Making a watch case, the inspiration

Making a watch case, the inspiration

I've been interested in doing some watch dials for a while now. I've been inspired by some of these beautiful and amazing dials shown here. I'd like to explore making the watch case as well, as this will allow me to put some interest into the overall look and feel.

The watch above has an enamel dial with a miniature enamel painting fired in. I'm not sure if Bovet watches dome the dial slightly, but I know if I was doing it I would put a slight curvature into the dial to prevent it warping; especially since an enamel painting can require up to eight firings or more.

Ulysse Nardin Guilloché dial.

The guilloché dial on this one, above, is quite spectacular and it's worth me exploring doing something similar. I'm not sure how the Roman numerals are put onto the dial, are they fired in to the enamel? The date box would make cutting the guilloché a bit more tricky, although it might be placed after the enamelling by carefully cutting a space in the enamel dial and dropping it in. I could start with something much simpler. This one, above, is a flat dial and I would do the same to start with. A domed dial can be nice, though, as it catches the light more and this is especially true with guilloché.

 

Ulysse Nardin printed white dial

The dial above is enamel paint printed onto a plain white enamelled background and then fired in; it may require repeated firings to get the intensity of colour required, this technique is often called Le Grand Feu. The enamelling for this dial is done on copper. The holes are drilled after the enamelling and there is a tube attached to the centre hole on the back which is soldered, I think, onto the copper before the enamelling. This one is made by Donzé Cadrans.

 

Watch dial by Vacheron Constatin showing the Champlevé technique

The above is a splendid example of champlevé enamelling. The reds and whites are enamel-filled recesses cut out of the silver. The silver birds are engraved with guilloché patterns and there is one bird filled with diamonds. The cutting out of the recesses happens first, then the enamelling. The piece will be ground flat and polished to get all the enamel and metal at the same level. Then the silver birds will be engraved and the diamonds set. The hole for the hands can be cut before the enamelling as the champlevé technique allows us to put a border around the hole to stop the flow of enamel going down. I'm not sure if the Vacheron Constantin name is put on the glass or on the dial. If on the dial it may not be fired in.

Vacheron Constatin cloisonne dial

The above is an example of cloisonné enamel but with engraved guilloché patterns showing through the transparent enamels. The hole for the hands is probably drilled after the enamelling is done, although it is possible to drill it before hand and solder a border around to prevent the flow of enamel. This one above is done by Porchet as part of the Vacheron Constantin’s Metiers d’Art Florilege collection.

These are great examples to aspire to, we'll see how it goes!

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