s hands.

Features and Technology

The transparent synthetic movement support is one of the better engineering details on the Vector. Suspending the caliber in a clear cradle rather than mounting it directly to the case creates the floating movement effect typically associated with watches at much higher price points. Light passes through from every angle.

The anti-reflective domed sapphire pulls the eye down into the mechanics rather than bouncing light back at you. It adds visual depth without distortion.

The KE-efficient rotor solves a real problem in skeleton design: a full-size rotor hides a significant portion of the movement. By cutting the footprint in half and concentrating mass in a 120-degree arc, CIGA keeps the visual access to the movement while maintaining practical winding efficiency.

Swiss Super-LumiNova green on the skeletonized hands provides genuine low-light legibility without cluttering the movement view during daylight hours.

Brand and Heritage

CIGA Design launched in 2016 in Shenzhen, China. From 2017 to 2021, the brand consistently ranked in the top three of the iF Design Awards’ Watches and Jewelry category, alongside Apple and Bulgari. In 2021, the Blue Planet won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Challenge Watch Prize, the first time a Chinese brand had ever won at the GPHG, an event widely referred to as the Oscars of watchmaking. It beat 208 other entries to get there.

Since then, CIGA has collected 17 international design awards across Red Dot, iF, and German Design Award recognitions. The Edge, the Hunter, the Time Cipher, the Falcon each pushed the brand into new territory. The Vector is their first racing-inspired model, extending their skeleton expertise into motorsport aesthetics for the first time.

Price and Value for Money

CIGA design Vector comes in at three confirmed price points: $699 for the stainless steel version, $899 for titanium, and $1,099 for the forged carbon fiber case. All three share the same movement, crystal, strap, and finishing specifications.

At $699 for the steel version, you are getting a self-developed automatic caliber with a Nivarox-type balance spring, domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, Swiss Super-LumiNova, 5 ATM water resistance, and finishing quality that punches above its price. Comparable European skeleton automatics with self-developed movements typically start at $1,500 and go up quickly from there.

The titanium version at $899 is the value peak of the lineup. You get a meaningfully lighter and more premium material for $200 more, which is a reasonable ask. The carbon fiber at $1,099 is for people who want the most visually distinct version and the lightest weight available.

Specifications Table

Pros and Cons

What works well:

• Self-developed CD-02X caliber, not a third-party movement
• Three genuine case material options at clearly differentiated price points
• Over 50% open work with organized, legible arrangement
• KE-efficient rotor preserves movement visibility while maintaining winding efficiency
• Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• Micro-sandblasted and chamfered finishing that earns its price
• Fluororubber strap is practical, comfortable, and well-suited to daily wear
• Swiss Super-LumiNova green hands glow properly in low light
• Box made from premium recycled paper

What to keep in mind:

• -10/+20s/day accuracy is honest but not exceptional
• 38-hour power reserve is modest if you rotate watches frequently
• 5 ATM water resistance excludes diving

Target Audience

CIGA design Vector suits watch enthusiasts who want a skeleton automatic with genuine mechanical interest. It is not a fashion watch with a decorative rotor. The engineering behind the CD-02X, the KE-efficient rotor, the transparent support cradle, and the 60-tooth base plate are deliberate design choices, not surface decoration.

It works well as a first serious skeleton automatic for someone stepping into the mechanical watch world. It also holds its own in an established collection as a watch with more visual attitude than a dress piece, without the cost of a Swiss skeleton at this specification level.

If you follow motorsport, the racing language of the Vector reads without being a costume. If you do not follow motorsport, it still reads as a well-considered skeleton automatic.

Box and Packaging

CIGA Design packages the Vector in their signature book-style box, made from premium recycled paper. It opens through a tactile, page-turning experience that reveals the watch gradually. The outside features an embossed gear motif and racing-circuit imagery that reinforces the Vector identity before you even reach the watch. It is packaging you keep rather than discard.

A cool watch for motorsport enthusiasts

CIGA design Vector is the most structurally intentional watch CIGA Design has produced to date. The motorsport influence is present without being theatrical. The engineering behind the CD-02X movement, the KE-efficient rotor, and the transparent movement support reflects a brand that is developing its own technology rather than sourcing off-the-shelf solutions.

At $699 for the steel version, the Vector delivers a self-developed automatic skeleton watch with genuine finishing quality. At $899, the titanium version adds meaningful lightness and a premium material feel. At $1,099, the carbon fiber is for those who want the most visually distinct version available.

None of these prices are easy to argue against for what you actually get. The Vector earns its place in a crowded skeleton market by doing more with the mechanics than its competitors at this price, and by resisting the temptation to make the racing theme louder than the watch itself.

What’s next from them? I’m hopping for a serious competition for Bel Canto C1 

More info about the watch can be found here

Dsclosure: The watch was sent to us by CIGA design, however, they had zero input on how we review or present the watch. Opinions expressed are our own and have not been influenced by CIGA design in any way, shape, or form.