GUILLOCHÉ & ENAMEL DIALS
The art of guilloché is based on the royal craft of ornamental turnery, prevalent in
European royalty from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Watchmakers
invented complex machines for guilloché, and Chronoswiss continues to make dials
using a nearly century-old hand-operated rose engine (left) to make classic guilloché
patterns for cases, dials, components and rotors.
Using only his or her hands, the guilloché artisan moves the dial against the graver
tool, which applies the cut from the outside to the inside, engraving the patterns about
a tenth of a millimeter into the dial. The individual lines are only about two-tenths of a
millimeter, making for very filigreed embellishment.
ENAMEL COATING
Hand-cut guilloché dials, already rare in watchmaking, are then accentuated in the
Chronoswiss Artist’s Collection. Here, Chronoswiss artisans give the typical
guilloché wave pattern extra depth by adding a special enamel coating. After cleaning
the enamel, the enameller mixes it with water and applies it to the dial. But even then
he or she must be extremely careful to keep the enamel level when being fired. Then,
after all the layers have been fired and the dial has been polished, the dial returns to
the rose engine for another round of guilloché.
Chronoswiss applies a special Breguet threading, an intricate guilloché border
pattern, that really makes the series stand out among its peers. High-fire enameling
is essentially pulverized and usually colored glass melted onto metal under high
temperatures. The process of high-fire enameling is very time consuming. Multiple
firings are required to achieve a perfect color, and each layer is less than one-tenth of
a millimeter in height. Before the enamel powder is applied, it needs to be thoroughly
cleaned to achieve a perfectly clear and translucent color. Source: Chronoswiss
Flying Regulator Night
and Day in rose gold
The 44mm Chronoswiss Flying
Grand Regulator Limited
Edition, in steel
Flying Regulator Open Gear
Anniversary Edition, in red gold
SUMMER 2018 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 55