What is Guilloché?
Guilloché dates to the late 1700s when Abraham-Louis Breguet first used it in watchmaking. Since then, a Guilloché dial has become a hallmark of many watch brands to showcase their artisans’ expertise. Even today, artisans use a traditional rose or straight-line engine called a lathe to create the Guilloché dial.
However, the production of Guilloché dial using a lathe machine is very low-yield and highly cost, which is why most of these Guilloché enamel watches are extremely expensive.
Guilloché Enamel Dial
We are dedicated to crafting exquisite Guilloché enamel dial watches at an accessible price. To achieve this, we have put in a tremendous effort, overcoming numerous challenges and exploring various solutions. We decided to forego the traditional rose engine handcrafted Guilloché dial, and instead, utilize modern machinery to produce silver Guilloché dial plate. Through several rounds of trials and failures, we have finally made significant progress.
After completing the modern machine-made silver Guilloché dial plate, the next process will be familiar to us, which is to enamel it.
How Guilloché enamel dial make?
Guilloché enamel utilizes the Basse-Taille technique through a low-relief pattern in metal, typically silver. The pattern is fashioned so that its highest point remains lower than the adjacent metal. Subsequently, translucent enamel is applied to the metal, enabling light to reflect off the relief and evoke a striking artistic impression. This process brings out the full beauty of translucent enamels, as the light refracts from the shiny metal beneath, creating an illusion of depth and a play of light and shade.
Preparing: First, the artisan will prepare the enamel materials by mixing them with water in an Agate bowl. Using an agate stick, the artisan will grind the materials until the enamel pigments turn into a fine powder. Afterward, the excess water will be poured out, and the enamel pigments will be left to dry.
Enameling: The artisan will then carefully paint the Guilloché dial, ensuring an even spread across the entire plate until the entire dial is well enamelled. To prevent the dial from deforming during firing, we enamel both the front and reverse sides.
Baking: Then, the silver Guilloché plate is placed in an 800° C (1,472° F) oven for a brief firing. After removing it, the plate is allowed to cool. This process of layer firing and multiple reheats is repeated, ultimately setting the enamel.
Repeat Enameling and Baking: After the initial firing, a skilled operator uses a small hand tool to flatten the dial and carefully inspects it for any flaws. Imperfect dials are discarded. The acceptable ones are then coated with additional layers of enamel pigment and fired once more. Finally, the layers are drawn to the desired thickness, resulting in a dial with multiple colors and a flawless finish.
Each time, the spectacle of the Grand Feu occurs in the oven. The process is repeated until the required thickness is achieved. Up to 2 or sometimes 3 firings may be needed.
Polishing: The artisan will then gently polish the enamel dial until the surface is smooth and reflects like a mirror, nearing completion of this intricate process.
Completing the enamel dial: Applying painted markers and the logo marks the final step in completing the Guilloché enamel dial.This process seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques, paying meticulous attention to every detail, creating an extraordinary timepiece.
This process seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques, paying meticulous attention to every detail, resulting in the creation of an extraordinary timepiece