Two of Agelocer's $299 automatics are built the same way: a skeleton display you can see through from the front and the back. The Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton is square, steel, and quiet on specifics. The Agelocer Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton is round, 40mm, 9.5mm thick, and publishes nearly everything — Cal.A4710 movement, 80-hour reserve, 50m water resistance. No page anywhere compares the two, so here's what's actually the same, what's different, and which one to put in the cart.
Verdict: if you want the safer $299 buy, take the Agelocer Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton — a fully specced 40mm automatic with an 80-hour reserve and sapphire crystal. The Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton is the one to choose if you specifically want a square case and can live with a listing that doesn't state size or reserve.
Best all-round pick: Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton, $299 on leather — 40mm, 9.5mm thick, Cal.A4710, 80-hour reserve, 50m.
Best if you want a bracelet: the same Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton, $329 on the steel-strap variant.
Best for a square case: Codex Double Skeleton, $299, in Classic Silver or Classic Black.
Skip the Codex if you want to know the case size and power reserve before you buy — that information just isn't on the listing, and we're not going to invent it.
The Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton, $299 — square steel case, open-worked dial, no published case size.
Is the Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton automatic?
Yes. Agelocer lists the Codex Double Skeleton's movement simply as "automatic mechanical" — it winds itself from the motion of your wrist and needs no battery. The listing does not name a specific calibre, state a power reserve, or give a vibration frequency, so you can't set its movement against the Schwarzwald's Cal.A4710 and 80-hour reserve on paper.
That's unusual within this comparison specifically: both the Codex Square and the Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton state a calibre name and a power reserve figure on their own product pages. The Codex Double Skeleton is the only one of these four models that doesn't. It's still a genuine automatic mechanical watch — we just can't tell you how long it runs off the wrist or how fast its balance beats. For how Agelocer's named calibres line up across the catalogue, see which movement each Agelocer model uses.
Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton vs Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton: what's the same, what's different?
Both are $299 automatic mechanicals with a skeleton display you can see through from front and back, a steel case, and a leather strap option. The real differences are published detail and shape: the Schwarzwald states a 40mm case, Cal.A4710 movement, 80-hour reserve and 50m rating; the square Codex states none of that.
Both come on a leather strap with a folding buckle, both start at $299 (the Codex in Classic Silver or Classic Black, the Schwarzwald in silver on leather or on a $329 steel bracelet), and both put a skeletonised movement on display through the caseback as well as the dial. Where they part ways is the case: the Codex Double Skeleton is square (Classic Silver or Classic Black), and the Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton is round (Leather Strap Silver at $299, or Steel Strap Silver at $329). The Schwarzwald's listing also states a sapphire crystal and a 30mm transparent panoramic back cover; the Codex's listing names neither.
Strap or bracelet is the other real choice, and only the Schwarzwald gives you one. The $299 version comes on a crocodile-pattern leather strap. For $329 you get a 316L stainless steel bracelet instead. Both use a 316L steel folding buckle, and the listing states a 20mm strap width and a 170–205mm wearing length. Leather is the dressier option under a shirt cuff. Steel is the one to pick if you'd rather not replace a worn strap later. The Codex Double Skeleton is listed on leather with a folding buckle only, so if you want a bracelet at this price, the Schwarzwald is the only one of the two that offers it. For a closer look at either range on its own, read our Agelocer Codex review or our Agelocer Schwarzwald review.
The Agelocer Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton, from $299 — 40mm, 9.5mm thick, Cal.A4710, 80-hour reserve.
Square or round — how does each Agelocer skeleton wear on the wrist?
The round Schwarzwald wears predictably: 40mm across and 9.5mm thick, with a stated 170–205mm wearing length, it sits like a standard mid-size automatic. The square Codex gives no dimensions, so the closest reference point is another square Agelocer we stock, the Codex Square, which publishes a compact 34.5 x 35mm case, 10mm thick.
