As watch enthusiasts, we know that a watch needs to have the perfect combination of elements for us to fall in love with it. But there’s no denying that a beautiful dial will likely be the first thing that we notice.
I thought it might be interesting to take a closer look at the finishes that brands use on dials to ensure that they catch our attention and our hearts.
Guilloche
Guilloche is the art of engine turning to create intertwined and repetitive patterns. It originated over 500 years ago as a technique to decorate wood and ivory, before being used in precious metals and then, in the 1780s was first used by Abraham-Louis Breguet to decorate a watch dial. The pattern can be used across the whole dial, or to differentiate the sections of a dial, such as subdials, to increase readability. You can see an example of this with the Parmigiani Tondagraph below. The Cartier Ballon Bleu uses a wavy guilloche pattern, radiating from the centre of the dial. The result is always one that plays in the lights, giving a real sense of luxury.
Tapisserie
In the late 19th century, guilloche evolved to include Tapisserie designs. Audemars Piguet refined the technique and assembled approximately 30 machines in dedicated workshops to create the miniature pyramid-shaped pattern. The result is more uniform than the elaborate guilloche designs, yet still plays with the light while allowing for legibility. In later years, other brands adopted the technique, as seen below with the Girard-Perregaux Laureato and Bulgari SL Auto.
Linen dial
Since owning my 1965 Zenith watch, linen dials have been one of my favourite finishes. However, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that the dials are not actually made from linen. Instead, the textile-like, crosshatch finish is created by etching or engraving into the dial. The result is more subtle than guilloche, yet the silky effect continues to shimmer in the light. I love the gold linen dial on this 1980’s Rolex Lady-Datejust.
Patterned dials
Continuing with the Rolex theme, we couldn’t ignore this striking logo dial. To celebrate 40 years of the Datejust, in 1985 Rolex created the Jubilee dial which features an engraved “ROLEX” design repeated across the whole dial. This 2011 version comes with a silver Jubilee dial adorned with 10 diamonds. The logo can appear subtle and then catch your eye as it changes in the light.
Brushed finishing
Possibly my other favourite finish on a dial is brushing. It’s relatively simple, not distracting from telling the time, yet for me, it exudes luxury showing that it’s the details that matter. In the example of the Cartier Santos below, the vertical brushing on the centre of the dial could almost be overlooked, but perfectly complements the stealthy design of the watch. The Moser Streamliner Smoked Salmon on the other hand has been created to shock and surprise. The deep brushing technique allows for the colour to playfully change from almost black to a shimmering pink-bronze.
Bold stripes
From subtle brushing to bold stripes, the vertical lines of the Omega Aqua Terra are reminiscent of the wooden decks of luxury sailboats. Omega also used a bold lattice design on their 2012 Skyfall edition of the Planet Ocean, setting it aside from any other Planet Ocean model.
Sandwich dials
We’ll spend time discovering the history of how luminous materials were used on dials at a later date, but I wanted to briefly touch on sandwich dials as they’re another favourite of mine. The technique comes from using two layers for the dial – the base plate, usually made from luminous material, is covered by a top plate with cut-outs for the numerals, allowing the base layer to show through. The stencil effect allows for optimal legibility and gives a real depth to the dial. While Panerai are perhaps the most well-known for sandwich dials, many other brands also use the technique, as we can see with the Omega Speedmaster ’57 below.
Lumed dials
If you’re a lume-lover, but sandwich dials aren’t cutting the mustard, you could opt for a fully-lumed dial. Imagine the fun you could have on a #fridaynightlumebattle, or waving your hands in the air at a Saturday-night rave. Mühle-Glashuette had more serious intentions in mind when they created the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Lumen, such as prolonged legibility in low light for the German maritime rescue workers. But however you choose to use it, it’s a great watch!
Aged dials
Not a technique as such, but certainly worth a mention, aged dials should not be overlooked. Once considered “damaged”, how a dial has evolved over time could now be considered a sought-after feature of a vintage watch. Perhaps the most popular are “tropical” dials, used to describe how the paint has faded (often due to sun exposure) turning the dial a brown colour. There’s no real way of knowing how a dial will fade, so often the patterns are unique to each watch. We have a beautiful example of a 1990’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with a tropical dial – once thought to be black it’s now a soft grey-bronze colour. Another favourite of mine is the Omega Constellation from 1985. I described it to a friend as having “duck-egg speckles”. He said it was more like stars in a night sky – a Constellation if you will!
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