With more and more manufacturing jobs being replaced by machines, it is interesting to note the lengths that Swiss watchmakers like Patek Philippe go to in order to create the dials of their fine timepieces. The dial is one of the most scrutinized parts of the watch (aside from the movement, of course). It is the face of the watch and must adhere to the strictest of aesthetic standards in order to create a beautiful watch that is also legible and functional.
The dial is composed of a metal wafer that is hand-enameled to create the look and pattern appropriate for the model configuration. It is then electroplated and decorated before being polished and receiving the logo imprint manually. After each of these steps, the dial must be cleaned in an ultrasound bath with biodegradable detergent. On their official website, the watchmaker embedded a few videos that demonstrate some of these steps, including placing the numerals onto the dial, as shown in the photo above.
The dial makers and finishers that put these dials together use skills and trade secrets that have been handed down from generation to generation within the company. One dial takes up to six months to complete, with up to 200 operations in some cases. Each model’s dial has its own list of tasks that are necessary to complete the dial to its particular specifications. Due to the variety of models in their collection, there are over 600 task lists, making it a very tedious and time-consuming endeavor to hand-finish each dial.
After over a century in watchmaking, Patek Philippe continues to incorporate hand finishing techniques that may set their production schedule back, but also add to the prestige of their timepieces. While creating the movements and cases requires scientific precision, the finishing of the dial requires an artful attention to detail that benefits from this attention to detail. For more information on their hand finishing practices, including video, visit patek.com.