That's not the Double Skeleton's actual size — Agelocer hasn't published one — so treat it as a picture of what a 34.5 x 35mm square case looks like on the wrist, not as a prediction of the Double Skeleton's dimensions. The Codex Square itself isn't a skeleton, though; it's a dress watch with a Roman-numeral dial and an exhibition caseback, included here purely for the sizing comparison. If you'd rather stay round but want a bigger case than the Schwarzwald's 40mm, the Schwarzwald Skeleton Ceramic Bezel runs 41.5mm and 10mm thick, from $339, with a longer 180–230mm wearing length and a ceramic bezel the Double-Sided Skeleton doesn't have.
The Agelocer Codex Square, $299 — 34.5 x 35mm, 10mm thick, the closest sizing reference we have for Agelocer's square cases.
The Agelocer Schwarzwald Skeleton Ceramic Bezel, from $339 — 41.5mm, 10mm thick, for a bigger round skeleton than the Double-Sided Skeleton's 40mm.
What does the Codex Double Skeleton listing leave out, and does it matter?
The Codex Double Skeleton's page states case shape, material, strap and buckle, but not case size, thickness, weight, crystal type, water resistance, movement calibre or power reserve. That matters if you need to know how it'll fit under a cuff or how long it runs unworn — information the Schwarzwald publishes in full for the same $299.
We'd rather tell you plainly than guess. The Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton, the Codex Square and the Schwarzwald Ceramic Bezel all carry a full specs block on their own pages — case size, thickness, weight, strap width, wearing length, water resistance, movement model and power reserve. The Codex Double Skeleton's page doesn't. If sizing risk bothers you, that's a reason to lean toward the Schwarzwald. If you've handled an Agelocer square case before, or you're buying mainly for the open-worked look rather than the spec sheet, the gap matters less. For a wider look at what "skeleton" means across the brand, see our guide to what a skeleton watch is.
What's the power reserve on the Agelocer Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton?
80 hours. Agelocer states the Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton runs on the Cal.A4710 automatic movement with an 80-hour power reserve. On that figure, a fully wound watch taken off on Friday evening should still be running when you pick it up on Monday morning.
That's a brand-stated figure rather than an independently tested one. It still beats the 40-hour reserve published for the Codex Square, and the Codex Double Skeleton states no reserve at all. Water resistance follows the same pattern: the Schwarzwald lists 50m, while the Codex Double Skeleton's listing gives no water-resistance figure, so keep it away from water until you know more.
Codex vs Schwarzwald: the spec table
Every figure below is copied from the model's own product page. Where a field is blank on the Codex Double Skeleton's listing, we've left it blank here too rather than fill it in.
| Model | Movement | Size | Key feature | Price | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex Double Skeleton | Automatic mechanical (calibre not stated) | Not stated | Square case, double-sided open-worked dial | $299 | Buyers who want a square skeleton and don't need published dimensions |
| Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton | Cal.A4710, 80h reserve | 40mm / 9.5mm / 68g | Sapphire crystal, 30mm panoramic caseback, 50m | $299 (leather) / $329 (steel) | Buyers who want every spec confirmed before buying |
| Codex Square | Cal.A3350, 40h reserve | 34.5 x 35mm / 10mm / 63.5g | Roman-numeral dial, exhibition caseback | $299 | Buyers who want a square case with every dimension published |
| Schwarzwald Skeleton Ceramic Bezel | Cal.A4910, 80h reserve | 41.5mm / 10mm / 84.2g | Ceramic bezel, rubber strap | From $339 | Buyers who want a bigger round skeleton with a ceramic bezel |
Agelocer Schwarzwald vs Codex: which should you buy?
Pick the Agelocer Codex Double Skeleton if you want a square case specifically, you like the Classic Silver or Classic Black colourway, and you're buying mainly for the open-worked look rather than a spec sheet you can cross-check against other watches.
Pick the Agelocer Schwarzwald Double-Sided Skeleton if you want every number confirmed before you pay: 40mm case, 9.5mm thick, Cal.A4710 movement, 80-hour reserve, sapphire crystal, 50m water resistance, 68g. At the same $299 leather-strap price as the Codex, it's the version whose size, movement, reserve and water rating are all on the page — and the $329 steel-bracelet option is there if you'd rather skip leather altogether.
Both watches ship from PrimeTimepiece with worldwide delivery and buyer protection, and both are in stock now in every colourway listed above. Browse the rest of the range in our Agelocer collection, or read the full Codex review and Schwarzwald review before you decide.