Now that the development of movements and cases has reached a plateau, watchmakers are competing over design and dial finishes. This is why new dial finishes are a regular sight at SIHH and Baselworld in recent years. However, it has only been 30 years since dials have become so diverse. So what is happening at the forefront of dial development right now? We look back at that history and bring you the latest information from the field.
Text by Hirota Masayuki
[First published in the November 2015 issue of Kronos Japan]
Overview of dial expression techniques
The dial, the "face" of a watch, is an extremely important element of a watch. However, the fact that it has not been given much importance in the world of watches can be seen from the fact that there is very little information on it. However, it is possible to get a general idea of how it has developed. Here, I would like to provide an overview of the trends from the end of the 19th century, when mass production of dials became possible, to the 1960s.
Patek Philippe watches from the 1910s to the 60s feature dials with raised logos and other details, known as "enamel inlay." These watches were manufactured by Stern Brothers (now Stern Creations), a sister company of Patek Philippe at the time. Automatic movement. 18KYG (30.5mm diameter). Not waterproof. 280 million yen. For inquiries, please contact Shellman Ginza store at 03-5568-1234.
In contrast to the raised markings on dials of the past, the current model is characterized by a delicate finish. The markings, made using electro-deposition coating, are flat and clear. The slightly subdued clear finish is also typical of today's high-end models. Manufactured by affiliated company Fluckiger. Manual winding. 18KWG (diameter 37mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Price: 233 million yen. For inquiries, please contact Patek Philippe Japan Information Center at 03-3255-8109.
It was at the end of the 19th century that the watch industry succeeded in mass-producing dials. During this period, the ink transfer technique (decalc) was developed and began to be used on inexpensive watches. By the 1910s, this technique had become increasingly popular, replacing the labor-intensive enamel dials. Today, most watch dials are made of brass, a result of printing technology.
However, there were also expensive dials in the past that did not use decals. One was enamel, and the other was the so-called "enamel inlay" used by Patek Philippe.
Recently, the latter manufacturing method has come to light, so I would like to briefly explain it. Enamel-inlaid dials use silver, not brass, as the base (although, as far as I know, gold was also available). The base is 0.5 to 0.6 mm thick, considerably thicker than the current standard. The reason for the thickness is so that the engraver can carve the area into which the color will be poured. The depth is probably 0 mm or 0 mm. After the engraver carves the letters, the enameler pours the enamel into the area and bakes it at approximately 900°C.
900°C is close to the melting point of silver. This causes impurities to appear on the surface. By lightly scraping them off with emery cloth, the base is complete. The documentation states that you should scrape off 1/10 of a millimeter, which is quite thick.
The dial is then textured, buffed, and covered with lacquer to complete the look. Incidentally, Greubel Forsey also adopted this technique for their dials this year. They must have read the same material.
(Left) A dial from the 1960s. Patek Philippe stopped using enamel inlays and began using dials with strong grain from the 60s onwards. Typical of dials from this era, the clear coat sprayed on the surface is rather strong. Both dials on the left and right are owned by Shellman Ginza.
(Right) A good example of an "enamel inlaid" dial. A silver plate is hand-carved, enamel is poured into it, and then it is baked at approximately 900°C. The surface becomes rough, so it is lightly peeled off, and a thick layer of lacquer is applied from the top to complete the dial. According to independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, "nitrocellulose was probably used as the clear coat." It has a unique texture, but it is difficult to maintain the original condition after several decades. For this reason, it is rare to find an old Patek Philippe with a dial in excellent condition.
However, this document leaves out one important point: what kind of protective lacquer did Patek Philippe use at the time? The dials used by Patek Philippe at the time had a unique, smooth texture that is not found in the clear lacquers used today.
Hajime Asaoka, an independent watchmaker, speculates that "they probably used nitrocellulose," which is likely correct, considering that it is not weather-resistant and cracks easily.
As far as I know, the only company making these dials at the time was Stern, a sister company of Patek Philippe, but they abandoned the technique in the 1960s - I can only speculate as to why - it was too expensive, and perhaps because they were able to properly silver-plate the brass base.
A smash hit in the 1950s and 60s, its versatile functionality and sleek black dial made it a hit in the American market. However, with the exception of Rolex, the use of black lacquer dials disappeared from the market after this point, and we would have to wait until the mid-2000s for their resurgence. Automatic movement. Stainless steel (34mm diameter). Not waterproof. Private collection.
In the late 1950s, heavily textured silver-plated dials became popular. This was clearly a nod to Patek Philippe, but the texture was applied by machine. This was indicated by a pattern that radiated from the center of the dial. This was achieved by applying a base to a hard metal brush. This style was adopted not only by Patek Philippe, but by a variety of other manufacturers as well.
During this period, various manufacturers used oil-based enamel for printing, as well as clear coats. Rolex mirror dials are a good example of so-called enamel paint. This has a unique luster, but it also has problems with weather resistance. Moreover, Swiss manufacturers sprayed the clear coat very lightly, so the dials of watches from this era quickly deteriorated.
In contrast, Japanese manufacturers have consistently tried to improve weather resistance, resulting in thicker clear cases. Suwa Seikosha even tried to protect the dial by adding a glassy coating between the dial and the clear case. However, these efforts did not necessarily produce good results in terms of texture.
Things started to change in the 1980s. As environmental restrictions became stricter, the paints used on dials were also reconsidered. Since then, the quality of paints has improved dramatically, giving dials excellent weather resistance and new expressions that were previously unimaginable.
