The story of exquisite art crafted on a watch dial

A watch dial is the essential component that makes a timepiece complete. In our previous article, we introduced you to the types of watch dials. Today, we will take everyone to delve into the fascinating art on the dial, such as the techniques of hand-engraving and meticulous creation that make luxury brand watches look more beautiful and valuable.

4 captivating beauties on luxury timepiece dials

1. Guilloche

The Guilloche dial is one with a long history dating back to the 16th century, invented by Genevan watchmaker Pierre Duhamel. In the early era, Guilloche patterns were used on the cases of pocket watches for aesthetics and to reduce slipperiness while handling to check the time. By 1950, Guilloche became the most popular dial type and has been commonly used in the production of dials for luxury watch brands from the past until today.

Guilloche is a form of art that requires high precision in production. To create these beautiful and captivating patterns, every dial is hand-engraved using a tool called a “Rose Engine,” which is a large, expensive machine designed specifically for producing precious art on the dials of magnificent timepieces. Currently, the Swiss authorities have set a high standard for Guilloche work by specifying “Swiss Guilloche Main” on a part of the watch for those that meet the criteria, with Breguet being the first brand to be honored with this distinction.

The commonly seen Guilloche patterns are of 4 types as follows:

1. Hobnail/Clous de Paris: featuring pointed pyramids arranged together.
2. Basket Weave: featuring a pattern woven like a basket as the name suggests.
3. Fish Scale/Escaille de Poisson: featuring curved shapes resembling fish scales.
4. Flinque: featuring overlapping curved lines.

Among these, Basket Weave is considered the most difficult pattern to create, yet it is most frequently found on the dials of various luxury wristwatches.

2. Frosting

The Frosting dial is another precious dial with a history as long as the Guilloche dial. Invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of the luxury watch brand Breguet, Frosting is a technique of using acid to etch the surface of the material to achieve a pattern that looks sparkling and brilliant, similar to fine diamonds. Breguet typically chooses only genuine silver and gold for this production.

As time passed, the Frosting technique was developed and the production method was adjusted to use brushes to create similar patterns, as using acid can be dangerous. However, it remains an art that requires the utmost hand-finishing precision and takes a long time to produce each individual dial. It is a beautiful art that has accompanied luxury timepieces for many centuries.

3. Hand Hammering

The Hand Hammering watch dial is a dial made famous by the brand AkriviA, created by the team of Rexhep Rexhepi, a young and talented watchmaker. It is a dial with a pattern resembling ice crystals that sparkles when hitting the light. The production technique requires the same level of precision as jewelry making, with the intention that every time the wearer moves their wrist, the Hand Hammering dial will play with the light to create a glistening effect, becoming a beauty that one cannot take their eyes off.

In producing a Hand Hammering dial, only a hammer, a pin, and the skill of the watchmaker are used. Every square inch of the pattern is created by hammering a pin repeatedly hundreds of times until a unique and irreproducible design appears. It takes over a hundred hours to complete just one dial; therefore, the Hand Hammering dial is another piece of art on timepieces that is widely recognized by watch lovers.

4. Tapisserie

Originally, the Tapisserie dial was one of the patterns of the Guilloche dial, but due to its high popularity, it has been categorized as a separate type of watch dial. It stands out for its square pattern arranged in an orderly fashion. When observed closely, one can notice the dimension and the raised circular patterns surrounding the squares. Today, this dial has become a symbol of luxury watches like AUDEMARS PIGUET.

In its production, specific tools designed for this watch dial pattern are used. Even though they are manual tools similar to the Rose Engine, the difference is that the tools for producing the Tapisserie dial have a motor that controls the operation, slowly and meticulously creating the squares in an orderly row. Producing each one can take up to 50 minutes. It is a beautiful art on a timepiece that many believe is a dream to own.

Secure legendary beauty on a luxury watch at Pixiu Watch

The value of luxury brand watches does not come from the high price alone, but also from the unique, one-of-a-kind design and the beauty present in every part, whether it is the case, the strap, the dial, or even the hands. For those who want to own the beauty of legendary art from luxury watch brands, you can browse at PIXIU WATCH. We are a shop selling authentic, carefully selected brand-name watches. We are happy to provide consultations and advice on timepieces from various famous brands to deliver beauty to every watch lover.

For more information, please contact us at 096-939-9292 (Oat) any day and time.