Zenith

After the "Mécanique Générale" department, we would like to invite you to follow us through two breathtaking departments: "Guillochage" and "Polissage". Here is probably what watch enthusiasts cherish most – hand-made dials created using traditional techniques.

I must confess that, when I've noticed the "Guillochage" plate, I've asked myself: "Hey, Elio, are you really about to see with your eyes a guillochage machine, aka rose engine?" Well, not only we've seen them…

… but we have seen them in action!!!

Please note that, even if the machines are very old, they are equipped with modern viewing instruments.

After a big congratulation to the highly skillful (and very kind) operators, almost inevitably we vividly imagined how exciting must be to have a timepiece with some wonderful guilloché work... Congratulations to the happy owners that will enjoy these very nicely done works.

The next step was the "Polissage" department. This not only removes production debris of former steps, but also introduces additional finishing touches like brushed rings etc. 

Patterns were available to show the various production stages. The steps are 'brut' (=raw), 'adouçi' (=softened) and 'poli' (=polished). Fittingly demonstrated with a dial to celebrate...

Want to see more? Sure, here you are:

Basically, an operator mounts the raw dials on a soft but precise plate, and presses it with even handling on the rotating polishing surface:

One of the materials that needs a lot of attention is mother-of-pearl. Fehr S.A: has a quite vast production of m-o-p dials and can offer them in every colour you like, from the lightest to the darkest. There are, we were explained, several ways to obtain a coloured m-o-p dial. For the expensive ones, coloured raw material is selected, adding substantially to the cost of such a dial. More affordable models achieve the effect by using a very thin white m-o-p material shimmed with a coloured plates underneath.

Polishing m-o-p dials requires exclusively human action, since a machine can't obtain as much beauty. The steps are quite distinct:

Here you can see an operator in action and her results.

Just imagine polishing such thin material:

Fehr S.A. is also one of the few specialists who are able to work on curved m-o-p dials:

The company also has its own gem-setting atelier. The technicians were already out for lunch, thus it was empty. We could however see the level of in-house work exemplified with a rather complicated dial with a brilliant-adorned ring surrounded by Aventurine:

Starting with a solid machined baseplate, first the inner section is milled out just to allow the fixation of the brilliants.

Subsequently, the remaining material is removed as well…

… until the dial is ready for the gem-setters, again, to mount the semi-precious stone:

As we've previously said, the pieces produced in the General Machinery department need some other mechanical works. These are done in a dedicated department, the "Ébauches" one (not to be confused with movement ébauches!)

The removal of material from an already highly worked (or even ‘preciourised’) dial is a delicate task and is entrusted to well-trained and experienced craftsmen and their dedicated machines. Depending on the specific dial, the cuts are either done in one step using a stamp...

... or with a simple drilling machine for more complicated tasks, e.g. if inner parts or subdials need to be removed or thinned...

… or bringing into shape dial elements. Could you see what has been done on this rather famous piece?

All this with a quite pleasing view:

No wonder the workers are in a good mood:

Now, our dials are finished as far as mechanical treatments are concerned.

Ready? Well, almost, one decisive part is still missing: The small and tiny feet which allow precise instalment on a watch movement. These machines are meant to apply them on the dials.

Owing to the diminutive size of the feet, manual work is out of question. A dedicated machine using vacuum individually grabs a foot and applies to its position on the dial’s back side:

This kind lady was in charge of this work, that day.

This is the last step:

NOW with the feet applied we a finally able to move on (pun intended!).

But that’s all for today. In our second and last instalment on the creation of dials we will present how dials obtain their final face: colouration, printing, setting of indices etc.

Stay tuned!

Elio & Magnus

 

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